U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service

Employment Outreach Notice

Information Technology Specialist (DATAMGT)

GS-2210-12

Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Pacific Northwest Research Station

Portland, OR

PLEASE REPLY by Monday 05/04/2015

About the position...

We are preparing to fill a permanent, full-time (PFT) position at the Portland Forestry Sciences Laboratory located in Portland, OR. The full performance level of this Information Technology Specialist (DATAMGT) is GS-2210-12.

The Information Management (IM) staff is responsible for expanding, compiling, and formulating the raw collected data into useful information from which the analysts and scientists can create reports and scientific studies. Information Management is also responsible for analyzing, developing and maintaining systems and applications to assist with FIA data collection, storage, analysis and presentation. This includes but is not limited to developing and managing large-scale database systems computations, algorisms, and online data tools.

This position is a member of the Portland Information Management team in the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) work unit of the PNW RMA Program. http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/rma/fia-topics/index.php

The Incumbent must have a comprehensive knowledge of forest mensuration, experience processing complex natural resources data, and skill in evaluating change proposals in order to design and document programs. Also develops, modifies, tests and installs related data management software for both local and national implementation. Develops scripts, algorisms, programs, and code for the computation and analysis of tree volume, biomass, growth and yield, and a number of other forest attributes. Gathers, analyzes, and refines user requirements to create systems that are transparent, well documented, and accessible to a wide audience of data users. Translates systems requirements into database schemas and application prototypes. Translates technical specifications into programming specifications, and uses Procedural Language/Structured Query Language (PL/SQL) to implement solutions in an Oracle database.

The work involves a wide variety of forest mensuration and statistical analysis using software to assist in the development, testing, and refinement of equations used in forest inventory, such as subsampling, down woody material, and growth removal and mortality. The Incumbent will work on various teams that cut across many of the specialty areas within the FIA organization in order to resolve critical problems by taking the requirements from multiple university scientists in order to write complex algorisms within a structured database to provide analyzed information and knowledge. The work involves a wide variety of application support functions which include: providing technical guidance in the design, coding, testing, and debugging process; developing and implementing data mining and data warehousing programs; recommendations for changes in processes, procedures, standards as it relates to data management. This is a non-supervisory position with very limited travel.

We are looking for an individual who:

§  Comprehensive knowledge of forest mensuration, experience processing complex natural resources data, and skill in evaluating change proposals

§  Comprehensive knowledge of Oracle PL/SQL, database principles, methods, and practices in the assigned specialty areas of database design, system analysis, and database management.

§  Ability to analyze complex datasets and effectively communicate orally and in writing.

§  Understanding of FIA dataset and protocols manuals

§  Positive customer service attitude and strong work ethic

Top 10 Reasons to Live in Portland...

1.  Natural Beauty & Recreational Opportunities: Mountains, volcanoes, ocean, rivers, lakes, trails, Forest Park (5,100 acres of west Portland), the Gorge, state and national forests. Rainforest or high desert within one hour. Flowers, vineyards, forests, and farmer’s markets abound. Windsurfing, kiteboarding, surfing, biking, hiking, climbing, skiing, kayaking, rafting….

2.  Bike City, USA: Portland ranks as one of the top towns for cyclists. Commuting by bike is highly encouraged.

3.  Family Friendly: Fit, happy, and friendly community welcomes kids to participate in a very wide variety of recreational opportunities and programs.

4.  Food and Beverage Haven: Gourmet food carts, fabulous restaurants, home to several coffee roasters, best micro-brew scene, and international award winning winemakers. Even our tap water ranks among the best in the world.

5.  Less rain than Seattle: seriously though, it’s dry from June to September. January and February get a bit wet, but you’re in the land of the hearty outdoors folk, so embrace the weather and enjoy the skiing in the mountains or watch a storm blow in from your fireside rental on the Oregon coast.

6.  Watch Portlandia: Live. Your neighbors will make you look normal. We embrace humor and the idiosyncrasies of the human spirit. There’s a neighborhood to suit all styles.

7.  Culture: great music scene for all tastes, museums, visual arts, performing arts, galleries, the Pearl District, waterfront concerts, Pioneer Square concerts and movies, film festivals, etc.

8.  Good financial incentives and a variety of employment opportunities for significant others. The Silicon Forest is made up of serious high tech industry leaders that range from makers of computer chips to solar panels. And no sales tax. Buy a treat and pay for that only.

9.  Alternative transportation: Light rail, bus, carpool, car-sharing, bike commuting, and kayaking are viable options for city commuters. We’re green.

10. Vibrant, active downtown nightlife: some cities roll up the sidewalks at 5 p.m. Portland continues to offer great activities throughout the evening. For a reasonable synopsis and more detailed info, see the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED...

Please send this completed form and your resume to Donavon Nigg, IM Team Leader for the Resource Monitoring and Assessment program: . Individuals who respond to this notice will be notified of the vacancy announcement for the position. The vacancy announcement, when open, will be posted at the USAJobs website, the U.S. Government's official site for jobs and employment information: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov

OUTREACH RESPONSE FORM

Information Technology Specialist (DATAMGT)

GS-2210-12

PNW Research Station, Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program

Please submit by Monday 05/04/2015

Name
Email address
Mailing address
Phone
Current government agency employment or n/a?
Type of current employment (Select one) / permanent temporary term other
Current agency/region/forest/district/lab
Current series and grade
Current position title

Please mark which federal employee condition you are eligible to be hired under:

____ I am a current permanent federal employee who is, or has been a GS-12 or higher

____ I am a current permanent federal employee who is GS-11 and below and has never held the GS-12 on a permanent basis.

If not a current permanent (career or career conditional) employee, are you eligible to be hired under any of the following special authorities?

____ Reinstatement eligible (previously a permanent federal employee)

Person with disabilities
Veterans Readjustment
Disabled veteran with 30% compensable disability
Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998
Former Peace Corps volunteer
Student Career Experience program
Other (indicate):

To be considered, applicants must be U.S. citizens. Thank you for your interest in this position.

The purpose of this Outreach Notice is to determine the potential applicant pool for this position and to establish an appropriate recruitment method and area of consideration for the vacancy announcement (Region-wide, Service-wide, USDA-wide, Government-wide, and/or DEMO). Responses received from this outreach notice will be relied upon to make these determinations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).