Regional Pesticide and Invasive Plant Specialist (GS-0401-12/13) – Multiple Locations with United States Forest Service in Southwestern Region (R3), Pacific Northwest Region (R6), Alaska Region (R10)

Type of position Permanent
Employer United States Forest Service
Description of Employer A career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our nation’s most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and the Forest Products Laboratory, and provide assistance to State and private forestry agencies.
Location Southwestern Region (R3), Pacific Northwest Region (R6), Alaska Region (R10)
Description of Location These positions will be located at a Forest Service office, final determination of the duty station(s) will be made by the selecting official at the time of the job offer.
Salary $82,830 – $98,496
Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/benefits/
Closing date of competition February 8th, 2023
Date position available TBD
Description of duties
  • Serves as the recognized authority for the regional pesticide and invasive plant management programs within the Region.
  • Provides expert advice to all program areas regarding the management of invasive plants (both native and non-native).
  • Periodically reviews and provides field units with information regarding project plans and procedures for monitoring the beneficial and adverse effect of pesticides applications.
  • Inspects operational pesticide projects and pesticide storage and disposal procedures for compliance with regulations and guidelines.
  • Provides direction, input, and review of environmental documents for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) sufficiency when pesticides or invasive plants are involved.
  • Maintains a Regional information center of all pesticides used with the Regions and provides up-to-date information to all Regional Office staffs and resource managers .
  • Manages the SPFTR invasive plant grant program to states within the region, and works with state, private, tribal, and other federal partners to facilitate the management of invasive plants at the landscape level, and data.
  • Serves as the primary contact person for coordination with NFS staff around issues related to pesticides and invasive plants in the Regional office.
Qualifications sought

Basic Requirement:GS-0401:

  1. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

    or

  2. 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, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below.

Specialized Experience

Requirement: For the GS-12: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service defined as one or more of the following:

  • Planning and conducting training on pesticide use and pesticide user certification;
  • Administering various noxious weed grants with various cooperators such as county weed associations, state, Department of Agriculture personnel, and other non-government organizations;
  • Providing advisory planning and technical guidance on environmental projects and programs; OR
  • Assisting as a representative in pesticide and invasive plant program management; reviewed environmental documents for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) sufficiency when pesticides are involved.

For the GS-13: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service defined as one or more of the following:

  • Reviewing project plans and procedures for monitoring pesticide applications;
  • Providing advice and technical leadership to National Forests and Grasslands for training in safe pesticide use, and pesticide project planning and implementation;
  • Serving as a representative in pesticide and invasive plant program management;
  • Reviewing environmental documents for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) sufficiency when pesticides are involved;
  • Assisting with public information and education efforts to gain public understanding and acceptance of planned pest management programs; OR
  • Working with partners to deliver an invasive/pesticide program on state and private lands.

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.

Contact for additional information For discussion of position – Daniel Tekiela – Rocky Mountain Region (R2) Invasive Plant and Pesticide Specialist [email protected]

For discussion of region and duty station:
-Southwestern Region – Andy Graves at 505-842-3287 or [email protected]
-Pacific Northwest Region – Karl Dalla Rosa at 971-804-3626 or [email protected]
-Alaska Region – Michael Shephard at 907-743-9451 or [email protected]

HR Questions
1-877-372-7248 X2
[email protected]

Application procedure  
Submit what Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the responsibilities section including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) supervisor’s phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
Submit to https://www.usajobs.gov/job/703973100
Additional Information The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.