ID: AVA1-017

Location: Lexington, VA

Agency: NRCS

Wage/Hr: $15.00

Hours/Week: 24

Minimum Age: 55 (legislative requirement for the ACES program)

Disclaimer: This is not a federal position. This role is offered through a partnership agreement and does not constitute an NRCS hiring action.

This position is a non-federal role funded through an existing agreement between NRCS and NEW Solutions. The enrollee is not a federal employee. The enrollee will provide direct support to farmers and landowners, enabling the implementation of conservation practices on the ground. This role contributes to NRCS's mission by enhancing capacity in field offices and ensuring timely assistance to producers. It is designed to free up NRCS staff for emergency and high-priority responses, not to replace federal staff.

This role helps ensure continued progress on conservation planning, practice implementation, and technical assistance, especially in high-demand or disaster-affected areas. Additionally, this position aligns with the Administration's priorities for farmer-first, field-facing, and partner-enabled capacity expansion.

For over 25 years, National Experienced Workforce Solutions (NEW Solutions) has specialized in connecting experienced workers (ages 55+) with full-time and part-time job opportunities that support the critical missions of Federal Agencies across the United States.

NEW Solutions connects experienced workers (ages 55+) with the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS). These are experienced professionals who provide technical and professional assistance to the Department of Agriculture for the Agriculture Conservation Experienced Services (ACES) Program.

Benefits: Paid Health Insurance Premium for positions budgeted at 60+ hours per pay period, Accrued Vacation and Sick Leave, Paid Federal Holidays, and optional Vision and Dental Insurance available for positions budgeted at 35+ hours per pay period.

Positions listed here do not guarantee employment for any definite period. Enrollment in the Experienced Worker Programs administered by NEW Solutions is temporary. The enrollment relationship between NEW Solutions and the Enrollee is an at-will relationship. This means that an Enrollee is free to terminate enrollment at any time during the enrollment period, and NEW Solutions and the Agency have the right to terminate the relationship with the Enrollee.

PLEASE NOTE:

• An ACES Enrollee is not a federal employee, nor an employee of NEW Solutions. An ACES Enrollee is a participant in a grant program established through a Cooperative Agreement funded by the USDA-NRCS and administered by NEW Solutions.

This opportunity applies to applicants legally eligible to work in the United States.

Duties:

Assist soil conservationist or soil conservation technician with survey, design, installation, checkout and follow-up (including annual contracts review) for practices and activities associated with Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP and CREP) program contracts in accordance with NRCS standards and specifications. Also assists with Food Security Act compliance and various outreach activities, resource inventory and map production, producing conservation plans, generation of payment forms and following procedures to ensure proper signatures and then sending to Financial Management in Richmond for processing.

• Upon request from office staff, conduct site inspections of on-going projects to assure that practices being installed meet specifications according to job sheets, enhancement sheets (CSP), engineering designs, and the conservation plan. (5%) •Comply with field office procedures in measuring completed practices. This may include the use of GPS, measuring wheel, leveling rods, and tape measures to collect certification data for office staff to certify practices. (5%) •Generate the CPA-1245 Practice Approval and Payment Application and coordinate with producers to schedule document signing. (5%)
• Check payment applications according to the State, Area, and Field office procedures and then submit to the program assistant for review. (10% •For contract violations, assist the DC and office staff in identifying clients with off-schedule practices, collaborate with the client to develop a correction action plan, and provide the information to the DC to facilitate completion of contract reviews, CPA-153 Agreement Covering Noncompliance, CPA-1156 Contract Modification, and cancellations and terminations in a timely manner. (6%) 31%
• Food Security Act Compliance: •Assist landowners in completing the AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification and discuss conservation activities pursuant to developing a HEL plan. (2%) •Generate soils maps to facilitate Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation interpretations and compliance reviews. (5%) •Use hand tools (e.g., clinometer, hand level, wheel, 100-ft tape) to determine % slope, slope length, and residue/cover percent. (5%) •Use RUSLE2 to predict soil loss. Print out reports to be added to conservation plans. (2%) •Complete conservation plans in Conservation Desktop, adding HEL labels (HEL/NHEL) to land units. Provide the completed plan and 026e to the client. (5%) •Collaborate with the DC on assembling compliance review packets (5%) 24%
• As needed, make field visits with office staff to meet with producers or conduct in-office meetings to determine conservation needs and assist with conservation plan development. Duties may include: •Conducting interviews to help landowners identify resource concerns. (3%) •Establishing farm records with the Farm Service Agency. (3%) •Assisting landowners in completing documentation for application (CPA-1200), prioritization (Workload Prioritization Tool), and eligibility (control of land and adjusted gross income). (10%). •Verify planning documentation is present in files and uploaded to the Conservation Desktop Document Management System (CD-DMS). (5%) 21%
• Send notification and follow-up letters to program participants. •Pending application letters, preapproval and intent to proceed letters, and application approval letters. (7%) •Annual practice reminder letters. (7%) • election for Food Security Act compliance reviews. (3%) 17%
• Upon request from office staff, assist in collecting the documentation necessary for Cultural Resources Review and Endangered and Threatened Species review. (5%) 5%
• Distribute outreach materials (e.g., letters, brochures, etc.) to various individuals and groups. 2%

Qualifications:

Minimum of 5 years of experience in Agricultural related field to include implementation of conservation practices, writing grazing plans, and/or surveying. OR AA Degree

• Must be comfortable using electronics such as computers and handheld global positioning systems (GPS).
• Experience required with Windows, Apple, MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, MS PowerPoint
• GIS, DNRGPS

Other:

• Complete Annual Computer Security & Privacy Basics Training.
• On-the-job training will be provided in survey, installation and follow-up on conservation practices; Conservation Desktop (CD); Conservation Desktop Document Management System (CD-DMS); ProTracts and RUSLEII.
• Travel Requirements: Government vehicle will be provided for transportation to various sites in surrounding service centers.
• Overnight travel
• Health and Safety Considerations: Enrollee must ensure safety and health precautions are adhered to including reporting safety hazards, wearing seatbelts in automobiles, wearing hardhats on construction sites, etc.
• Required Safety Gear: Hard hats are required on construction sites. The work involves regular and recurring exposure to operating agricultural equipment or earth moving operations, adverse weather conditions such as extreme heat and unimproved roads. Protective equipment is necessary on construction sites.
• Physical requirements: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.