Agricultural Science Research Technician with USDA-ARS in Urbana, Illinois

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

GS-08
Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-08 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience collecting or analyzing plant or soybean research samples; recording and analyzing scientific data related to plant or soybean research; performing routine scientific techniques involving plants; and using a variety of specialized equipment.
OR
Education: Two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master’s or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include horticulture, agronomy, botany, plant breeding, plant pathology, or plant physiology.
OR
A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience as described above.

GS-09
Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-08 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience contributing to the planning and development of procedures and experiment techniques related to plant or soybean research; collecting and analyzing plant or soybean research samples; and documenting data and developing scientific reports.
OR
Education: Two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master’s or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include horticulture, agronomy, botany, plant breeding, plant pathology, or plant physiology.
OR
A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience as described above.

Physical Demands: The work requires some physical exertion, such as regular and recurring walking or bending. In many situations the duration of the activity (such as most of a workday) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. In other situations, there may be special requirements for agility or dexterity such as exceptional hand/eye coordination.

Work Environment: The work involves regular and recurring moderate risks or discomforts which require special safety precautions, e.g., working with contagious diseases or irritant chemicals or working outdoors. The employee is required to use protective clothing such as gowns, coats, boots, goggles, gloves.

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.