Supervisory Research Soil Scientist/Agronomist/Meteorologist (Research Leader)

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Minimum qualification requirements are found in the General Schedule Qualification Standards (opm.gov).

Basic Qualification Requirements for the Soil Science Series, 0470:

A. Degree: soil science or a closely related discipline that included 30 semester hours or equivalent in biological, physical, or earth science, with a minimum of 15 semester hours in such subjects as soil genesis, pedology, soil chemistry, soil physics, and soil fertility.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in soil science or a related discipline that included at least 30 semester hours in the biological, physical, or earth sciences. At least 15 of these semester hours must have been in the areas specified in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Basic Qualification Requirements for the Agronomy Series, 0471:

A. Degree: agronomy; or related discipline of science that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in the basic plant sciences, including at least 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, such as those dealing with plant breeding, crop production, and soil and crop management.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience: at least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, including a minimum of 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Graduate Education: Agronomy, or one of the related disciplines or fields of science, such as plant physiology, soils, or genetics, where the curriculum or pattern of training placed major emphasis on field crops or agronomy. Graduate study in related fields, such as botany, plant pathology, and biochemistry may also be qualifying, provided it placed a sufficient amount of emphasis on agronomy.

Evaluation of Education: Course work in such subjects as botany, plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant breeding or genetics, plant ecology, plant pathology, microbiology, agronomy, or those dealing with basic soil-water-plant relationships of an agronomic or ecologic nature may be used to meet the 30-semester-hour requirement in the basic plant sciences. Agronomy courses include agronomy, fieldcrops, field crop production or management, soil and crop management, plant breeding and development, weed control, and similar courses, including those in soils, biochemistry, plant physiology, etc., provided they dealt with principles, methods, or procedures that are applied directly in agronomic work and in the solving of agronomic problems.

Basic Qualification Requirements for the Meteorology Series, 1340:

A. Degree: meteorology, atmospheric science, or other natural science major that included:

1. At least 24 semester (36 quarter) hours of credit in meteorology/atmospheric science including a minimum of:
   • Six semester hours of atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics;*
   • Six semester hours of analysis and prediction of weather systems (synoptic/mesoscale);
   • Three semester hours of physical meteorology; and
   • Two semester hours of remote sensing of the atmosphere and/or instrumentation.
2. Six semester hours of physics, with at least one course that includes laboratory sessions.*
3. Three semester hours of ordinary differential equations.*
4. At least nine semester hours of course work appropriate for a physical science major in any combination of three or more of the following: physical hydrology, statistics, chemistry, physical oceanography, physical climatology, radiative transfer, aeronomy, advanced thermodynamics, advanced electricity and magnetism, light and optics, and computer science.

* There is a prerequisite or corequisite of calculus for course work in atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics, physics, and differential equations. Calculus courses must be appropriate for a physical science major.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
In addition to meeting the basic requirements for at least one of the series described above, applicants must also meet additional qualification requirements as stated below to qualify at each grade level. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled.

GS-14: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service.

The specialized experience requirements for the GS-14 level of this position are:

• Planning and conducting independent research related to improving farm productivity, enhancing nutrient use efficiency, or mitigating the effects of climate change on crop production; AND
• Publishing related research results in peer-reviewed scientific journals; AND
• Being invited to present research findings at scientific conferences, either in person or virtually; AND
• Experience supervising staff and/or advising graduate students to accomplish a variety of research objectives; AND
• Working with stakeholders to enhance personal research efforts and writing grant proposals to expand existing programs.

GS-15: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service.

The specialized experience requirements for the GS-15 level of this position are:

• Leading a multidisciplinary team conducting research related to improving farm productivity, enhancing nutrient use efficiency, or mitigating the effects of climate change on crop production; AND
• Publishing related research results in peer reviewed scientific journals that have demonstrated real life impact on crop production, nutrient use efficiency or climate change mitigation; AND
• Being invited to present research findings at scientific conferences, either in person or virtually; AND
• Experience supervising staff and/or advising graduate students to accomplish research objectives; AND
• Developing and maintaining relationships with commodity groups or other stakeholders to enhance the broad research objectives of a research group.

SUPERVISORY/MANAGERIAL COMPETENCIES:
The following KSAs will also be used to evaluate candidates in the interview and selection process:
1. Ability to lead and accomplish work through others (i.e., team building, conflict management, cultural awareness, strategic thinking, technology management, and political savvy.)
2. Ability to communicate with individuals or groups from diverse backgrounds in a variety of situations.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Applicants must be available to report for duty at the time a selection is made. Selections are typically made within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.