POSITION

• GS-0421-05/06/07 Plant Protection Technician 

SALARY

• GS-05 $39,576 to $51,446 per Annum

*Salary will be based on the grade appointed to.

*New Hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade 

selected. 

PROGRAM AREA

• Plant Protection and Quarantine, Field Operations, District 6, Texas

DUTY LOCATION

• El Paso, TX - Situational Telework

WORK SCHEDULE

• Full-time

TYPE OF APPOINTMENT

• Term 

NUMBER OF VACANCIES

• 1 

TRAVEL REQUIRED

• Occasional Travel – Some travel may be necessary for training and work assignments.

REQUIREMENTS

• Must be a US Citizen or US National.

• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.

• Successful completion of one-year trial period or probationary period as applicable.

• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments 

made by direct deposit to their financial institution.

• Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.

• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your 

rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/

WHO MAY APPLY

Non-competitive Hiring Authorities. Veterans – VRA or 30% or More Disabled Veterans, Schedule A (persons with 

disabilities), Military Spouses, Peace Corps or VISTA Volunteer.

OVERVIEW

APHIS is a multi-faceted Agency with a broad mission area that includes protecting and promoting U.S. 

agricultural health, regulating genetically engineered organisms, administering the Animal Welfare Act and 
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carrying out wildlife damage management activities. These efforts support the overall mission of USDA, which is 

to protect and promote food, agriculture, natural resources, and related issues.

Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) is a program within APHIS which safeguards U.S. agriculture and natural 

resources against the entry, establishment, and spread of economically and environmentally significant pests, and 

facilitates the safe trade of agricultural products. Join our team and gain valuable experience working in the field 

to stop invasive species from harming our nation’s agriculture.

This position serves as a Plant Protection Technician and is responsible for assisting with survey, control, and 

regulatory functions which may include Agriculture Quarantine Inspection (AQI) activities, biocontrol, and 

biotechnology activities, and/or import/export of regulated agricultural commodities. 

This position will be filled at the GS-05 grade level. This position is a multi-grade career ladder position 

description which has career advancement to GS-06 and GS-07. The Full Performance Level of this position is 

GS-07.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The selectee may perform one or both of the following categories of duties based on the nature and/or location 

of the assignment. 

Field Work 

• Participates in planning, scheduling, and coordinating survey and control measures. Similar participation 

is also done for biocontrol, biotechnology, and other program activities. 

• Inspects and surveys properties for the presence of harmful plants, insects, and plant diseases. 

• Determines and evaluates the presence and extent of plant diseases, insects, noxious weeds, or other 

plant pests. 

• Collects all aspects of data using traditional data gathering methods and newly developed data collection 

tools and formats.

• Guides and/or conducts approved control and eradication measures including the adoption of cultural 

practices, sanitation measures, biological controls, and/or the application of herbicides, insecticides, 

nematicide, and fungicides in proper proportions or dosages. 

• Assists in the enforcement of Federal and/or State plant quarantines and regulatory orders which restrict 

the movement of plants, plant products, and equipment into or out of regulated areas.

• Maintains daily records of inspection work, control measures, program activities, and regulatory 

procedures applied.

Import/Export Duties 

• Assists with inspection of routine commodities for export to confirm that shipments’ handling follows 

standard operating procedures (SOP) and complies with importing countries’ requirements.

• Inspects commodities for export that have been determined to be routine based on high frequency.

• Ensures that prohibited material is seized and disposed of in accordance with established procedures. 

• Reviews phytosanitary certificate applications for adherence to export requirements and inspects 

commodities to validate shipment and ensure no pest presence. 

• Performs trapping duties in order to prepare for plant pest emergencies and deployments. 

• Verifies, through monitoring, that the required procedures for packing, treatment, treatment record 

certification, shipment certification, post treatment storage and shipping have been carried out. 
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• Lays out, organizes, schedules, and conducts inspections of Federal and/or State agricultural quarantines 

which restrict the movement of plants, plant products, articles and conveyances into or out of foreign and 

domestic regulated areas. 

• Makes initial and follow-up contacts with farmers, industries, farm groups, shippers, equipment 

operators, city and county officials, product buyers, etc. for the purpose of explaining programs and 

quarantine requirements and gaining the cooperation of individuals concerned.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Qualifying specialized experience must have provided familiarity with the methods, procedures, and techniques 

involved in inspecting, detecting, identifying, eradicating, suppressing, or controlling plant pests, and in the 

enforcement of Federal and State quarantines. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Inspecting nursery plants for the presence of a specific plant pest.

• Surveying areas for specific plant pests or for the presence of alternate plant hosts.

• Developing rough maps showing control or eradication treatment completed, areas surveyed, or pest 

finds located.

• Performing survey control or eradication procedures in a local pest control program.

• Answering questions regarding plant pest control procedures, harmful side-effects of pesticides to other 

living organisms, etc.

• Inspecting vehicles in the enforcement of plant quarantine regulations.

• Performing laboratory work involved with raising and/or sterilizing various insects.

OR; Education and Training

For GS-5: Successful completion of 4 years of study that included at least 16 semester hours in courses such as 

biology, plant pathology, entomology, zoology, botany, forestry, chemistry, agriculture, or physics.

NOTE: Education is generally not creditable above GS-05; however, graduate education may be credited in those 

few instances where the graduate education is directly related to the work of the position.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants are required to submit the following items for consideration to PPQ.Recruitment@usda.gov. Please 

list the Position Title in the subject line.

• Applicants are required to submit the following items for consideration.

• Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 

3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work 

schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other 

qualifications or certifications; and 5) supervisors name and phone number for each work period listed 

and whether or not they may be contacted for reference checks.

• When claiming Veterans' preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, 

which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you 

must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active-duty service under honorable 

conditions within 120 days after the date the certification is submitted.

• Disabled Veterans must also submit a VA Disability Letter (if applicable) for verification of serviceconnected disability.

• Schedule A candidates must include a Schedule A Letter for eligible disabled persons. To be eligible for 

Schedule A, you must provide a proof of a disability letter stating that you have an intellectual disability, 

severe physical disability, or psychiatric disability. You can get this letter from your doctor, a licensed 
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medical professional, a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist or any federal, state, or local agency 

that issues or provides disability benefits. Letter must be on office Letterhead.

• Military Spouses must provide a copy of: Spouse ID card, Copy of Active-Duty spouses military orders, and 

marriage certificate.

• Peace Corps or VISTA Volunteers must provide a copy of their NCE letter.

• Must submit a copy of Transcripts if qualifying with education as listed in qualifications section. 

Transcripts can be unofficial but, if selected, candidates will be required to submit official transcripts 

before start date.

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