Environmental Protection Specialist

Overview

Join the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) as an Environmental Protection Specialist based in Fort Collins, CO. You will engage in analytical, research, report writing, and editing work focused on various environmental topics supporting APHIS mission objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Your duties will include preparing comprehensive environmental and analytical documents to facilitate informed decision-making and ensure agency compliance with environmental statutes and executive orders. You will act as a subject matter expert and advisor on environmental policies, resources, and compliance with regulations for agency programs and external stakeholders. Utilizing specialized analytical techniques such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), you will contribute significantly to project teams by ensuring appropriate environmental analyses. Additionally, you may be assigned other responsibilities as needed.

Qualifications

Candidates must fulfill all eligibility and qualification criteria by the application deadline. For the GS-09 level, applicants need one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-07 which involves producing scientific documents including Environmental Reports and Assessments that meet approval standards, applying environmental laws and policies to projects ensuring regulatory compliance, and conducting research that enhances document clarity and accuracy. Alternatively, applicants may qualify with a Master’s degree or equivalent graduate education in a directly related discipline, or appropriate law degrees such as LL.B or J.D. Combinations of experience and education are accepted as well, provided total qualification requirements are met. Transcripts are required for education-based qualifications.

Additional Information

APHIS values a diverse workforce committed to protecting U.S. agriculture and environment. As an emergency response agency, employees may be asked to participate in temporary duty assignments. The position starts on July 31, 2026, and closes on August 6, 2026. Salary ranges from $64,453 to $89,470 annually.