Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Ecologist

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Air Resources Division
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in Natural Resources Stewardship and Science, in the Air Resources Division. Please visit find a park for additional park information.

This position is concurrently open under Announcement Number NPS-WID-18-10248564-OPM for merit promotion eligibles.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
07/16/2018 to 08/03/2018
Salary
$94,890 to - $123,358 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Lakewood, CO
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel up to 3 nights per month for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Announcement number
NPS-WID-18-10248565-OPM
Control number
504742300

Duties

Help
  • Provide information on the effects of air pollution and pollutant deposition on park ecosystems and populations.
  • Provide technical support to colleagues and other agencies involved in air pollution effects research.
  • Identify research needs on ecological effects of atmospheric deposition and other air pollutants.
  • Assess the cumulative effects of urban, industrial, mining and energy operations, agriculture, and governmental activities on natural resources.
  • Coordinate with other agencies and research entities on the development of technical tools and regulations for protection of natural resources.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males

Qualifications

In addition to meeting the Basic Qualification Requirement shown above, to qualify for this position at the grade GS-13, you must meet at least one of the following:To be eligible for this position, you must possess one of the Basic Education Requirements AND one of the Additional Qualification Requirements.

BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT

To meet the Basic Qualification requirement for this position, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts (official or unofficial) showing the name of the institution attended, grade received and semester/quarter hours completed to document that you meet the below requirement. Failure to submit appropriate education verification will result in an ineligible rating.

Completed a bachelor's degree (or higher degree),in an accredited college or university, in biology or related field of science underlying ecological research that included 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences, that includes 9 semester hour in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

In addition to meeting the Basic Qualification Requirement shown above, to qualify for this position at the grade GS-13, you must possess:



One or more years of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level or equivalent pay band in other pay systems in the Federal government, which provided the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience must have been demonstrated by performing duties such as: (1) developing and using air quality-related information to influence federal and/or state legal and regulatory requirements; (2) identifying project priorities based on emerging policy issues; (3) staying abreast of emerging research techniques on developing air quality, deposition, and ecological effects data to ensure methods are employed; (4) participating in multi-disciplinary investigations to identify causes and effects of air pollution on ecological resources; and (5) collaborating with stakeholders (e.g., non-governmental entities, industry and private sector interests, academia, other federal agencies, and state, local and tribal officials) to identify and fulfill scientific needs and implement measures to protect air quality.


Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Volunteer Experience: 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.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.


GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.


Additional information

  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 3 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450 on an annual basis.
This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Physical Demands: Much of the work is sedentary, but some field trips may require moderate to heavy physical exertion, such as long periods of standing; walking over rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces; recurring lifting or moderately heavy items such as record boxes, camping and backpacking equipment, or scientific instrumentation apparatus; or heavy items (over 50 pounds).

Working Conditions: The work is performed primarily in an office setting, however, there is frequent travel to attend meetings and conferences, present training courses, and make inspections at field locations. Field trips may involve moderate risks or discomforts such as high noise levels and vibrations; dust and grease; moving parts, carts or machines; irritant chemicals; hot to cold and wet to dry weather extremes; and flights in small aircraft, including helicopters. Special safety precautions are sometimes required and the incumbent may use protective clothing or gear such as masks, gowns, coats, boots, goggles, gloves or shields.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.

How you will be evaluated

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

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Ecology
  • Manages and Organizes Information
  • Partnering
  • Project Management
  • Research

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.