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Biological Science Technician (Plants)

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

Summary

NOTE: Legislation provides that federal salaries in Hawaii will transition from base pay plus a cost-of-living allowance (COLA) to the locality pay-based system that applies in the 48 contiguous states. Locality pay will be phased in, and COLA will be phased out through annual reductions. Currently, COLA pay in Hawaii is 10.99% with the exception of Hawaii island, which is 5.08%. The salary on this announcement includes the locality, but does not include the cost-of-living allowance.


Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/13/2019 to 03/20/2019
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$42,462 to - $55,199 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Location
Kalaupapa, HI
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 - Seasonal
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
7
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
PW-1546-KALA-19-10448083-DE
Control number
527284500

Duties

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This position is located in Kalaupapa National Historical Park, in the Natural Resources Management Division.

This is a Career-Seasonal position; selectees will be in a non-pay/non-duty status for at least 2 weeks to 6 months per year based on project requirements or weather conditions. Selectees are guaranteed to work at least 6 months per year but not more than 50 weeks per year, with the work schedule to be determined upon appointment. The typical work season for this position is from April to February.

A permanent career-seasonal position includes all the benefits of permanent employment, but does not provide employment on a year-round basis. The salary information listed reflects a full year.


Kalaupapa National Historical Park (NHP) was established in 1980, and is located midway along the north coast of the island of Molokai, in the State of Hawaii. The park is situated entirely within Kalawao County, which is governed by the Director of the State Department of Health. The County includes the historic Hansen's disease isolation settlements of Kalawao and Kalaupapa. The park was established to commemorate and preserve the story of those afflicted with this dreaded disease and their forced exile from family and friends. Hansen's disease patients were physically isolated from society. For more information, please visit the park's Facebook page.

The Biological Science Technician GS-0404-7 will train and lead field crews on a wide variety of field activities in support of such programs as the inventory and monitoring of native Pacific Island plant communities and native target plant species and invasive plant species management.Duties Include:

  • Use databases to enter, organize and perform preliminary analysis of collected field data and use standard statistical methods in the preparation of reports; using a variety of computer software programs.
  • Prepare draft project reports which include research, methods, data analysis, graphs, charts, results, and recommendations for planning, protection and mitigation activities.
  • Assist Vegetation Management field crews under direction of a field lead. Work as a team member on field crews controlling weeds and restoring rare native Hawaiian vegetation. Perform weed control.
  • Assist park field crews under direction of a field lead. Work will occur in coastal, stream, forest, and subalpine shrub-land habitats working with plants, animals, or other natural resource survey efforts
  • Serve as a helicopter operations crew member.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Open to the first 50 applicants or until 03/27/2019 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

  • 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.
  • Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • 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 complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess 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-6 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as:leading a biological field crew in the completion of vegetation monitoring field work and developing a natural resource management project related to plant species in the Pacific Islands.. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one year of graduate study concentrated in a field that is directly related to the work of this position such as botany, plant science, or other natural resource topics related to vegetation management.. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of completed graduate education by 18 (or 27 for quarter hours). Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. 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.

This position is concurrently open to all federal employees under announcement number PW-1546-KALA-19-10442796-MP.

KALAUPAPA HANSEN'S DISEASE PATIENTS AND NATIVE HAWAIIANS PREFERENCE POLICY: Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Kalaupapa Hansen's Disease patients and to Native Hawaiians in accordance with PL 96-565. For the purposes of this preference, "Native Hawaiians" are persons who are not less than one-half of the blood of the races inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands previous to the year 1778. Preference eligibles not currently employed in the Federal service will be appointed under the Excepted Service appointment authority Schedule A, 213.3102. Consideration will be given to non-preference applicants in the absence of a qualified Preference eligible. In order to receive this preference, applicants must submit ONE of the following at the time of application to this position:1.Certificate reflecting applicant's Hansen's Disease patient status at Kalaupapa; OR2.Documentation reflecting applicant's acceptance by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, State of Hawaii for lease of Hawaiian Home Lands have at least 50% "Hawaiian blood," OR3.Birth certificate and/or other documentation of applicant and Hawaiian parent(s) back to applicant's full Hawaiian ancestors showing applicant is at least 50% "Native Hawaiian."

Physical Demands: Work requires regular exertion such as walking or climbing over wet, rough, uneven and/or rocky surfaces; bending crouching, stooping, 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 n the field involves regular and recurring exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, poisonous plants, biting insects, and wild animals.

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 Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can 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:
  • Biology
  • Project Management
  • Research
  • Technical Competence
  • Technology Application

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