Agronomist (Farm Manager)

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in Grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. Basic Requirements: 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. GS-09: 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-09 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 establishing and maintaining proper conditions of irrigation, weed control, fertility, disease control, or insect control for optimum plant health; operating and maintaining equipment used for farm operations; and maintaining detailed field or laboratory experiment records. OR Education: 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 science degrees. Related degrees may include Agronomy, Crop Science, Horticulture, Agricultural Science, or Plant Sciences. OR A combination of applicable experience and education as described above. GS-11: 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-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 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 organizing and managing field plots; performing statistical analyses of experimental data collected; planning, organizing, and maintaining field germplasm collections for conservation and experimental use; and establishing and carrying out field safety and training program for all farm operations. OR Education: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in agronomy or related science degrees. Related degrees may include Agronomy, Crop Science, Horticulture, Agricultural Science, or Plant Sciences. OR A combination of applicable experience and education as described above. Physical Demands: Position requires long hours working in the field. Incumbent is required to help in other aspects of the project during busy times which may require extended periods of working outdoors pruning, planting, applying chemicals, collecting data, sampling, or with farm equipment during planting, harvesting, and critical data collection periods. 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.