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Wildlife Biologist, GS-0486-07 (DEU-TERM-YS)

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
This job announcement has closed

Summary

USGS Science for a Changing World. Do you want to be part of an innovative research science organization? Would you like to work with a team of professionals committed to providing reliable scientific information and understanding our natural resources and environment? If you answered "yes" to these questions, then this job is for you. Join the USGS and be on your way to a rewarding future.

Why Is It Great To Work For The USGS?
Embark on an exciting future! From the peaks of the highest mountains to the depths of the deepest seas, the U.S. Geological Survey has career opportunities that make a difference in both the lives of others and in the environment. Would you like to join the more than 10,000 scientists, technicians, and support staff of the USGS who are working in more than 400 locations throughout the United States? Apply today! As the Nation's largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides scientific understanding about natural resource conditions, issues, and problems. The diversity of our scientific expertise enables us to carry out large-scale, multi-disciplinary investigations and provide impartial, timely, and relevant scientific information to resource managers, planners, and other customers related to: the health of our ecosystems and environment; natural hazards that threaten us; natural resources we rely on, and; the impact of climate and land-use changes. For more information about the USGS please visit http://www.usgs.gov

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?

This is a term appointment for which all qualified applicants with or without Federal status may apply and be considered. Appointment to this position, however, will not convey permanent status in the Federal service and will be for a period not to exceed 13 months with possible extensions up to a total of 4 years without further competition.

Salary: $49,937 (Step 01) to $64,917 (Step 10); NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

There is one vacancy; however, this announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies if they become available.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
07/02/2018 to 07/09/2018
Salary
$49,937 to - $64,917 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 07
Location
Santa Cruz, CA
FEW vacancies
Travel Required
25% or less - Travel away from home may be required 14-21 days per month during the field season.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - Full-Time
Work schedule
Full-time - Term
Service
Promotion potential
09
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Announcement number
SAC-2018-0272
Control number
503957900

This job is open to

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Duties

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As a Wildlife Biologist within the Western Ecological Research Center, some of your specific duties will include:

- Participating in the planning and execution of complex studies and investigations concerning distribution, abundance, and habitat affiliations among seabirds at sea and on land including planning and scheduling field work based on weather and other logistics.

- Capturing, handling, and identifying different seabirds to the species level

- Conducting surveys to estimate seabird abundance including line-transects, strip transects, and photographic surveys at sea or of colonies.

- Gathering, organizing, and interpreting biological, ecological, public-use data or other information pertinent to scientific studies.

- Developing and maintaining project data in computer databases

- Writing, modifying, and executing coding scripts to evaluate data using R, Matlab, or similar software applications

- Preparing reports on progress and completion of studies.

- Accessing field sites located on offshore rocks from small boats, conducting coastal surveys at sea form small boats, occasional beach launches and landings via zodiac.

- Aircraft use including occasional helicopter access to field sites, and longer duration photographic surveys at sea (offshore) for up to 6 hrs per day for repeated days.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
  • Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  • Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year trial period.
  • More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
  • Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
  • Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

  • Taking and passing a pre-employment medical examination at Federal expense is required due to the physical demands of this job.
  • Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
  • You will be required to operate a government-owned or -leased vehicle in the performance of your official duties. Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements: (1) possess a valid State license, and (2) possess a safe driving record. If selected, you may be required to provide proof of a valid State license and a copy of your driving record.
  • A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
  • Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.

Qualifications

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Wildlife Biologist, all grade levels.

A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in biological science that included:


  • at least 9 semester hours in such wildlife subjects as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, wildlife management, or research course in the field of wildlife biology; and
  • at least 12 semester hours in zoology in such subjects as general zoology, invertebrate zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, genetics, ecology, cellular biology, parasitology, entomology, or research courses in such subjects (Excess courses in wildlife biology may be used to meet the zoology requirements where appropriate.); and
  • at least 9 semester hours in botany or the related plant sciences. ** OR
B. Combination of education and experience-equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours or the equivalent), with at least 9 semester hours or the equivalent in wildlife subjects, 12 semester hours or the equivalent in zoology, and 9 semester hours or the equivalent in botany or related plant science, as shown in "A" above, plus appropriate experience and/or additional education for a total of 4 years. The education or combined education and experience must be comparable in type, scope and thoroughness to that acquired through successful completion of a 4-year course of study as described in "A" above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE)

In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-07 level:

**One year of successfully completed graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or the equivalent) in wildlife biology or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position to be filled.

**OR Superior Academic Achievement based on undergraduate study. (CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT)

**OR one year of appropriate professional experience that is in or related to the duties of the position to be filled is qualifying if it is equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-5 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Examples of GS-5 level work may include: 1) collecting basic biological data on seabirds from field investigations; 2) preparing samples from various seabird species; 3) making observations on biological conditions; 4) searching published technical sources for information on designated topics and preparing summaries for reference of others. For examples 1-4, the work was closely controlled and a designated person assigned the work with clear, specific, and detailed instructions as to the methods, procedures, and guidelines to use.

**OR a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and professional experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE)

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

  • 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
  • Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: http://www.usgs.gov/ohr/oars/quals/foreign.html.

Additional information

  • Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
  • Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
  • USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
  • The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
  • DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
  • THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

How you will be evaluated

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

--Vacancy Related Questions: As part of the online application process, you will need to respond to a series of questions designed to assess your possession of the following knowledge skills, abilities and/or competencies: Collect Scientific Data, Compute/Analyze Data, Information Management, Written Communication, Scientific Instrumentation, Program/Project Management.
--Basis of rating: Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are Best Qualified, Well Qualified, and Qualified. You will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. If you are eligible, your on-line responses to the application questions will determine your placement in the appropriate quality category described above. Your responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

--NOTE: If it is determined that you have rated yourself higher than is supported in your description of experience and/or education as described in your resume/application, or that your resume or application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible, not qualified, or your score may be lowered.
To preview questions please click here.

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