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Biological Science Technician (Fire Effects Monitor)

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

Summary


This position is located in Natchez Trace Parkway, in the Fire Management Division.

Open to the first 100 applicants or until 07/27/2020 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
07/13/2020 to 07/27/2020
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$43,251 to - $56,222 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Tupelo, MS
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
SE-1630-NATR-20-10848469-DE
Control number
573341400

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Duties

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Mississippi River Zone Fire Management - Lead Fire Effects Monitor

Serve a lead role in monitoring the ecological conditions for parks managed with prescribed fire within the Mississippi River Zone. Train and lead technicians in establishing and monitoring fire effects plots in a variety of fuel and vegetation types. Travel will be required to multiple parks to conduct routine monitoring. Navigates to plots via map, compass, and GPS. Identifies grasses, herbs, shrubs and trees to species. Organize and manage data archives; records field data; routinely performs error checking/quality control; produces maps and utilizes GIS technology. Prepares fire behavior monitoring reports. Work is conducted in the office and the field involving backpacking with a load over rough terrain, lifting moderately heavy items, bending and stooping for long periods, and occasionally working under inclement weather conditions. Serves in a qualified position under the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) standards.

The Fire Management zone encompasses much of Kentucky and Tennessee, all of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the western portion of the Florida panhandle. The ecological systems are varied stretching from the Cumberland Plateau to the Gulf of Mexico with oak/hickory forests, prairies/glades, and longleaf pine forests. This position serves an integral part of a fire management team and has a responsibility to develop, coordinate, and implement field activities for fire effects monitoring. Develops protocols that address fire management objectives, coordinates with fire and resource management personnel, and recommends solutions or alternatives not specified in the National Fire Monitoring Handbook or in the adopted park protocols. Assists ecologist in developing and implementing restoration activities to complement fire management treatments.

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 operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also 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 disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
  • 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 evenings, weekends, holidays, and occasional overtime.
  • Government quarters are not available.
  • If you are a new employee in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 1 - 5 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
Note: This position has an expectation of the selectee to obtain a Red Card which will require a drug test and a medical after entrance on duty as a Biology Science Technician (Lead Fire Effects Monitor).

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/27/2020-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

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-0404-06 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: : Research activity or control program work. Nursery work that required the growing and maintenance of plants in a controlled environment. Work comparable to that with a large dairy farm where production records, animal environment, and sanitary conditions were kept in accordance with modern dairy practice. Farming experience that was not performed in a controlled environment, or experience as a laborer who was not responsible for planning and scheduling his/her own work, but only performed assigned tasks, world not qualify as specialized experience. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one year (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours) of graduate education in courses in a field of study directly related to the position to be filled (biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics). You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. 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.

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: In addition to working in an office/laboratory setting, the work involves walking, running, climbing, and backpacking with a load over rough terrain, sometimes for extended periods; lifting moderately heavy items; bending and stooping for long periods; and working under occasionally inclement (i.e. cold, hot, snow, wind) weather conditions.


Working Conditions: Work is performed in an office, laboratory, and in the field. Field work includes exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, biting insects, wild animals, high pollen levels, dermatitis-causing plants, and poisonous snakes, incumbent may be required to fly in helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, and may be required to work in actual fire situations, which can be hazardous.

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:
  • Attention to Detail
  • Botany
  • Fire Management
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Leadership
  • Self-Management
  • Technical Competence
  • Technology Application

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