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Research Agricultural Engineer / Research Physical Science (Research Associate)

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the United States Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency and one of the world's premiere scientific organizations. ARS Postdoctoral Research Associates are hired to supplement a lead scientist's research on agricultural problems of high national priority affecting American agriculture. This position is located in the Water Management & Systems Research Unit in Fort Collins, CO. **ANNOUNCEMENT IS OPEN UNTIL FILLED OR 3/21/2025**

• Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

08/20/2024 to 03/21/2025

$80,665 - $104,861 per year

Pay scale & grade

1 vacancy in the following location:

• Fort Collins, CO

Telework eligible

Yes—as determined by the agency policy.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional local, domestic, and international travel may be required to attend training and scientific meetings and conferences.

Relocation expenses reimbursed

Appointment type.

Term - 2 Years

Work schedule

Promotion potential, job family (series).

• 0890 Agricultural Engineering
• 1301 General Physical Science

Supervisory status

Security clearance.

Not Required

Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process

• Suitability/Fitness

Financial disclosure

Bargaining unit status, announcement number.

ARS-RA24PA-12516677-MLM

Control number

This job is open to.

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

Open to all eligible United States Citizens or Nationals.

• Performs research with the objective to leverage existing datasets and ongoing deficit and spatial irrigation management projects.
• Will develop a suite of automated, repeatable processes and tools for precision variable rate irrigation (VRI) decisions in real-time.
• Will integrate an open-source water balance and evapotranspiration model product “pyfao56” with field data collection, database design, quality control, visualization, and immediate analysis to support real-time precision VRI prescriptions.
• Will develop products that will be tested and integrated with ongoing research at the USDA-ARS Limited Irrigation Research Farm in Greeley, CO.
• Will prepare and submit final research results in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at conferences.

Requirements

Conditions of employment.

• Males born 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
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/
• Appropriations Law and Immigration Law requirements must be met

Qualifications

This position requires a recent Ph.D. (within the past four years) in Agricultural or Civil Engineering, Soil and Crop Sciences or Agronomy, Hydrology, Atmospheric Science, or a related field of study that has equipped the applicant with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. Desired skills include:

• Experience working with process-based models; development of computational and applied software tools; proficiency with open-source programming languages (e.g., Python, R).
• Experience in data acquisition and QAQC protocols and database management.
• Experience with high-level computing processes such as global sensitivity analysis and machine learning; familiarity with hydrologic process, water balance and evapotranspiration modeling, and irrigation management; proficiency with geospatial and statistical coding, and IoT and cloud computing.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a large collaborative group.
• Field work may occasionally be required in hot field conditions.

Applicants must meet basic Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standard's requirements of the scientific discipline necessary to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. Agricultural Engineering Series 0890 Basic Requirements: Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. OR Combination of education and experience - college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

• Professional registration or licensure - Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
• Written Test - Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
• Specified academic courses - Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
• Related curriculum - Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

This position has a positive education requirement. You must submit a copy of your academic transcripts OR a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify education when applying for this position. If this information is not provided, your education may not be appropriately evaluated and you may lose consideration for this position. If you are selected for this position, you will have to provide an official copy of your transcripts prior to entering on duty. Application materials will not be returned. A Ph.D. is required that was obtained within the last four years.

Additional information

This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits .

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application will be evaluated to determine if you meet eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with the position as defined above under "Qualifications".

As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

• Resume that includes:1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.
• If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts . An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
• If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions.If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted.Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment.Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
• If claiming 10-point veteran's preference you must provide the DD214 or certification requirements (see above bullet), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference visit FEDSHIREVETS
• Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.

If application packages do not contain all of the requested information, you may lose consideration for the job. To help you ensure your application fully outlines your qualifications and eligibility for this position, please submit the following documentation as appropriate. Some of the items listed may not apply to you. NOTE: Applications received in postage paid government envelopes will not be considered. As an Applicant for a Postdoctoral Research Associate Position, you must also submit the following:

__ A one-page abstract of Ph.D. dissertation

__ A resume of any honors or awards received; memberships in professional or honor societies; invitations to make presentations at scientific/technical meetings; scientific society office and committee assignments; presentations (other than invitations); and publications. __ A list of names, addresses, and phone numbers of persons familiar with your stature, contributions, and recognition.

Applications may be mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to the appropriate address and/or facsimile number listed below: Mail: Dr. Kendall DeJonge 2150 Centre Ave Bldg. D, Ste. 320 Fort Collins, CO 80526 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: (312)-259-1527 If sending your application as an attachment to an email, do not send zipped files. They will be removed in accordance with standard electronic security procedures.

Agency contact information

Applications will be received and reviewed for consideration until a selection has been made. Under the Fair Chance Act , agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to [email protected], subject line: Fair Chance Act.

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Criminal history inquiries
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability
• New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selective Service
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request

Required Documents

How to apply, fair & transparent.

This job originated on www.usajobs.gov . For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/805649700 . Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.

Learn more about

Agricultural Research Service

Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Our job is finding solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day from field to table. What we do matters in science and the world. For more information about Agricultural Research Service, go to https://www.ars.usda.gov/ .

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