Not Required

Duties

The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity.,The duties may include, but are not limited to:,Provides expertise in pest biology, taxonomy and risk analysis as a recognized specialist and consultant to Agency import policy staff, survey design groups, survey personnel, and program managers.,Performs specialized and difficult taxonomic work, and provides taxonomic, biological and regulatory expertise in support of plant quarantine program activities.,Identifies or verifies identification of plant pests and plant parts, such as seeds, leaves, dormant parts of wood, to family, genera or species for quarantine or regulatory action.,Serves as a recognized specialist in the broad area of entomology, botany or plant pathology and deals primarily in programs involving CITES, Threatened Endangered plant species and Federal Noxious weeds.,Maintains, develops, and supplements information on taxonomy, hosts, distribution and other related information pertaining to intercepted and/or survey plant pests.,Consults with and advises Department of Homeland Security (DHS), State departments of agriculture and other cooperators on the identity and biology plants and plant parts.,Develops or aids in developing training modules and appropriately illustrated identification aids and works with national program staff to deliver training to PPQ, DHS and State employees.,Exercises agency regulatory authority by initiating regulatory action, e.g. for quarantine pests intercepted from imported commodities or new State or county determinations from domestic surveys.,Provides technical assistance regarding PPQ domestic program pests and exotic pests, and the pathways with which they enter the US by analyzing interception records for trends of pest entry.,Keeps current and uses state of the art technology to perform taxonomic duties such as digital imaging, chemical diagnostic tests, and microscopy and specimen preparation techniques and equipment.

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 REQUIREMENT: Degree: entomology; or a related discipline of the biological or physical sciences that included at least 16 semester hours in entomology. OR Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. FOR THE GS-09 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Experience identifying a variety of plant pests, such as insects, some arachnids (e.g. mites, ticks, spiders) or mollusks, in immature and adult stages. Experience maintaining specimen collections of plant pests and consulting with and advising federal agencies, state departments of agriculture and other cooperators on the identity and biology of and procedures for detecting plant pests. Experience developing or aiding in developing informative and educational training material and identification aids for plant pests and assisting in delivering training to the general public. Experience maintaining information on taxonomy, hosts, distribution and other related information pertaining to intercepted and/or survey plant pests. OR 2 years of graduate-level education leading to a master's degree in entomology or a related discipline. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level. TRANSCRIPTS are required if: This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. You are qualifying for the position based on education. You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education. This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-09 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. 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.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Other Information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected. Locality pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection. Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.