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Plant Protection Technician 

Robbinsville, NJ

Bethel, OH

As a Plant Protection Technician, you implement domestic programs within an assigned geographic area to prevent the establishment and/or artificial spread of plant pests and diseases into new areas. If selected, you provide support to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Officers with surveys; control measures; biocontrol and biotechnology activities; and export of regulated agricultural commodities within PPQ, Field Operations (FO).

  • The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity. The duties may include, but are not limited to:
  • Participates with supervisor in planning and coordinating survey/control measures by furnishing information about the presence and extent of plant diseases and/or insects, and effect of treatments.
  • Directs and/or conducts approved control and eradication measures including sanitation measures, biological controls, and the application of herbicides, insecticides, nematicide, and fungicides.
  • Enforces Federal and/or State regulatory orders to restrict movement or issue certificates permitting movement of plants, plant products, and equipment into or out of regulated areas.
  • Assists with inspections of routine commodities for export.
  • Maintains daily records of inspection work, control measures and regulatory procedures applied; prepares reports and maps on the activities and accomplishments within the assigned area.

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Successful completion of one-year trial period.
  • 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/
  • Valid state driver's license is required at the time of application.
  • All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.
  • Requires physical exertion to walk, bend, stoop, lift items of moderate weight, climb or hike on sometimes slippery and uneven surfaces.
  • Requires working in fields, pastures, processing plants, and other agricultural situations in order to enforce quarantines and pertinent regulations.
  • Work environment primarily consists of outdoor activities with moderate exposure to uncomfortable and dangerous situations such as working in adverse weather conditions and around large agricultural related machinery.
  • In certain situations, the incumbent must take precautionary measures to ensure his/her personal safety (such as wearing protective clothing and breathing apparatus).

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.

FOR THE GS-05 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-04 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

  • Identifying economically significant target pests.
  • Collecting insect and disease samples suspected to be plant pests for identification by subject experts.
  • Using and maintaining survey equipment, including electronic field data equipment such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), GPS, computer tablets, cellular phones, and digital cameras.
  • Assisting co-workers with surveys for alternate host plants and to acquire new sites for trap placement as part of the national exotic insect monitoring program(s).
  • Contacting stakeholders, (i.e., landowners, tenants, managers, etc) to obtain permission to conduct surveys on private property.
  • Using maps to locate commercial and residential properties for survey.

OR

Successful completion of 4 years of study that included at least 16 semester hours in courses such as biology, plant pathology, entomology, zoology, botany, forestry, chemistry, agriculture, or physics.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS are required if:

  • You are qualifying for the position based on education.
  • You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education.
  • This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-05 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level.

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.

Additional information

 

  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
  • First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.
  • Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
  • Locality pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection.
  • This position is represented by a collective bargaining unit (union), specifically the National Association of Agricultural Employees
  • This is a term appointment not to exceed 13 months. (Appointment may be extended up to 10 years without reannouncing). For more details click: Term Appointments
  • Promotion Potential: 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.
  • Worksite Information: This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements. Additional information regarding ad hoc, occasional, or reoccurring telework may be obtained at a later time from the hiring manager or program during the hiring process.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:
 

  • Botany
  • Pest Control
  • Spatial Orientation


Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.