Agronomist

**Duties**:

- Provides technical leadership and assistance in agronomic, precision agriculture, and soil health to individual land users or groups of land users.
- Assesses and evaluates soil and water resource management problems and farming practices on individual or multiple tracts of land in the assigned area.
- Evaluates effectiveness of agronomic practices, identify technical problems and/or deficiencies, recommend improvements, and motivate landowners to implement and maintain sound conservation management systems.
- Assists with vegetative and management practices to secure a balanced program of soil and moisture conservation.
- Provides technical assistance in promoting conservation tillage, crop rotations and nutrient and pest management through tours, conferences, and direct assistance to field office personnel and producers.
- Assists in conducting on-the-job and formal training in agronomy to internal and external customers, providing information to field offices on agronomic techniques for inventorying, analyzing, and selecting treatment alternatives.

**Requirements**:
**Conditions of Employment**:

- You must be a US Citizen or US National.
- Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
- Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. If selected you will be sent instruction on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are not able to reimburse any fees incurred for fingerprints.
- Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
- Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
- Must possess and maintain a valid state motor vehicle operator's license for the type of vehicle(s) operated to perform the duties of this position.

**Qualifications**:

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

- **Applicants who meet the Basic Requirement above qualify for the GS-05 level. In addition to meeting one of the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement in order to be considered for the respective grade levels listed below**:
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**Specialized Experience to qualify for the GS-07 level**: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level or higher in the Federal service (or private sector equivalent) demonstrating experience and knowledge of agronomy, hydrology, biology, soils, and practical engineering techniques and other natural resource conservation principles, methods and techniques. Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and practices applicable to soil health, crop science and soil science; **_OR_**

**Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experienc**e **for the GS-07 **level**: Possess one year of _graduate level education_ in soil conservation or related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering; **_OR_**

**Combination of Education and Experience**: A combination of _graduate-level education and experience_, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy.
- Solving complex agronomic problems on individual farms or group projects;
- Assisting with vegetative and management practices to secure a balanced program of soil and moisture conservation;
- Assisting in the development of resource management systems; **_OR_**

**Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experienc**e **for the GS-09 level**: Possess 2 year(s) of progressively higher level _graduate education _leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in soil conservation or a related agricultural or natural resource discipline such as agronomy, soil science, forestry, agricultural education, or agricultural engineering; **_OR _**

**Combination of Education and Experience**: A combination of _graduate-level education and experience_, as described above, may be used to qualify for this position. This combination must have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and/or experience to successfully perform the duties of this position. Combinations of experience and education must total at least 100% as outlined in OPM Qualifications policy.- 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; commu