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Biological Science Technician

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

Summary

These positions are located in Biscayne National Park in the Division of Resource Management.

TERM positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service and will be for a period not to exceed thirteen months, with possible extensions up to a total of four years without further competition.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
10/12/2018 to 10/19/2018
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$43,971 to - $57,161 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Homestead, FL
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
Term
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
SE-1628-BISC-18-10251490-DE
Control number
513632600

Duties

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The employee will be expected to snorkel, scuba dive, swim, operate and maintain boats, collect and process GPS data, use various types of sampling equipment, apply herbicides, and periodically travel in support of the program activities. Fieldwork is physically demanding, requires heavy lifting, and is conducted in adverse heat and cold conditions with long hours spent in the water with potential exposure to stinging marine organisms. Laboratory and office work may be tedious and repetitive. Occasional overtime, night, and weekend hours will be required.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. .
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • You will be required to complete a one-year trial period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 1 night per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

SELECTIVE FACTOR: This position performs SCUBA diving as a core part of the duties, and a scientific diving qualification from the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) or an equivalent is required. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position.

- AND -

QUALITY RANKING FACTOR: In addition to the Selective Factor, this position has a Quality Ranking Factor about the number of Scientific Dives that you have been on. Quality Ranking Factors are skills, knowledge, abilities, or other worker characteristics which could be expected to result in superior performance on the job. Quality ranking factors will not be used for screening, but may be used as ranking criteria. Applicants with higher proficiency levels may rank above those with lower proficiency levels on a quality ranking factor. (You must submit a copy of your dive logs with your application package).

-AND-

To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: field and office work related to vegetation monitoring and assessment; vegetation data collection and entry; creation of spatially explicit vegetation models for biological or natural resource management issues; and report preparation. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate education with major study in any combination of scientific or technical courses such as ecology, botany, forestry, environmental studies, natural resource management, geographic information systems, remote sensing, and geography. You must include transcripts.

-OR-

Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. You must include transcripts.

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.

Additional information

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: The work requires regular physical exertion such as walking or climbing over wet, rough, uneven and/or rocky surfaces: bending, crouching, stopping or reaching to observe, collect and/or record field data; or in some situations the work may require physical exertion to scuba dive or operate a boat. Moderately heavy items, such as equipment packs weighing up to 50 pounds must be lifted and carried on a regular basis. May be required to hike several miles a day.

Working Conditions: The work environment varies from office/laboratory settings to field sites. the work performed in the field involves regular and recurring exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, poisonous plants, biting insects and wild animals.

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
  • Problem Solving
  • Technical Competence

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