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Fish Biologist

Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is part of the Kenai Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office. As a Fish Biologist you will be responsible for implementing the Federal Subsistence Management Program in Southcentral and Western Alaska building trust with local communities and sovereign tribal governments while supporting sustainable use of fishery resources.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/20/2018 to 08/27/2018
Salary
$56,146 to - $72,991 per year

Includes base pay and locality pay, you will also receive a 5.30% cost of living allowance, subject to annual review, adjustment and gradual decrease.

Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Location
Soldotna, AK
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Drug test
No
Announcement number
R7-18-10286716-TD
Control number
508494700

Duties

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  • Develop and review comprehensive fishery management plans and coordinates with other fishery programs that effect biological resources.
  • Maintain a high level of technical skill and knowledge necessary to ensure that recommendations for the hatchery/station/center biological program are consistent with current published literature and other professionally endorsed practices.
  • Prepare reports on progress and completion of activities and formulate recommendations that guide future programs and influences the improvements in hatchery/management/fish health practices.
  • Respond to written, telephone, and in-person inquiries from the public and news media, obtaining and providing requested information within established guidelines of the office and in conformance with Service and Department policy.
  • For more information about this position, contact the supervisor, Jeffry Anderson, at (907) 260-0132.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Resume and supporting documents (See How To Apply)
  • Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
  • Time-in-Grade requirements apply to status candidates
  • LMWFA eligibles may apply

Qualifications

Only experience and education obtained by will be considered.

Basic Requirements for this position: You must meet A or B below to qualify for the position.

A. Degree: major in biological science that included:

  • At least 6 semester hours in aquatic subjects such as limnology, ichthyology, fishery biology, aquatic botany, aquatic fauna, oceanography, fish culture, or related courses in the field of fishery biology; and
  • At least 12 semester hours in the animal sciences in such subjects as general zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, entomology, parasitology, ecology, cellular biology, genetics, or research in these fields. (Excess course work in aquatic subjects may be used to meet this requirement when appropriate).
OR­

B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e. at least 30 semester hours), of which a minimum of 6 semester hours were in aquatic subjects and 12 semester hours were in animal sciences, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Specialized Experience Requirements: In addition to meeting one of the basic entry requirements listed above, you must have the appropriate specialized experience as described below. This applies to the GS-09 grade level.

You may qualify at the GS-09 level, if you fulfill one of the following qualification requirements:
  1. At least two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or a master's or master's or masters or equivalent graduate degree; OR
  2. At least 1 year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include providing technical assistance on design, implementation, analysis and reporting of field project investigation related to fish population dynamics, population estimation, resource and statistical modeling, statistical treatments of population genetics data, and mixed stock analysis; ensuring that designs meet identified study objectives, are statistically valid, and provide interpretations valuable to fishery and refuge managers; OR
  3. A combination of education and experience as listed above.
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.

Promotion Potential: This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed represent the full performance level of GS-11. At lower grade levels, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-11. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds.The selectee may be promoted without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

The Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA),P.L. 114-47, allows certain individuals who currently or formerly were under time-limited competitive appointments at certain land management agencies to compete under merit promotion procedures:
Current appointees:
Note: You must submit ALL SF-50s and performance information for each period of temporary/term employment that qualifies for LMWFA.
·Must have been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited appointment with a land management agency.
·Must have served under 1 or more time limited appointments by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of 2 or more years; AND
·Must have performed at an acceptable level.
Former appointees:
·Must have been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited appointment with a land management agency,
·Must have served under 1 or more time limited appointments by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of 2 or more years;
·Must apply for position within 2 years after separation,
·Must have been separated for reasons other than misconduct or performance; AND
·Must have performed at an acceptable level

Education

PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s) and grade point average or class ranking. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

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.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

To register or verify your registration go to the Selective Service System at https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx

  • FWS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.
  • We may use this announcement to fill additional vacancies within 90 days of 08/27/2018; OR More than one position may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offices in the local commuting area.
  • A PCS move is not authorized.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

DRIVER'S LICENSE: You must possess and maintain a valid State driver's license at all times
during your tenure. You will be required to operate government owned vehicles.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application: 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.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the basic qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you meet the basic qualifications your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience which resulted in you being listed in the highest quality category, you may lose consideration, or be assigned to a lower quality category for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

  • Ability to analyze, design, and conduct aquatic research, modeling, and monitoring projects to plan and conduct a wide variety of complex investigations including the design, collection, and analysis of biological data.
  • Professional knowledge of the biology, ecology and habitat requirements of aquatic species native to North America (e.g., Pacific salmon and steelhead trout) in both the stream and hatchery environments, and Service trust species (e.g., bull trout, cutthroat trout, and Pacific lamprey) sufficient to plan and conduct inspections and evaluations; to review and analyze biological data; and to provide technical assistance and advise to others.
  • Ability to communicate in writing to compose reports requiring a minimum of reviewing and editing, preparing technical fishery manuscripts, and review other professional work for technical accuracy.
  • Ability to communicate orally to present data and its analysis.

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