Biological Science Technician
Summary
This position is located on Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Pacific West Area (PWA) in Prosser, WA.
In this position, you will improve the profitability of seed crop, cereal and hop production in the Pacific Northwest in a manner that meets the environmental expectations of society.
Overview
- Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
- 03/13/2023 to 03/27/2023
Salary
- $46,696 - $67,231 per year
Pay scale & grade
- GS 7 - 8
Control number
- 712330300
Duties
- Assists with laying out and establishing replicated field, laboratory, or greenhouse research trials on soil or plants.
- Maintains inventory of chemicals, stock solutions, etc., and prepares solutions and reagents for use in the laboratory, field, or greenhouse.
- Initiates action to resolve or correct technical difficulties and results or recommends resolution to supervisor.
- Searches for literature pertinent to plant and soil research for new procedures or techniques to use in the laboratory, field, or greenhouse.
- Keeps detailed records of experimental data.Tabulates, statistically analyzes, and summarizes data using personal computers and software packages.Maintains records and locates and compiles data and other information from various sources.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a US Citizen or US 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.
- Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
- 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 E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/
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.
GS-07:
Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-06 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in an experiment or research project related to soil or plants; collecting samples related to soil or plants; operating laboratory and field equipment; and managing and recording scientific data.
OR
Education: One full year of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include agriculture, soil science, agronomy, plant science, environmental science, plant pathology, plant physiology, plant virology, entomology, plant biology, or horticulture.
OR
A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience as described above.
GS-08:
Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-08 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience developing an experiment or research project related to soil or plants; collecting plant tissue samples; maintaining a field plot; and summarizing experimental results for reports.
OR
Education: Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include agriculture, soil science, agronomy, plant science, environmental science, plant pathology, plant physiology, plant virology, entomology, plant biology, or horticulture.
OR
A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience as described above.
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
This position does not have an education qualification requirement.