Plant Protection Technician at USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

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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.

• 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.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
• 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://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./
• 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.

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 directly related to the position including 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.

FOR THE GS-06 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Assessing biology of pest and habitat and recommended appropriate trapping/survey protocol to supervisor.
• Communicating program goals/policies to individuals and/or stakeholders in order to gain cooperation in survey and regulatory activities.
• Assisting in training new survey technicians.
• Planning and rescheduling assigned work due to weather forecasts and/or unanticipated circumstances.
• Using program databases to record and manage survey data for the purpose of generating reports or maps.

OR Successful completion of 1 year of graduate education (18 semester hours) in a field of study directly related to the position including courses such as biology, plant pathology, entomology, zoology, botany, forestry, chemistry, agriculture, or physics.
Equivalent combinations of…