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Summary This position is located at the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), US Capitol Grounds and Arboretum, Gardening Division. The Urban Forester works closely with the Tree Care Section; planning, organizing, coordinating and implementing urban forestry programs for the AOC. It is considered desirable that the selectee be an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist (Board Certified Master Arborist is preferred). Responsibilities Must possess a valid D.C. pesticide applicator’s license in categories 3A, 3B and 3C. Must possess and maintain a valid state driver’s license. Arboretum Management - (Duties quoted below are at the GS-13 level.) Assists in managing the arboretum program for the U.S. Capitol arboretum, including plant records, tree canopy assessment and planning, environmental benefits and impacts, overseeing arboriculture contracts, public outreach and education, and protection of trees during construction and special event activities. Assists with developing the arboretum’s participation in collection accreditation programs. Tree Care and Risk Management: Works with the Arborist Supervisor(s) to schedule, perform and record tree care programs including, but not limited to, tree inventories, tree risk assessments, cable and lightning protection inspections, cyclical routine and preventive tree maintenance. Collaborates with the Arborist Supervisor(s), Gardens and Grounds Manager and Deputy Director to make recommendations for removals, hazard mitigations and plantings, including site, species and production method selection, based on Cultural Landscape Reports and tree and shrub collection accreditation goals. Travels to external vendors’ nurseries and production sites to select healthy trees for the planting program at the arboretum. Collaborates with the CGA Plant Health Specialist and Arborists to monitor tree health, and recommend cultural, chemical and biological controls as part of an IPM program. Works with the Turf Specialist and Tree and Gardening Sections to promote grounds management practices conducive to maintaining and improving soil health, including reducing negative impacts derived from a heavily used urban environment. Works with agency representatives to provide protective measures to landscape during planning processes for events and construction projects. Curation, Records and Database Management: Manages and maintains all Geographic Information Systems (GIS) records for woody plant accessions. Creates plant record information in the living collection management system. Assists the Gardens and Grounds Manager and the Deputy Director in executing plans to achieve and maintain woody plant collection accreditations, including keeping all data for such programs and communicating with all accrediting organizations. Coordinates day-to-day departmental administrative tasks as they relate to assigned plant records. Research, Reporting and Outreach: Prepares and/or facilitates the creation of comprehensive reports on both the technical and administrative aspects of the program for higher management levels. Conducts studies related to the preservation of the historic cultural landscape and urban canopy of the arboretum. Develops public outreach and education programs in accordance with the arboretum accreditation. Determines and implements a succession plan for memorial, historic and other noteworthy trees of the U.S. Capitol arboretum, as determined by AOC preservation Policy, CGA Living Collections Policy, and Cultural Landscape Reports. Propagates select species to ensure the progeny of the historic trees of the U.S. Capitol arboretum survive for future generations. Procurement Manages financial obligations to the arboretum program through development of budget justifications, monitoring spending, and tracking accountable property. Develops Scopes of Work (SOW), and other contract procurement documents and serves as Contracting Officers Representative (COR) for various arboriculture and arboretum management contracts. Manages contract payment and invoices in IPP. Facilitates AOC security requirements for contractors related to facility access, badging, and screening. Clearly communicates tree management and arboretum planning needs at all levels of CGA, the AOC, and with congressional stakeholders. This includes management of fiscal obligations and formulation of budgets towards tree management, and coordination of work with the CGA staff, contractors, appropriate AOC offices, the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), and other congressional stakeholders. Coordinates with the Arborist Supervisor the work and the use of materials and staff on a quarterly or longer basis; reviews supporting documents and blueprints for alterations, and new construction projects that affect trees and or tree root zones; and prepares estimates for upcoming projects and/or additional material and staffing needs. Must follow all relevant safety rules, regulations and standard operating procedures. The incumbent must utilize knowledge of and must comply with all OSHA safety rules and regulations to ensure that work progresses in a safe manner. Provides or receives training, either on-the-job or through classroom training, to ensure that all safety practices and equipment are fully utilized. Uses required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Performs other related duties as assigned. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be able to pass a drug test Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs You must meet the education requirement You must possess and maintain a valid, unexpired State driver's license Must be able to obtain Tree Risk Assessment (TRAQ) within 6 months of hire. Must obtain ACSA Tree & Plant Appraisal Qual(TPAQ) within 1 year of hire. must become an ISA certified Arborist within 6 months of hire. Requirements: To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet one of the categories below: A citizen of the United States; A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B); A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible; A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States. Qualifications You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications. In addition to meeting the basic education requirement, you must have specialized experience, directly related education OR a combination of experience and education as described below. Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, an applicant's one full year of specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. To qualify at the GS-13 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-12 level in the federal service. Examples of qualifying experience include the following types of tasks performed on a regular and recurring basis: Managing a forestry program to include performing tree care, monitoring tree health and applying state-of-the-art methods and techniques in the care of complex and historic tree species; Managing a Geographic Information system (GIS); and Performing Contracting Officers Representative (COR) duties. To qualify at the GS-12 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-11 level in the federal service. Examples of qualifying experience include the following types of tasks performed on a regular and recurring basis: Education Basic Education Requirements: 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. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part of foreign countries must provide sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. Applicants must possess and maintain a valid and unexpired State driver's license at the time of application. To apply pesticides in the District of Columbia Applicants must possess a valid and unexpired D.C. Pesticide Applicator’s License or a valid, unexpired State pesticide license with D.C. reciprocity in categories 3A, 3B, 3C. Additional Information Welcome Veterans. The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) gives veterans' preference rights in the legislative branch to certain veterans as applied by the Congressional Accountability Act. Veterans' preference is applied on this vacancy announcement. If you are a veteran and have been separated under honorable conditions, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility; SF-15, if applicable; and Department of Veterans Affairs documentation of disability, if applicable. For more information, please visit http://www.opm.gov/veterans/html/vetguide.asp#6. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information. DRUG TESTING: The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is a Drug Free Workplace. As part of the AOC’s suitability assessment, a candidate tentatively selected for a position who is not currently an AOC employee is required to submit to screening for illegal drug use. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of employment with the Agency. A candidate must test negative prior to being eligible for appointment into a position. We will schedule, provide and cover the cost for the drug test. The selectee(s) under the vacancy announcement for this position is subject to a criminal record check by the U.S. Capitol Police and satisfactory adjudication to be eligible for employment at the Architect of the Capitol. The Architect of the Capitol is an E-VERIFY Participant. E-VERIFY is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment authorization in the United States. If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the DHS Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" electronic system. For more information on E-Verify, please visit http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc\_1185221678150.shtm The Architect of the Capitol is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or disability. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Moving expenses are not authorized. Relocation expenses are not authorized. Probationary Period - A newly appointed selectee is subject to the completion of a one-year trial/probationary period, regardless of whether or not a trial/probationary period has been completed previously with the Architect of the Capitol or another Federal agency. This vacancy announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies in any of the jurisdictions of the Architect of the Capitol. All application materials become the property of the Architect of the Capitol.