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Fish Biologist, ZP-0482-2 (DE/CR)

Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC), Environmental and Fisheries Sciences (EFS) Division with one vacancy in Manchester, WA. 

This is a TERM appointment. Appointments to this position will not convey permanent status in the Federal service and will be for a period not to exceed (NTE) 13 months and may be extended up to 4 years without further competition.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
04/13/2020 to 04/29/2020
Salary
$57,955 to - $82,971 per year
Pay scale & grade
ZP 2
Location
Manchester, WA
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Up to 5% of domestic travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
3 - If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you may be non-competitively promoted if you perform successfully and if recommended by management.
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
NMFS-NWC-2020-0005
Control number
565147300

Duties

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As a Fish Biologist, you will be performing the following duties:

  • Participate in salmon spawning activities.
  • Perform fish husbandry activities for salmon captive broodstocks in freshwater and seawater as part of a team.
  • Assist in the planning and coordination of fish culture activities.
  • Collect, record, and summarize data on development, growth, survival, and aspects of fish husbandry.
  • Contribute to technical reports documenting fish culture parameters, growth rates, survival and other metrics.
  • Assist in facilities operation and maintenance of laboratories, research areas, and fish culture systems.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply.
  • Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
  • Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
  • Qualifications requirements must be met by closing date of announcement.
  • Must be suitable for Federal employment.

Monster Government Solutions (MGS) will be performing regular monthly maintenance  on Wednesday, April 15th at 12:01 a.m. and will end on Wednesday, April 15th at 11:59 p.m. ET. An installation on all production systems will be performed on Saturday, April 18th at 12:01 a.m. and will end on Sunday, April 19th at 11:59 p.m. ET. You may not be able to complete the application process during these times.

This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). This system replaced the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band.

The ZP-2 is equivalent to the GS-07/09 grade levels, however is only being advertised equivalent to the GS-9 grade level. The ZP-3 is the full promotion potential. 

*A one year trial period may be required.

*Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.

*This position is in the bargaining unit.

* This position requires a Low Risk Security Clearance. 


NOTES:
This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Fish Biologist, ZP-0482-2 FPL 3 positions throughout NOAA. The position must be alike (e.g.: within the same geographic locations, same grade/band and requires the same qualifications and specialized experience as indicated in this vacancy announcement).

Physical Requirements: Incumbent must be able to lift heavy objects up to 50 pounds, enter large fish culture tanks, and carry buckets full of water and nets full of fish.

Condition of Employment: This position requires the operation of a Federal motor vehicle.

Applicants must meet ALL application requirements, to include a complete online resume, by 11:59 p.m. EASTERN TIME (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards.  This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience OR substitution of education for experience OR combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following requirements:

EDUCATION: 

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 the animal sciences, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

AND

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service.  Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.  This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

To qualify at the  ZP-2 or GS-09:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-2 or GS-07 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

  • Aiding in the husbandry of living marine resources.

OR

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree.

OR

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of related graduate level education and specialized experience listed above.

NOTE: Only graduate education in excess of one full year is qualifying for a combination of education and experience.

 

Education

College Transcript:  If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume.  You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken.

Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work.  An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.

Additional information

CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100.  Information about ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management’s Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition

CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

  1. A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice).
  2. A copy of your SF-50 “Notification of Personnel Action”, noting current position, grade level, and duty location;
  3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

  1. A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; notice of disability annuity termination; certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
  2. A copy of your SF-50 “Notification of Personnel Action” documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc;
  3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

NOAA participates in e-Verify.  E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position.  If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice questions) and place you in one of the three pre-defined categories.  The categories are “gold”, “silver” and “bronze”.  However, your resume or optional cover letter must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered.  Candidates placed in the “gold” category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

How you will be evaluated for preference eligibility:  Within each category, those entitled to veterans’ preference will be listed at the top of the pre-defined category for which they are placed.  For more information on Category Rating, please go to Category Rating.

The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response:

  • Knowledge of salmon spawning activities.
  • Ability to monitor water quality parameters important for optimum growth and survival.
  • Ability to regulate fish growth rates.
  • Ability to implement efficient feeding procedures.
  • Ability to plan and coordinate fish culture activities.
  • Ability to collect data related to fish husbandry and aquaculture systems performance.
  • Ability to write technical reports focused on fish culture aspects.
  • Ability to maintain laboratories and fish culture systems.

To preview questions please click here.

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