Biological Science Specialist (Program Specialist)

These positions are located in the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA): Institute of Youth, Family, and Community (IYFC); and Institute of Food Production and Sustainability (IFPS) located in Kansas City, MO. In these positions, you will serve as an advanced trainee and be responsible for providing technical support to the National Program Leader(s) throughout the complete program funding process.

Major duties

• Serves as a resource to National Program Leaders, promoting the agency's research, education, and extension portfolio to advance the strategic goals and management objectives of NIFA and the Department.
• Interacts with scientists across the country and support the peer review process.
• Works with grantees throughout the life of projects, assessing progress and intervening as appropriate; delivers grantsmanship workshops presentations.
• Gathers accomplishments of projects and programs and communicates overall impacts through a variety of mechanisms (e.g., presentations, newsletters, etc.).
• Participates in special projects requiring cross-function interactions to improve processes and expand knowledge.

Qualifications

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 the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. Basic Requirements 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 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to meeting the basic education requirement above, all applicants must meet one of the following requirements listed below.

GS-09 Qualifying experience for GS-09 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 performing professional, scientific, or technical tasks in a research education or extension project or program; performing scientific analysis; and technical writing in support of assigned projects. OR Degree: 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree, if related. Related degrees may include plant science, animal science, plant science, animal science, food nutrition, family and consumer sciences, agriculture, agricultural economics, the environment, or youth development. OR Combination of education and experience: A combination of graduate level education and experience as described above.

GS-11 Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 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 providing technical assistance; implementing or modifying program or project requirements; performing preliminary reviews or analysis of new program or project data; or presenting scientific or technical information to academic or professional audiences. OR Degree: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree if related. Related degrees may include plant science, animal science, food nutrition, family and consumer sciences, agriculture, agricultural economics, the environment, or youth development. OR Combination of education and experience: A combination of Ph.D level education and experience as described above.

GS-12 Qualifying experience for GS-12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-11 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 performing a variety of recurring professional, scientific, or technical tasks; solving minor problems; performing scientific analysis; technical writing in support of assigned projects; participating in the development or review of program solicitations and regulations; and coordinating multiple programs within and outside an organization. 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

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.