Job Title:	Biological Science Technician (Plants)
Salary Range:	34,191.00 - 44,449.00 USD /year
Series & Grade:	GS-0404-05
Promotion Potential:	GS-05
Open Period:	Monday, November 02, 2009 to Monday, November 16, 2009
Position Information:	Full-Time  Term position not to exceed 13 months, but may be extend up to a total of 4 years.
Duty Locations:	1 vacancy - Riverside, CA
Who May Be Considered:	Applications will be accepted from United States citizens and nationals.

Job Summary:
Find Solutions to Agricultural Problems that Affect Americans Every Day, From Field to Table

Provides technical support in the maintenance, evaluation, collection, and distribution of citrus and date germplasm by performing a variety of duties in the field, greenhouse, and laboratory.  

U.S. citizenship is required and must be verified prior to entrance on duty.

Major Duties:

Provides technical support in the maintenance, evaluation, collection, and distribution of citrus and date germplasm by performing a variety of duties in the field, greenhouse, and laboratory.  

Field work involves note taking, assisting with the planting and evaluation of citrus and date germplasm, and collecting seeds and samples for distribution and/or laboratory analyses. 

Laboratory duties include preparing samples for serological or molecular analyses to screen for citrus viruses and other graft transmissible pathogens, and indexing clonally propagated and field germplasm for virus and bacterial diseases using standard biological and laboratory techniques, and therapy of citrus germplasm to eliminate graft transmissible pathogens. 

Performs propagation activities by growing seedlings, potting plants, ordering soil mixes, irrigating, fertilizing, controlling pests, providing general maintenance care, etc. 

Collects germplasm for propagation and propagates same by budding, grafting, making cuttings, etc. 

Uses a computer to keep data records of Repository accessions and enter records in database. 

Collects, packages, and ships germplasm from the Repository collection to requesting individuals and institutions.

Working Conditions and Other Considerations:

• Field work may necessitate working in adverse weather conditions. 
  
  
• May need to lift objects that weigh up to 50 pounds.
  
  
• Must be able to acquire and maintain a valid California State Pesticide Applicator's License and utilize respiratory equipment.
  
  
• Must have a valid state motor vehicle operator's license and be able to operate motor vehicles.

Qualifications:

Your education and experience will be evaluated against all qualification requirements (basic and any additional requirements) listed below.

Basic Requirements:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-4 level in the Federal service OR successful completion of a full 4 year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture or mathematics of which at least 6 semester hours of courses must relate directly to the position such as horticulture, plant biology, or plant genetics.

Additional Requirements:

Specialized Experience is experience which has equipped you with the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities - 'KSAs' required to perform the duties of this position: 

1. Ability to use agricultural or plant nursery growing techniques and procedures including propagation, pruning, fertilization, plant care, and pest management.

2. Ability to operate irrigation systems to care for plants in a greenhouse or field environment.

3. Ability to operate, maintain, and calibrate basic laboratory equipment, such as pH meters, analytical balances, centrifuges, etc.

4. Ability to use personal computers and software packages for data collection, recording, summarization, and analyses.

If qualifying all or in part based on your education, you must submit a copy of your academic transcripts OR a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grade point average or class ranking to verify education when applying for this position.  If this information is not provided, your education may not be appropriately evaluated and you may lose consideration for this position.  If you are selected for this position, you will have to provide an official copy of your transcripts prior to entering on duty.  Application materials will not be returned. 

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States.  It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.   Please visit the Office of Personnel Management's website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-II/s2-e4.htm#e4a for additional information on this topic.


How You Will Be Evaluated:

You will be evaluated to determine if you meet eligibility and minimum qualifications required, and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with this position as defined above under 'Specialized Experience.'  The Agricultural Research Service uses a category rating process.  Based on evaluation of all written materials submitted in application for the position, you will be determined to be Ineligible, if you do not meet eligibility and/or minimum qualifications criteria; Eligible, if you meet all eligibility and minimum qualifications criteria; OR Quality, if you meet quality criteria in addition to eligibility and minimum qualifications criteria.  For information about how to address KSAs, please visit our website at www.ars.usda.gov/careers and click on 'What are those KSAs anyway?'  For more information about the evaluation process, please visit our website at:  www.ars.usda.gov/careers and click on the link to 'Qualifications and What They Mean.'

Benefits:

A Benefits Package is authorized for this position.  Additional information about Federal benefits can be obtained at http://www.usajobs.gov/ei61.asp.

Other Information:

Veteran's Preference:
For further details, call the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) at 703-724-1850 or TDD 978-461-8404.  Select General Information on the Federal Employment Policies and Procedures, and then Veteran's Preference and Special Appointing Authorities for Veterans.  Visit their VetGuide website at http://www.opm.gov/veterans/html/vetguide.asp.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA):  Qualified candidates eligible under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA), a special hiring authority, will be considered.  VEOA eligibles are preference eligibles or veterans who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of active service.  Veterans who are released under honorable conditions shortly before completing a 3-year tour are also eligible.

Creditable Service:
Service credit for annual leave accrual may be granted for directly related non-Federal work experience or uniformed service for newly appointed individuals, or those individuals reappointed after a break in service from civilian Federal employment of at least 90 calendar days.  The amount of non-Federal service to be credited will be based on the amount of directly related and documented experience that the selectee possesses as documented by the employee and which is approved by agency management.

Displaced/Surplus Employees: Individuals eligible under the USDA 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.  CTAP and ICTAP eligibles within the local commuting area will be considered well qualified if that applicant meets the qualification standard and eligibility requirements for the position, meets minimum education and experience requirements, meets all selective factors where applicable and is able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry. 

1)      A copy of your RIF Separation Notice or Certification of Expected Separation or other documentation indicating that you are a surplus employee;

2)      Evidence of full performance level of current position;

3)      A copy of your most recent performance appraisal; and

4)     A copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action.

Relocation Expenses:
Payment of relocation expenses will be determined in accordance with P&P 412.5, Recruitment and Retention Incentives and Other Special Pay, Sections 6 and 7, as amended by Bulletins 03-402 and 05-412.5, which may be found at http://www.afm.ars.usda.gov/ppweb/PDF/412-05.pdf .  See also http://www.afm.ars.usda.gov/hrd/staffing_recruit/reloweb.htm .

Financial Disclosure Requirement:
Federal employees are subject to prohibitions against officially dealing with outside organizations in which they have a financial interest.   You may be required to submit a financial disclosure report if hired for this position.   

False statements:
If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not
be hired; may be fired after beginning work; or may be fined or jailed.

Optional Form 306, (Declaration for Federal Employment):
If you are selected for this position, you will be required to complete this form before an offer may be made.

Selective Service System:
Males over age 18 who were born after December 31, 1959, must have registered with the Selective Service System (or have an exemption) to be eligible for Federal employment.

ARS Reasonable Accommodation Contact Information:
If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, or have questions regarding reasonable accommodation and/or accessibility for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact the Disability Program Manager on 202-720-6161 or through the DC Relay Service on 202-855-1234 (TDD). 

How To Apply:

Applications may be mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to the appropriate address and/or facsimile number, but they must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date.

If sending your application as an attachment to an email, do not send zipped files.  They will be removed in accordance with standard electronic security procedures.

If hand delivered, be sure your application is received in the Human Resources Division on or before closing date.

If application packages do not contain all of the requested information, you may lose consideration for the job.  To help you ensure your application fully outlines your qualifications and eligibility for this position, please submit the following documentation as appropriate.   Some of the items listed may not apply to you.  NOTE:  Applications received in postage paid government envelopes will not be considered.

APPLICATION PACKAGE CHECKLIST

__ Optional Form 612 (Optional Application for Federal Employment), Resume, Curriculum Vitae, or other document outlining your qualifications (Go to http://www.opm.gov/forms/html/of.asp and scroll down to obtain the OF-612).

The following information is required of all applicants:

__ Announcement number, title, and grade(s) of the position

__ Full name, mailing address (including zip code) and day and evening phone numbers (with area code)

__ Statement that you are a U.S. citizen (if not using the OF-612)

__Copy of DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) (only if claiming veteran's preference) (Visit the following web site for additional information: http://www.opm.gov/employ/veterans/html/vetguide.asp 

__SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference) plus the support documentation required by this form (if claiming 10-point veteran's preference) (Go to the web site at http://www.opm.gov/forms/html/sf.asp to obtain form.)

__ Paid and non-paid work experience related to the position.  For each period of work experience include:

          ___Job title

          ___Series/grade (if Federal employment)

          ___Duties and accomplishments

          ___Employer's name and address

          ___Supervisor's name and contact information

          ___Starting and ending dates of employment (at least month/year)

          ___Number of hours worked per week

          ___Salary

          ___Indicate if we may contact current supervisor/employer

          ___Other job related information, such as training courses (title & year); skills (e.g., other languages, computer software/hardware, tools, etc.)

          ___Certificates/licenses (current)

          ___Honors, awards, and special accomplishments

          ___Supplemental questionnaire if applicable
                (usually for Federal Wage System positions - WG, WL, WS)

__ Copy of college transcripts (if qualifying all or in part on the basis of education for this position) (If you have non-conventional education, e.g., foreign study, continuing education units, life experience, etc., go to the web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-II/s2-e4.htm#e4a and look under the heading “Other Education” for information governing acceptability of this type of education.)

__ Copy of SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) to verify possession of competitive civil service status (if you are a current or previous federal employee)

__ Copy of most recent performance appraisal (if you are a current federal employee)

__ Second copy of application package IF you are a candidate with competitive status.  (NOTE:  All status candidates who wish to be considered under both alternative merit promotion and non-status competitive examining must submit two (2) complete applications when the position is open to both status and non-status candidates.  When only one (1) application is received, it will be considered under the alternative merit promotion procedures if the applicant is a current or former Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility.)

__ Support documentation for eligibility for special hiring authorities, such as disability, Peace Corps service, etc.  (If you have questions about whether you are eligible for a particular hiring authority, please call the servicing HR specialist or visit the web site at http://www.opm.gov/Strategic_Management_of_Human_Capital/fhfrc/default.asp 
 
__ Support documentation if you are a USDA surplus or federal displaced employee (See pertinent section under “Other Important Information” below.

__ Self-certification of typing speed (if required as a basic qualification for the position)

__ While not required, a separate response to the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs listed under Specialized Experience) and Selective Placement Factor(s), if present, for this position may better highlight your specific qualifications for this position.  (For an explanation of KSAs, go to the web site at http://www.ars.usda.gov/careers/whatksa.html).

If this is your first time applying for a federal job, or if you wish to view more detailed information about various aspects of applying for federal jobs, go to http://www.usajobs.gov/infocenter/.

Location Contact Information: Nancy Knap, 951-369-4813

Contact Information:

Cindy Prucha Phone: 301-504-1581 Fax: 301-504-1535 TDD: 202-855-1234 Email: SCIRECRUIT@ARS.USDA.GOV

Or write: Department Of Agriculture USDA-REE-ARS-HRD/#ARS-D10W-0025 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Stop #5106 Beltsville, MD 20705-5106 E-mail: SCIRECRUIT@ARS.USDA.GOV Fax: 301-504-1535

What To Expect Next:

You will be notified at four stages throughout the hiring process - upon receipt of your application, if you meet the minimum qualifications, if you are referred on the selection certificate, and when a final selection has been made.