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Biological Science Technician (F)

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

Summary

These positions are located at Olympic National Park, in the Resources Division, in Fisheries Management Program.

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.

Open to the first 100 applicants or until 11/15/2019 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/08/2019 to 11/15/2019
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$42,053 to - $54,670 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Port Angeles, WA
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - Not-to-exceed 13 months
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
PW-1545-OLYM-19-10592756-DE
Control number
550946000

Duties

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Often referred to as 'three parks in one", Olympic National Park protects 922,651 acres of three distinctly different ecosystems - rugged glacier capped mountains, over 73 miles of wild Pacific coast and magnificent stands of old-growth and temperate rain forest. For more information about Olympic National Park visit: http://www.nps.gov/olym

The duty station for this position is Park Headquarters located in Port Angeles, Washington. For more information about Port Angeles and the surrounding communities visit: http://www.portangeles.org/

The selected candidate will work closely with the park's Chief Fisheries Biologists to plan and implement the field components of several projects related to the protection and monitoring fish populations in Olympic National Park.

The selected candidate will serve in a lead role for field data collection, logistical planning, quality control, data entry, data processing, data summaries, and handling administrative processes for their assigned crew(s). The employee must have experience working with Pacific salmonids and experience conducting snorkel surveys, electrofishing surveys, creel surveys, genetic sampling, radiotelemetry studies, and spawner surveys in Pacific Northwest rivers. Experience with fish marking, weir operations, operation of motorized and non-motorized boats, and flying in fixed wing aircraft is preferred. The employee also should have experience working with federally threatened bull trout, Chinook salmon, and steelhead.

Employees will perform some or all of the following duties under the supervision of a fisheries biologist: 1) conduct monitoring of large river fish populations; 2) conduct spawner surveys in streams and rivers to estimate salmonid escapement in Olympic National Park; 3) participate in fish inventories; 4) conduct genetic sampling; 5) implement radiotelemetry studies; 6) conduct data entry and data management; 7) maintain field equipment; 8) conduct purchasing and other administrative duties; and 8) supervise up to five biological technicians.

Physical Demands: 1) hike long distances (up to 15 miles per day) on and off trails in riverine and coastal environments; 2) carry heavy loads (up to 50 pounds) including camping gear, backpacks, electroshockers, and batteries over long distances; 3) work alone in office environment and with other personnel in field for up to 10 days in park backcountry including weekends; 4) snorkel in rivers and streams; and 5) work and camp outdoors in a variety of weather conditions ranging from rain and cold to hot and dry. Approximately 75% of the work will be highly strenuous outdoor activity and approximately 25% of the work will be sedentary, with periods of extended sitting and concentrating in an office environment (e.g. during computer data entry) or outside in a front country setting.

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. 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 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. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.

Qualifications

SELECTIVE FACTOR: In addition to the minimum qualifications requirements described below, applicants must demonstrate experience performing snorkel surveys in rivers and streams with swift-water training. Applicants must show competence and experience in swimming, and swiftwater training and rescue. The incumbent must provide evidence of completed certification for multi-day swiftwater rescue course within last 5 years and will not be able to obtain prior to close of announcement. Certificate would include evaluation of swimming skills and rescue techniques. Must provide certificate. (Swiftwater Rescue certificate)

- 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 work in fisheries studies, identifying fish species commonly found in the Pacific Northwest streams, conducting electro fishing, and/or spawner surveys in Pacific Northwest Rivers, collecting field data and entering data into a database application. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 18 months (27 semester hours) of graduate level coursework directly related to the work of the position. NOTE: Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Example of qualifying combination: six months of specialized experience (50% of the required specialized experience described in "A") and nine months of graduate level education (50% of the education requirement described in "B") AND may qualify an applicant for this position. The total 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.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are not suitable for telework .

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:
  • Decision Making
  • Fishery Biology
  • Physical Strength and Agility
  • Technical Competence
  • Technology Application

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