KEY REQUIREMENTS



• U.S. Citizenship Required
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Enrolled at least half-time at a qualifying educational institution
• At least 16 years of age
• Must be in good academic standing as defined by the educational institution
• May require drug testing
• Complete at least 640 hrs of work experience prior to completion of degree

Duties primarily focus on providing work and training experience to prepare the student intern for a more advanced, permanent professional or technical forestry management position through a variety of tasks that utilize established processes, methods, and procedures that include the following assignments and responsibilities: Determines staffing and equipment needs needed for the sales layout program; oversees cruising and marking of timber; determines sales volume; oversees preparation of timber sale reports and appraisals, and prepares timber sale contracts. Provides for protection of water retention capacity of the soil and reestablishment of the forest growth to prevent or minimize soil erosion damage; adjusts cutting plans to include control measures necessary to prevent the spread of insects or disease and to salvage infested or infected timber. Reviews and/or writes EA/EIS reports for considering all alternatives in the timber sale design. Reviews silvicultural prescriptions to ensure that plans, treatments, and harvesting techniques are compatible with long-range timber management plan. Coordinates with other principal resource assistant to ensure integration of the timber management plan with other resources and activities. Prepares and assembles appraisal packet with assistance from various specialists. Is accountable for the final accuracy of the appraisal packet. Coordinates and directs preparation of the timber sale contract and related documents, ensuring all coordinating requirements identified in the EAR are included in the contracts. Reviews logging plans with operator to ensure understanding of contract requirements. Inspects logging operations to ensure fulfillment of silvicultural objectives, protection of watershed, esthetic, and wildlife values, and that contract stipulations are observed. Investigates reports of improper logging activities such as improper cutting practices, cutting of unauthorized timber, damage to residual stands or reserve trees, and disputed interpretations of contract intent. Negotiates or directs changes in operations as required.

Pathways Program Intern candidates will meet the qualification requirements consistent with OPM qualification standards applicable to the position being filled. You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

• For GS-07: Completion of 1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement with courses related to the occupation, if required.
• For GS-09: Completion of 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree
• For GS-11: Completion of 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree

Note: An academic year of undergraduate education is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in an accredited college or university.

The required education must lead to a degree with specialization in or directly related to the field in which the student trainee will participate in the Intern program. The degree of specialization in this field must satisfy on graduation the specific requirements in the qualification standard for the position.

Degree: forestry; or a related subject-matter field that included a total of at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours of course work were in forestry. The curriculum must have been sufficiently diversified to include courses in each of the following areas: 

• Management of Renewable Resources -- study of the science and art of managing renewable resources to attain desired results. Examples of creditable courses in this area include silviculture, forest management operations, timber management, wildland fire science or fire management, utilization of forest resources, forest regulation, recreational land management, watershed management, and wildlife or range habitat management.
• Forest Biology -- study of the classification, distribution, characteristics, and identification of forest vegetation, and the interrelationships of living organisms to the forest environment. Examples of creditable courses in this area include dendrology, forest ecology, silvics, forest genetics, wood structure and properties, forest soils, forest entomology, and forest pathology.
• Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory -- sampling, inventory, measurement, and analysis techniques as applied to a variety of forest resources. Examples of creditable courses include forest biometrics, forest mensuration, forest valuation, statistical analysis of forest resource data, renewable natural resources inventories and analysis, and photogrammetry or remote sensing.

Must be 16 years of age

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Qualified applicants will be referred to the Selecting Official for consideration.  If there are qualified candidates with Veteran's Preference, only those applicants will be referred to the Hiring Manager.

The Federal Government offers a comprehensive benefits package.  Explore the major benefits offered to most Federal employees at:  http://www.usajobs.gov/ResourceCenter/Index/Interactive/Benefits#icc.

OTHER INFORMATION:

Relocation expenses are not authorized.

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.

Interns may be non-competitively converted to a term or permanent position in the competitive service. To be eligible for conversion the Intern must:

• Be a U.S. Citizen;
• Complete at least 640 hours of work experience acquired through the Internship program while enrolled as a student;
• Completed a degree or certificate program from a qualifying institution;
• Received a favorable recommendation by supervisor;
• Meet the qualification requirements for the position to which the Intern will be converted;
• Meet any agency or position specific requirements as outlined in the Participant Agreement; and
• Be performing their job successfully.

 • BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION AND FINGERPRINT CHECK:  Selection and retention in this position is contingent on a successfully adjudicated FBI National Criminal History Check (fingerprint check) and a background investigation.

 • The incumbent of this position may be reassigned/relocated to any geographical location where the employee's services are needed as determined by management.

 Bargaining Unit Status: Eligible - Coverage is dependent upon unit location.

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin.

You must complete the application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. Assistance is available during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages with supporting documents must be received no later than noon on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

Step1 – Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.

Step 2 - Create a Resume with USAJOBS or upload a Resume into your USAJOBS account. You may want to customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. In addition, your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).

Step 3 - Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required.

You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Simply log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application” to continue.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

If your application package does not contain all required documentation, you will be deemed ineligible.

The following documents must be submitted to constitute a complete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure that all required documents are received within the required timeframes. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service etc. Failure to submit required, legible documents will result in elimination from consideration.

1. Resume that includes the following information: 1) job information for which you are applying; 2) personal information; 3) education; 4) work experience; and, 5) other qualifications.
2. Proof of enrollment, in the form of letters, records or statements issued from a high school, vocational institution, college or university and/or
3. Copy of your most recent transcripts which show your field of study, school name, student’s name, current GPA or academic standing, past and current course work, degree program and major/concentration.
4. DD-214 (Member 4 Copy) and/or SF-15 Application for 10-point Veteran Preference if claiming Veterans’ Preference.

All academic degrees or course work must be completed at an education institution that has obtained accreditation from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see http://www.edu.gov/.

NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document.

AGENCY CONTACT INFO:

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

If you set up your USAJOBS account to send automatic email notifications, you will receive an acknowledgment email that the submission of your online Occupational Questionnaire and resume was successful.  After a review of all applications are made, you will be notified of your qualification or non-qualification, if you were referred to the selecting official for consideration, and if you were selected or not selected.  If you choose not to set up automatic email notifications, you must check your USAJOBS account for the latest status of your application.

Your application may be reviewed to verify that you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements for the position prior to issuing lists to a selecting official.  If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.