About the Position: This job announcement is for a Natural Resources Specialist (Ranger), GS-0401-05/07/09 position at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District. Management may select at any grade level. This position has non-competitive promotion potential to the target grade, GS-09.
Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities. Current Civilian Employees of the Command Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473 Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998 In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Natural Resources Specialist (Ranger) for GS-05: A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR B. Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. *** In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position at the GS-07 and/or GS-09 you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience for the GS-07: One year of specialized experience which includes providing project information to local, state and Federal agencies and/or the visiting public; patrolling project lands and waters to prevent unauthorized use, trespassing, and/or destruction of property; and participating in programs designed to protect and further enhance fish, wildlife, vegetative and/or water resources. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05). OR Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences. OR Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. Superior Academic Achievement is based on: (1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. OR (3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/) OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages. Specialized Experience for the GS-09: One year of specialized experience which includes assisting in developing planning natural resources conservation, recreation, and/or environmental plans; providing project information to local, state and Federal agencies and/or the visiting public; and implementing programs designed to protect and further enhance fish, wildlife, vegetative and/or water resources. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07). OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: General Natural Resources Management and Biological Science. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent.
Develop guidelines, standards, and procedures for analyzing public needs.
Develop and coordinate the project volunteer program.
Apply applicable laws and regulations as it pertains to biodiversity, endangered species, wetlands, and wildlife.
Implement a variety of natural resources conservation, recreation, and environmental plans, programs and procedures.
Administer various contracts for facility operations.
Prepare various planning documents for assigned programs such as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Fiscal Reports, etc.
Provide project information to local, state and federal agencies and the visiting public through brochures, bulletin boards, news releases, telephone calls, and other written and oral correspondence.
Explain to the public the rules and regulations affecting the use of facilities.
Work with other fish and wildlife specialists in the district and in coordination with state and federal wildlife management agencies.
The responsibilities of this position are listed at the full performance grade level, GS-09.