Community Planner (Recent Graduate), Field Operating Offices of the Office of the Secretary of the Army - Rock Island, IL

Community Planner (Recent Graduate)
Field Operating Offices of the Office of the Secretary of the Army - Rock Island, IL

Civilian employees serve a vital role in supporting the Army mission. They provide the skills that are not readily available in the military, but crucial to support military operations. The Army integrates the talents and skills of its military and civilian members to form a Total Army. About the Position:  This position is part of the Army Civilian Training, Education, and Development System (ACTEDS) and is a CIVILIAN position with the Department of Army. The incumbent will serve as a Community Planner trainee with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).  This is a Career Program (CP) # 18 position.  Position(s) will be filled under the Department of the Army Recent Graduates Program.  Click here for more information on Pathways program participants. The Department of the Army Recent Graduates Program affords developmental experiences in the Department of Army intended to promote possible careers in the civil service to individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs. Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic, developmental program with the potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. After Program completion, Department of the Army Recent Graduates MAY be converted to a permanent position. To be eligible for conversion to a permanent or term position, Recent Graduates must:  Successfully complete at least 1-year of continuous service in addition to all requirements of the Program.  Demonstrate successful job performance.  Meet the Office of Personnel Management’s qualifications for the position to which the Recent Graduate will be converted To learn more, please visit: http://www.opm.gov/HiringReform/Pathways/program/graduates/ Department of the Army Recent Graduates Program Eligibles  Positions are open to Recent graduates who have completed, within the previous two years (or will complete by June 2015) a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution.  Veterans unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligation, have as much as six years after degree completion to apply.  TRAVEL REQUIRED Occasional Travel Up to 15% business travel is required.  RELOCATION AUTHORIZED Yes Payment of moving expenses is authorized subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations.  KEY REQUIREMENTS Must sign a mobility agreement if selected.  DUTIES: As a Community Planner (Intern) you will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following: • Assist in developing multidisciplinary water resource plans for navigation, flood damage reduction, ecosystem restoration, and recreation projects and watershed studies including preliminary investigations, complete analysis of project feasibility, and post authorization general reevaluation studies. • Assist in determining planning problems and opportunities, goals, objectives, constraints, type and location of project features, optimum dimensions to achieve balance between objectives and costs, treatment of roads, railroads, utilities, and residential and/or commercial developments affected. • Perform extensive research of records to assemble available data in the form of field and bathymetric surveys, maps, aerial photographs, previous reports, etc., which may provide basic engineering considerations and general background data. • Determine additional data required for studies, such as topography, watershed characteristics, the type and location of developments (housing, commercial, or local improvements) occurring since previous surveys, foundation explorations, hydraulic design data, data required to determine economic and ecosystem benefits, etc. • Plan and implement a Public Involvement and Participation Program for assigned projects, encompassing appropriate coordination with governmental organizations, organized interest groups, and the general public. Incumbent works under closer supervision and works in a developmental capacity performing assignments and completing training, both of which are aimed in preparing the incumbent to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the duties outlined in the aforementioned job description. The incumbent receives progressively more responsible assignments as experience and training are received to the next higher level position. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED: In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Qualification Requirement:  A. Degree: Successful completion (or completion by June 2015) of at least a bachelor's degree in community planning; or related field such as urban affairs, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, sociology, geography, economics, political science, or public administration that included at least 12 semester hours in the planning process, socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, urban and regional economic analysis, and development finance. Note: Applicants with degrees in the related fields listed above, who do not have the 12 semester hours of specified course work must have had at least 1 year of work experience in community planning acquired under the supervision and guidance of a community planner. OR B. Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in one of the above disciplines, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the above disciplines of which at least 12 semester hours were in the planning process, and socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to meeting the basic requirement in A or B above, one of the following is also required for the GS-7 level:  • Specialized Experience: 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience (please but sure to include number of hours worked for each experience listed on your resume). To qualify based on your work experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as: assisting in the planning for components such as buildings, utilities distribution, housing, transportation or land use; or, assisting in preparing cost estimates and determining resource requirements for community planning efforts; or, assisting in real property development plans by analyzing real property assets, physical site and structure layout, any potential real estate requirements, and performing environmental analysis. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05). • Superior Academic Achievement for GS-07: Successful completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with Superior Academic Achievement. To qualify based on S.A.A., education must be fully qualifying for the position being filled. Applicant must meet one of the following provisions for superior academic achievement: 1. A standing in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision. 2. A grade point average of "B" (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for (a) all courses completed; or (b) courses completed during the last two years of the curriculum. 3. A grade point average of "B+" (3.5. on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent based on (a) the average of the required courses completed in the major field; or (b) the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. 4. Election to membership in one of the national honorary societies (other than freshman societies) that meets the requirements of the Association of College of Honor Societies. Grade point averages will be rounded to one decimal point. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0, and 2.94 will round to 2.9. NOTE: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail or similar basis, your S.A.A. claim must be based on class standing or membership in an honor society and you must provide evidence of your class standing or honor society membership with your application. • Education Substitution for GS-07: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate-level education that would have equipped the candidate with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the work of the position. One year of graduate coursework is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours. • Applicants Combining Education and Experience:  If you have some, but not all, of the experience or education described above, you may still qualify by combining the amount of creditable experience and graduate education that you possess. To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify. Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute education for experience.  Foreign education must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency in order to be considered for this position. You must include documentation to support U.S. equivalency. Other Requirements: Click here for expanded definitions. Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration. You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. One year trial/probationary period may be required. Direct Deposit of Pay is Required.  Must sign a mobility agreement if selected.  Personnel security investigation is required.  If selected, official college or university transcripts must be submitted. However, unofficial transcripts must be submitted at the time of application.  Recent Graduates must sign a Participant Agreement with the Agency. HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED: Your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. Basis for Rating : Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of three quality categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified and Qualified. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. • Best Qualified. Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for the announced position. • Highly Qualified. Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for the announced position. • Qualified. Candidates in this category meet the minimum experience requirements for the announced position. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority. See Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) for more information. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website . BENEFITS: Back to top The Department of Defense offers an excellent benefits program. In addition to your take-home pay, your comprehensive compensation/benefits package will include most of the benefits described in the USAJOBS Resource Center. OTHER INFORMATION: Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees. If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.  Noncompetitive promotion potential to target grade. This recruitment provides promotion opportunity to the target grade of the position without further competition when selectee is eligible and recommended by management.