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Summary

You will perform various seed testing activities which establish identity, quality, and other measures that determine whether submitted samples are in compliance with regulations. You will also assist in performing seed purity and germination tests in the laboratory.

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:
• Conducts trueness to variety trials to determine possible labeling violations.
• Conducts seed testing, including physical purity, noxious weed seed examinations, seed identification, and germination tests.
• Conducts bioassay tests to determine the presence or absence of bioengineered traits such as Roundup Ready.
• Evaluates requests for seed pathology and agronomy service testing.
• Assists the Plant Physiologist in conducting protein electrophoresis testing.
• Implements a program to transfer information from basic research into new or improved laboratory testing procedures.
• Standardizes newly developed testing procedures by conducting controlled tests to eliminate possible sources of variation in test results.
• Provides information and guidelines for newly standardized tests by publishing papers in appropriate journals and making presentations to appropriate organizations.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Satisfactory Background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one-year trial period.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/
• Valid state driver’s license is required at the time of application.
• The work is mostly sedentary; however, there is some walking, standing bending, carrying of light items such as books, packages of seed, and laboratory equipment.
• Lifting of heavier items, such as containers of samples, boxes of germination paper, bags of sand and soil is occasionally required.
• During planting times, the incumbent will be required to work in the field, often under hot and humid conditions, to ensure that samples are planted in a timely manner.
• Field work requires frequent bending or kneeling to plant seed by hand. Field work is performed outside, often during the hot spring and summer months.
• The work may result in exposure to pesticide-treated seeds, dust, fungal spores, hazardous chemicals, and noise from exhaust hoods, vacuum lines, germination and other equipment requiring you adhere to special safety precautions such as wearing PPE.

Qualifications

To qualify, you MUST meet all program and qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

To be eligible, applicants must meet one of the following requirements;

• Completed all requirements for an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the previous two (2) years. or
• Individuals who, due to military service obligation, were precluded from applying to the Recent Graduates Program during any portion of the 2-year eligibility period described above shall have a full 2-year period of eligibility upon release or discharge from active duty. This eligibility period cannot extend more than 6 years from the date on which the requirements for the academic course of study were met.

BASIC REQUIREMENT
Degree: agronomy; or related discipline of science that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in the basic plant sciences, including at least 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, such as those dealing with plant breeding, crop production, and soil and crop management.
OR
Combination of education and experience: at least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, including a minimum of 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Graduate Education: Agronomy, or one of the related disciplines or fields of science, such as plant physiology, soils, or genetics, where the curriculum or pattern of training placed major emphasis on field crops or agronomy. Graduate study in related fields, such as botany, plant pathology, and biochemistry may also be qualifying, provided it placed a sufficient amount of emphasis on agronomy.

Evaluation of Education: Course work in such subjects as botany, plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant breeding or genetics, plant ecology, plant pathology, microbiology, agronomy, or those dealing with basic soil-water-plant relationships of an agronomic or ecologic nature may be used to meet the 30-semester-hour requirement in the basic plant sciences. Agronomy courses include agronomy, field crops, field crop production or management, soil and crop management, plant breeding and development, weed control, and similar courses, including those in soils, biochemistry, plant physiology, etc., provided they dealt with principles, methods, or procedures that are applied directly in agronomic work and in the solving of agronomic problemsIN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE:
Applicants must meet the following specialized experience and/or education requirements listed below:

EDUCATION GS-09: 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master’s degree or master’s or equivalent graduate degree in Agronomy or related discipline.

TRANSCRIPTS are required.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-09 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to the next lower level in the Federal Service. This experience may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors. Examples of qualifying experience include, but are not limited to:

• Experience in plant identification. Experience distinguishing agricultural and vegetable plant varieties preferred.
• Experience in conducting agricultural field experiments, including experimental design, site preparation and maintenance, data collection, and presentation of results.
• Experience in growing agricultural and vegetable crops in a greenhouse setting. Operation of greenhouse systems such as irrigation and temperature/lighting control.

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 an applicant for that grade level. Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant 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.

Transcripts including the date your degree was conferred are required. Applications will not be considered without this documentation.

Additional information

• Recent Graduate appointments are intended to last for 1 year. Recent Graduates who satisfactorily complete all the USDA Recent Graduates Program requirements may be non-competitively converted to a Term or Permanent appointment in the competitive service. Conversion is not guaranteed. Recent Graduates converted to Term appointments may later be non-competitively converted to a Permanent competitive service position.
• If selected, official transcripts will be required prior to entrance on duty.
• A Pathways Participant Agreement will be required if you are selected for a position. The agreement must be signed by all applicable parties prior to entrance on duty.
• First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.
• Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
• 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.
• Selection will be at GS-0471-09 with the possibility of conversion to a term or permanent GS-0471-09, with promotion potential to the GS-12 level. Conversion eligibility and position is not guaranteed and depends upon the program unit’s needs.

CONVERSION REQUIREMENTS Recent Graduates may be non-competitively converted to a term or permanent position in the competitive service. To be eligible for conversion the Recent Graduate must meet all of the following:

• Successfully complete at least 1-year of continuous service in addition to all requirements of the Program as outlined in the Participant Agreement.
• Demonstrate successful job performance.
• Meet the qualifications for the position to which the Recent Graduate will be converted.
• Worksite Information: This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements. Additional information regarding ad hoc, occasional, or reoccurring telework may be obtained at a later time from the hiring manager or program during the hiring process.