Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.
GS-07:
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-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-06 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 participating in an experiment or research project related to agriculture; collecting or evaluating agricultural samples; and maintaining records of scientific data.
OR
Education: One full year of study leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include agronomy, botany, agriculture, soil science, or plant science.
OR
A combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described above.
GS-08:
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-08 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 collecting or evaluating agricultural samples including soil, crops, or water; recording or analyzing scientific data; and operating and maintaining scientific equipment.
OR
Education: Two full years of graduate level education or a Master's degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include agronomy, botany, agriculture, soil science, or plant science.
OR
A combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described above.
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-08 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 planning an experiment or research project related to soil, crops, or water; analyzing agricultural samples including soil, crops, or water for scientific reports; operating and calibrating specialized scientific equipment; and working with controlled environmental plant growth systems.
OR
Education: Two full years of graduate level education or a Master's degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include agronomy, botany, agriculture, soil science, or plant science.
OR
A combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described above.
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.