Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current and former federal career/career conditional employees with competitive status, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP and VEOA eligibles, 30 percent or More Disabled Veterans, Certain Former Overseas and Foreign Service Employees, Military Spouses, Interchange Agreement and Other Miscellaneous Authorities, People with Disabilities, Peace Corps and VISTA, Reinstatement and Public Land Corps eligible candidates.

Duties

This position serves as program leader for all plant and vegetation monitoring and management work at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The recreation area encompasses 153,000 acres of mountain and coastal resources within the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area of southern California. It was authorized by Congress in 1978 to preserve rare, Mediterranean-type ecosystems and to provide recreational, educational, and public health benefits for the people of southern California and the nation. Land withing the recreation area is a mix of public and private ownership. Multiple agencies work together inside and adjacent to the park boundary to carry out a comprehensive program of conservation actions. The urban environment and the complexity of economic and political influences require that the incumbent have broad expertise, an ability to work cooperatively, and sensitivity to widely divergent concerns in carrying out their planning, science, and resource management responsibilities. Note that the cost of housing in the area is very high. Average rental range between $2,400 and $3,200 per month. The median home sale price is $1.1M.

Major Duties:

Manage invasive plant species and plant community long-term monitoring programs. Manage invasive plant species control and native plant community restoration programs. Manage native plant nursery with a yearly production capacity of 80,000 plants. Manage listed plant recovery programs. Work closely with non-profit and government partners to implement plant and plant community conservation and recovery programs. Perform data analysis and interpretation to determine trends and outcomes of management actions. Serve as the subject matter expert for all matters related to plants and vegetation, providing science-based guidance and recommendations on best management practices, protections, and corrective actions. Provide science-based information to co-workers, natural resource managers, partners, government officials, the press, and the public through written reports and oral presentations. Perform public outreach and involvement in park plant and vegetation conservation efforts. Supervise park staff, interns, and volunteers within your unit including development of performance plans and evaluations; work with partner supervisors to direct the work of partner staff and evaluate their performance. Support and contribute to the success of all park operations within the scope your skill set.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments and must be met by the closing date of this announcement. You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work weekends. If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 1 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Must be able to obtain and maintain a Qualified Applicator's License (QAL) issued by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation within one year of entrance on duty.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-08/01/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience . For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

To qualify for this Ecologist position, you MUST meet the Basic Education requirement AND Specialized Experience.

To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess ALL of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

Basic Education Requirement: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in biology or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences.

AND

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This specialized experience must include: Implement programs for native plant and plant community restoration, which include invasive species control, native plant production, revegetation or listed species recovery. AND at least three (3) of the following: Implement plant and vegetation monitoring programs to determine long-term trends and evaluate the effectiveness of management actions. Work closely with non-profit and government partners to implement plant and plant community conservation and recovery programs. Provide science-based information to co-workers, natural resource managers, partners, the press, and the public through written reports and oral presentation. Provide leadership to staff, interns, and volunteers in addition to directing the work of partner staff.
You must include hours per week worked.

For more information on qualifying education or on combining education and experience see OPM Qualification Standards linked below:

Volunteer Experience: 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

CTAP/ICTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking I/CTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) - CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 - ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level & duty location.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

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