Summary

This position is located with Bonneville Power Administration, in the Vegetation Management & Forestry (TFBV), Internal Operations (TFB), Transmission Field Services (TF), Transmission Services (T).

A successful candidate in the Chief Forester position will be responsible for planning, leading, and managing the Forestry program. The incumbent is delegated valuation authority and the authority to dispose of BPA timber property.

Duties

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As a Chief Forester, you will:

• Be responsible for appraising rural and urban forest related timber.
• Exercise unlimited review authority for timber cruise/valuations prepared by government staff or outside private sector Professional Foresters.
• Establish BPA wide forestry policy and procedural activity.
• Develop training material on the greater knowledge of timber and utilizes this material as the BPA's principle trainer of Foresters, Appraisers, Realty Specialists, and others regarding the cruising and valuation of timber to the public, peers, management, and other groups associated with timber issues.
• Provide expert technical assistance to the Chief Appraiser in the valuation and evaluation of forest properties and technical oversight and review of timber cruising and clearing specifications for new or rebuild line construction.
• Serve as the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) for timber related services undertaken by the BPA and TFBV's vegetation patrol and inspection services contract.
• Plan work to be accomplished by subordinates, set and adjust priorities, prepare schedules for completion of work and present completed work to their superiors.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answer to these questions is not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.

When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically. You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully.

Key Requirements:

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
• You will be required to report in person to the official duty location.

Conditions of Employment:

• Selectee will be required to complete the Office of Government Ethics Standard of Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OFGE450e) within 30 days of employment and annually.
• This position requires a valid driver's license as a condition of employment.
• Work is performed in the office and field. Fieldwork requires moderate physical exertion including hiking through BPA rights-of-way, which includes very steep and uneven terrain.
• The work is performed in a variety of weather conditions.
• May be required to serve as Contracting Officers Representative for BPA grants and agreements; this duty includes additional training and certification.
• Hiring incentives may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate based on budget availability and in accordance with federal regulations.
• A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT:

Degree: forestry; or a related subject-matter field that included a total of at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours of course work were in forestry. The curriculum must have been sufficiently diversified to include courses in each of the following areas:

• Management of Renewable Resources study of the science and art of managing renewable resources to attain desired results. Examples of creditable courses in this area include silviculture, forest management operations, timber management, wildland fire science or fire management, utilization of forest resources, forest regulation, recreational land management, watershed management, and wildlife or range habitat management.
• Forest Biology study of the classification, distribution, characteristics, and identification of forest vegetation, and the interrelationships of living organisms to the forest environment. Examples of creditable courses in this area include dendrology, forest ecology, silvics, forest genetics, wood structure and properties, forest soils, forest entomology, and forest pathology.
• Forest Resource Measurements and Inventory sampling, inventory, measurement, and analysis techniques as applied to a variety of forest resources. Examples of creditable courses include forest biometrics, forest mensuration, forest valuation, statistical analysis of forest resource data, renewable natural resources inventories and analysis, and photogrammetry or remote sensing.

-OR-

Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in forestry, or at least 30 semester hours in any combination of biological, physical, or mathematical sciences or engineering, of which at least 24 semester hours were in forestry. The requirements for diversification of the 24 semester hours in forestry are the same as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

A qualified candidate's resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12) in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as: 1) performing timber appraisals to determine timber volume, quality, and monetary value for rights-of-way projects; 2) developing short- and long-term forestry, vegetation management projects, or timber clearing work plans for transmission rights-of-way maintenance clearing activities; and 3) serving as a contracting office representative in monitoring performance and compliance with contract specifications.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills; and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration.

CTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

This vacancy has a positive education requirement. In order to be rated as qualified, you must provide copies of your college transcripts. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation.

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.

Failure to provide copies of your college transcripts may result in a rating of "Ineligible".

Additional information

• This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE

BPA strives to ensure a safe and positive work environment.

We also understand the importance of work/life balance and offer a variety of programs and policies designed to create more flexible, responsive work environments supportive of commitments to community, home and family members. BPA also supports employees' overall wellness through its Be Well program, which helps employees adopt healthier lifestyles and feel better about their work/life balance. The program supports five key areas of life: career, community, financial, physical and social.?

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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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 windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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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.