Supervisory Agriculturist (Assistant State Plant Health Director)

Full Job Description

The Assistant State Plant Health Director assists in directing state activities and setting priorities that balance consideration of public and industry demands against those of economics, efficiency and available resources; and regularly serves alongside the State Plant Health Director as the primary point of contact for plant health protection and emergency management and response in the state.

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 time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

BASIC REQUIREMENT: Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

FOR THE GS-14 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-13 grade level) that demonstrates: - Planning and controlling the use of resources to meet immediate and long-range objectives and performing the necessary decision making and problem solving required for program execution - Develops and maintains cooperative relationships with a variety of high level federal, state, university, and industry stakeholders to address complex plant health safeguarding initiatives.

- Managing a large number of critical, high visibility agricultural programs at a given time. Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS are required if: This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified.

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 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. Major Duties:

• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Share the responsibility of overseeing the identification of plant pest pathways through analysis and utilization of risk data.
• Contribute to effective outreach programs to importers, travelers and industry on importation requirements to facilitate trade and prevent introduction of plant and animal pests and diseases
• Administer/direct federal export certification program for plants, plant products, and animal by-products within the state.
• Work cooperatively with State Plant Regulatory Officials to develop and document state emergency management plans.
• Manage invasive species which are covered under USDA regulation or through Congressional direction (budget language) which are harmful to agriculture or the environment.
• Share responsibility for all administrative and programmatic activities complying with appropriate federal and state regulations and guidelines.