Term Agriculturist

**Duties**:

- The duties may include, but are not limited to:

- Delivers on-site service by conducting commodity inspections, monitoring and evaluating treatments, and certifying consignments of agricultural commodities for shipment to the United States.
- Monitors program operations and provides guidance and technical expertise to preclearance staff officials and managers related to operational problems or challenges related to these programs.
- Provides Preclearance and Offshore Programs (POP) management with expert opinion and advice aimed at establishing, evaluating, and improving pest management and mitigation activities, related policy, and the customer service experience.
- Plans and oversees the work of PPQ foreign employees, host country plant quarantine inspectors, and/or cooperator personnel assigned to the preclearance program.
- Gathers technical, and non-technical information to recommend protocol development or revision as necessary and identifies and resolves issues related to preclearance and offshore programs.
- Assists POP personnel with daily operational responsibilities: developing talking points, briefing papers, correspondence, program updates and reports, and regulatory decision-making.
- Serves on teams of POP and plant health and quarantine experts to study and/or respond to new/established plant health threats and assess the cost and effectiveness of current POP program activities.
- Researches pest and disease trends, program review findings, stakeholder support or opposition, that may impact current policy or operations, and provides that information to program staff.

**Requirements**:
**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.
- Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
- Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
- Successful completion of one-year trial period.
- Testing Designated Position: Selectee must submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and random testing thereafter. Final appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results for illegal drug use.
- Periodic field visits and frequent travel (domestic and foreign) may be involved.
- You may be expected to travel with little advance notice, to assist with plant pest matters.
- The duties of this position will be performed out of a home office. The selectee must be able to provide for and establish a suitable, virtual home office.
- The work is normally sedentary, but may require travel and visits to field sites or agricultural production settings that may require mobility or adaptability to harsh conditions.

**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.
- **BASIC REQUIREMENT**:Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
- **OR** Combination of education and experience: post high school education with courses equivalent to a major, which is defined as 24 semester/36 quarter hours, in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, chemistry or related disciplines appropriate to the position, PLUS appropriate experience or additional course work.
- **FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL**:In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement, applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

- Experience analyzing program operations and providing recommendations for resolution to colleagues, supervisors, and managers related to problems or challenges.
- Experience coordinating and leading work projects amongst team members and presenting findings to management.
- Experience developing reports and recommendations to inform modifications of standard operating procedures, work plans, job aids, and other documents pertaining to program topics.
- Experience coordinating with internal and external stakeholders (both written and orally) regarding program operations.

Note: There is no education substitution for specialized experience at this grade level.
- **TRANSCRIPTS** are required if:

- This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified.
- This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university.
- 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, philanthropi