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Biological Technician (Fisheries)

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This biological technician (fisheries) position is with the Sitka Ranger District in Sitka, Alaska.

For additional information about the position contact Chris Leeseberg at christopher.leeseberg@usda.gov.

The salary of the position will be adjusted to include a 4.40% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).

Overview

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Hiring complete
Posted 04/08/20
Location
4 vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$18.71 - $18.71 per hour
Pay scale & grade
GS 5
Promotion potential
5
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-Time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Temporary - 12/31/2020
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Excepted Service
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
20-1005-10791194-AT0JB
Control number
565211200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This announcement is to fill this Biological Technician (Fisheries) excepted service position under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) hiring authority, Public Law 96-487. You must have lived or worked in or near the geographic boundaries of the Sitka Ranger District and have special knowledge or expertise concerning the cultural and/or natural resources of the Sitka Ranger District area to meet eligibility requirements.

Duties

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  • Conducts routine procedural test using well-established work methods and techniques.
  • Summarizes data obtained from field collections using prescribed statistical procedures. Under supervision, prepares data summaries in proper format.
  • Transportation to and from field will include boats and/or float planes. Candidate must be comfortable with both means of transportation.
  • May occasionally serve as a crew leader on designated projects.
  • Work will occur where cell phone communication is not available. Incumbent(s) will work in wet, cold rainy conditions. Must be able to carry 50-lbs off trail in the woods and hike on average 5 miles a day.
  • As a field going position working in brown or black bear habitat, this position is required to be firearm certified for personal and/or crew safety.
  • Executive Order 12564 requires that employees designated to carry a firearm to be subject to pre-appointment and random drug testing.
  • This position is 90% field going. Position involves operating and maintaining a remote fish weir.
  • Field work includes spending 6 to 10 days in a remote setting.
  • Living conditions are rustic, wall tents or cabin, with no running water.
  • Responsibilities will include enumerating returning adult salmon; identifying and measuring species, and recording numbers, lengths, weights etc.
  • The incumbent will also take scale samples; note environmental factors, and make recommendations for corrective actions when needed.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check
  • Direct Deposit Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-Verify
  • Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable)
  • Subject to a negative drug test prior to entrance on duty.
  • The ability to obtain and maintain weapons certification is a condition of employment in this position as the incumbent will be required to carry a firearm.
  • Must pass pass firearm classroom training, pass the shooting proficiency test and be enrolled in the random drug testing pool while employed in this position.

Qualifications

You must meet the ANILCA eligibility requirements to be referred for this position.

Eligibility Requirements: You must have lived or worked in or near the geographic boundaries of Sitka, Alaska and have special knowledge or expertise concerning the natural and cultural resources of the Sitka area area to to participate in local fisheries projects.

Your responses to the questions in the assessment for this announcement must clearly show that you meet the eligibility requirements.

Education

Education is not considered for eligibility requirements.

Additional information

This position is temporary, has a Not-to-Exceed date and may be extended without further competition. The appointment may also end early due to lack of work or lack of funds.

The number and location of positions to be filled will be dependent upon individual unit needs.

If you are retired from the Federal Government and are selected for this vacancy, your retirement annuity may be offset from your pay.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION AND FINGERPRINT CHECK: Selection and retention in this position is contingent on a successfully adjudicated FBI National Criminal History Check (fingerprint check) and a background investigation.

If you are newly hired, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" system. Federal law requires the use of E-VERIFY to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. Under this system, the new hire is required to resolve any identified discrepancies as a condition of continued employment.

This is not a bargaining unit position.

Government housing may be available.

Federal affiliated daycare facilities are not available.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated for this job based on your responses to the questions in the assessment to determine whether or not you are eligible for appointment under the ANILCA authority.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Forest Service

The Tongass National Forest was established in 1902 and covers nearly 17 million acres in Southeast Alaska. It is the nation's largest National Forest. The Tongass stretches nearly 500 miles from its boundary with the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in the north, to the Canadian boundary in the south. It is a forest of islands including the Alexander Archipelago, and the mainland. The unique forest landscapes of the Tongass vary dramatically in topographic relief and include a mosaic of forest, peat lands, steep rocky areas, glaciated mountains and other non-forested lands.

Alaska's magnificent scenery, vast forests, and abundant natural resources match the size of the forest. The Tongass makes up ninety percent of Southeast Alaska and is a land of glaciers, mountains, waterways and thousands of islands separated by straits and channels. The islands and mainland create 11,000 miles of shoreline where regal mountains rise from the tidewater to overlook a mostly undeveloped and isolated landscape. The geography of the Alexander Archipelago presents a transportation challenge and most of the Tongass is isolated from the continental road system. You will find yourself boating or flying in a floatplane to most field locations. Visitors arrive by cruise ship, ferry or commercial airplane.

Agency contact information

HRM Contact Center
Phone
1-877-372-7248 X2
Email
SM.FS.FSJobs@usda.gov
Address
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US

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