Location: Arlington, VA
Duties:
At the entry level of this position of this position you will:
- Develop information on the use, benefits, and efficacy of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and other types of pesticides and their alternatives.
- Participate in the development and evaluation of pesticide use and data summaries, data sources for herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and other types of pesticides to validate technical data.
- Assist in the facilitation of the development of human health and ecological risk assessments for herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and other types of pesticides.
- Assist in providing scientific and policy advice to agency management on matters regarding regulatory decisions related to the use of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and other types of pesticides.
When entering a Federal job at a grade level lower than the highest promotion potential level, you may be promoted to more complex duties and work more independently as your career progresses.
Qualifications:
You need a degree or combination of education and experience as described below to qualify for this position.
Biology: You must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in one of the following: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR a combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major, as listed.
Entomology: You must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in entomology; or a related discipline of the biological or physical sciences that included at least 16 semester hours in entomology; OR a combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major, as listed
Plant Pathology: You must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in plant pathology; or a related scientific discipline that included at least 20 semester hours in basic botany or plant science, and 10 semester hours in plant pathology
Horticulture: You must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in horticulture; or a related discipline of basic plant science that included at least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, of which at least 16 semester hours were in horticultural subjects such as those dealing with the breeding, care, management, production, and post harvest handling of horticultural crops; OR combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major as listed.
Agronomy: You must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in 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 listed.
As part of the application process, you are required to submit college transcripts or a list of courses as described in the Required Documents section of this announcement. However, if you are selected, you must provide official educational transcripts before you start work with EPA. More information on verification of education can be found here: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
In addition to the educational requirements, we are looking for at least one year of specialized experience related to this position as described below:
To qualify for the GS-11 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time experience equivalent to the GS-09 level defined as participating in field, greenhouse, and/or laboratory studies related to agronomy, agriculture, weed science, entomology, horticulture, pest control, and/or related fields; collecting and/or analyzing technical data- OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in the academic discipline as described above.
Your answers to the online assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas: 1) Skill in developing scientific assessments related to weeds, insects, plant pathogens, and/or other pests; 2) Ability to analyze technical data related to herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and/or other types of pesticides in an agricultural and/or non-agricultural setting; 3) Knowledge of agriculture, agronomy, weed science, entomology, plant pathology, horticulture, and/or related sciences; 4) Skill in collecting data related to herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and/or other types of pesticides; 5) Knowledge of pest control related to crop production practices; 6) Skill in written communication; 7) Skill in oral communication.
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.
Apply Here by April 12th
