Environmental Resources Specialist

This opportunity is for an entry level developmental position with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with the New Orleans District. The position provides two levels of non-competitive promotion to the full performance, General Schedule Grade 11 level with a salary of $61,218. This should be expected to be a 2 year developmental program. 

DUTIES:

Position will work as a developmental Environmental Resources Specialist in the New Orleans District's Regulatory Branch. The Regulatory Branch in the New Orleans District's Operations Division is responsible for administering the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Regulatory Program in southern Louisiana. The regulatory authorities and responsibilities of the Corps' Regulatory Program are based on the following laws:
- Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403) prohibits the obstruction or alteration of navigable waters of the United States without a permit from the Corps.
- Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344). Section 301 of this Act prohibits the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States without a permit from the Corps.
- Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, as amended (33 U.S.C. 1413) authorizes the Corps to issue permits for the transportation of dredged material for the purpose of dumping it into ocean waters.
Duties:
As a developmental Environmental Resources Specialist you will assist in performing duties such as:

• Reviewing permit applications for work of a routine nature. This work involves: studying project drawings or engineering plans and related technical information submitted by applicants, determining the need for additional data, and planning for development of such data. Obtain information covering navigable waters and wetlands affected by the proposed work, preparing preliminary environmental impact analyses, EIS considerations, final environmental impact assessments, statements of findings, and drafts correspondence to discuss problems with applicant. Prepare public notices reflecting information pertaining to permit applications; and recommend permits be granted or denied.
• Preparing and reviewing environmental assessments.
• Determining the potential impacts that proposed work or structure would have on the specific values and functions attributed to the project site and adjacent areas taking into consideration environmental and other factors.
• Coordinating permit activities with other Federal and state agencies to prevent undue delays concerning permit issuances or denials. Maintain surveillance over permitted work in progress by follow up inspections to ensure that actual environmental effects of the activities are in agreement with original impact projections and to ensure permit conditions are adhered to.

Qualification Requirements:

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Environmental Resources Specialist:
A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
B. Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education
In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet one of the qualification requirements listed below:
A. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes interpreting various environmental regulations/policies/laws (e.g. the National Environmental Policy Act, The National Historic Preservation Act and Endangered Species Act, etc.) for projects; or Conducting environmental evaluations using knowledge of ecological processes; or Assisting in the collection of environmental samples such as water, soil, or air; or basic knowledge of completing environmental assessments. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05).
OR
B. Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines.
OR
C. Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:
(1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR
(2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR
(3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/).
OR
D. Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.