Forest Products Resource Specialist

Summary

This position is located on a Forest Service unit administering the business administration and financial management phases of a Forest-wide resource products management and sales program. Final determination of the duty location will be made at the time of the job offer. For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Jamie Serra at [email protected]. USDA Employees: Please refer to the Next Steps section.

Duties

• The duties are listed at the full performance GS-11 grade level.
• Leads the business review of planned timber sale stewardship contract or agreement pre-sale packages after line officer approval and prior to advertisement for bid.
• Conducts audits of a wide variety of business and financial functions related to timber sale contract administration, permanent and trust funds, and cash management.
• Responsible for accuracy and proper execution of a wide variety of tasks related to the financial administrative aspects of preparation, solicitation, administration and modification and closure of forest product removal instruments and authorities.
• Interprets and provides advice on laws and regulations concerning revenue accounting and use of federal funds.
• Prepares and interprets a variety of reports relating to forest product contracting, agreements or forest management issues.
• Reviews and evaluates reports, working papers, and performance criteria, and recommends development needs, reviews, and revisions of systems, methods, and procedures.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment: Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt. Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. 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 e-verify.gov The U.S. Government utilizes Trusted Workforce 2.0 to implement Continuous Vetting (CV) as a-whole-of government approach to personnel security. If selected for this position, you will be subject to continuous automated record checks of criminal, financial, and public record databases throughout your period of eligibility or employment, replacing traditional periodic reinvestigations. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. A Level I Forest Products Resource Specialist certification is required for the GS-09 position. Satisfactory completion of the national task book is required for Level I certification. Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary. Forest Products Resource Specialist Certification Requirements: For the GS-07 level: A Level I Forest Products Resource Specialist certification is required for this position. Incumbents must complete the requirements for this certification within one (1) year of appointment to this position. For the GS-09 level: Incumbent must be a certified Level I Forest Products Resource Specialist in order to qualify for this position. Verification of Completed national task book for the position of Forest Products Resource Specialist with Final Evaluator's Verification page must be included with application. For the GS-11 level: A Level II Forest Products Resource Specialist certification is required for this position. Satisfactory completion of the national task book, along with a minimum of two additional years of experience, is required for Level II certification. Incumbents must complete the requirements for this certification within 1 year of appointment to this position. Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GS-7 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level. Specialized experience is defined as meeting one (1) or more of the following: Performed required audits, including scale records or tree measurement tally sheets; Participated in the validation and issuance of monthly statements and billings; and/or Assisted with reviewing financial aspects of a completed timber sale contract for contract closure. -OR- One (1) full year of graduate level education. -OR- An appropriate combination of education and experience. -OR- Superior Academic Achievement (to determine if you are eligible, go to: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp). For the GS-9 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level. Specialized experience is defined as meeting two (2) or more of the following: Completed detailed administrative review of planned timber sale, stewardship contract or agreement pre-sale package; Maintained financial management of timber sales; Interacted with timber sale purchasers, contractors, and permittees to interpret and explain all financial aspects of contract and permit administration; and/or Ensured the financial system is applied in a manner to ensure accuracy and proper procedures. -OR- A master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. -OR- An appropriate combination of specialized experience and education (only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. In addition to the requirements above, you must be a certified Level I Forest Products Resource Specialist in order to qualify for the GS-09 position. Level 1 certificate must be attached to application for verification. 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. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

See above for education that may be qualifying for the specific grade level. How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the competencies listed below: Attention to Detail Financial Management Oral Communication Technology Application Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. If you meet the qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified, you will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities must meet minimum qualifications to be referred. Accomplishment Record Review: If you are found minimally qualified, a rating panel will review your resume and Accomplishment Record narratives. Accomplishment Record narratives should clearly demonstrate your proficiency in the competencies listed above. Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action. To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13106161 Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status. You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status). Other Information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP 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 applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary and term employees the opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years and the last temporary or term appointment must have been with the Forest Service. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Part-time and intermittent service will be credited only for time actually worked. Non-pay status such as leave without pay is credited for up to six months in a calendar year; anything beyond six months is not credited. Applicants are responsible for providing sufficient information/documentation to determine if the 24 month criteria is met. 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 not guaranteed. The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional Information is available on the OPM Website. Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE. Forest Service daycare facilities may be available. Government Housing may be available. We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Final determination of the duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of the job offer. Pay rates vary depending on location. The salary shown is for the Rest of the U.S. See OPM.gov for additional information on pay rates.