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Conservation Biologist

Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Science Applications
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This is a Direct Hire Public Notice. Category Rating, Veterans' Preference and traditional rating and ranking do not apply to this Public Notice.

The incumbent of this position plays a key role as a liaison among agencies in collaboratively developing, maintaining and advancing a strategic, ecosystem oriented, science-based, partnership-driven approach to integrate fish and wildlife conservation in the assigned area.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
07/17/2020 to 07/27/2020
Salary
$94,071 to - $122,296 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Honolulu, HI
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% 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
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
R1-20-10866550-IS-DH
Control number
573829900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This position will be filled under the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority and is open to all United States citizens and U.S. nationals. Veteran's Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications do not apply. All qualified applicants will be referred for consideration for this position.

Duties

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--Facilitate development of new interagency projects and programs and seeks out and works with existing conservation delivery programs and partnerships to formulate policies, programs, and budgets that take advantage of new opportunities to deliver conservation on the ground.
--Support the development and coordination of partnerships by creating, guiding, facilitating, and nurturing interdependent networks among the State fish and wildlife and conservation agencies, sister bureaus in the Department of Interior, and Service programs as well as other agencies, organizations, and partnerships sufficient to support the iterative, interagency application of the Strategic Habitat Conservation Framework.
--Serve as a liaison and provide a forum for private, state, and federal entities interested in a sustainable geography to exchange ideas, information, and technology; and to actively engage in leveraging and targeting their collective assets to achieve desired ecosystem conditions.
--Coordinate the development and refinement of ecosystem-level conservation priorities and decision support tools to facilitate conservation planning at multiple spatial and temporal scales and to guide the implementation of private, state, and federal conservation programs.
--Collaborate and explore innovative means to leverage human and financial assets among agencies, organizations, and partnerships to implement the functional elements of the SHC framework in pursuit of a sustainable ecosystem.
--Coordinate the integration of partner-based outputs from biological planning and conservation design such as spatially explicit decision support tools into existing projects and programs among organizations, agencies, and partnerships in the assigned geography.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Resume and supporting documents (See How To Apply)
  • Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
  • You must meet specialized experience to qualify
  • Direct HIre Authority will be used to fill this position
  • Must be able to operate a government-owned or leased motor vehicle.
  • Must possess a valid state driver's license
  • Frequent travel is required.

Qualifications

Only experience and education obtained by 07/27/2020 will be considered.

Basic Requirements for this position: You must meet A or B below to qualify for the position.

A. 4-year Bachelors Degree: in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, or related discipline appropriate to the position being filled.

OR­

B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in biological sciences, agriculture, or natural resources - or at least 24 semester hours in biological sciences, natural resources, forestry, or agriculture course work equivalent to a major field of study -- PLUS -- appropriate experience or additional education that is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in the biological sciences; agriculture, or natural resources.

Specialized Experience Requirements: In addition to meeting one of the basic entry requirements listed above, you must have the appropriate specialized experience as described below.

You may qualify at the GS-13 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service that demonstrates your ability to 1) conduct and coordinate conservation or other efforts within a multi-organization environment and negotiating collective favorable resource management decisions in the context of sustaining fish and wildlife populations; 2) participate in and/or coordinate biological conservation partnership activities among multiple entities in the Pacific Islands is preferred but not required; 3) apply knowledge of conservation and resource management policies and objectives and their application to the conservation of trust resources in settings where large numbers of Federally listed species intersect with land and ocean use decisions; and 4) apply knowledge of the theory and methods of wildlife research and their applicability to the testing of biological assumptions and hypotheses sufficient to organize and facilitate multi-agency research projects.

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.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): These programs apply to employees who have been or may be involuntarily separated (e.g. reduction in force, declining to relocate/transfer outside their local commuting area) from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. If you are a CTAP or ICTAP eligible, you will be considered well qualified if you: (1) meet the minimum qualification requirements listed in the vacancy announcement; (2) possess the knowledge, skills, abilities, and/or competencies that exceed the minimum qualification requirements enabling you to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry as determined by at least one subject matter expert; and (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal or Removal Notice; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; or Removal and most recent performance appraisal.). For more information visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/

Education

PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

To register or verify your registration go to the Selective Service System at https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx

FWS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

A PCS Move is authorized as follows: travel and relocation expenses including reimbursable real estate expenses will be authorized in accordance with the Federal travel regulations excluding contractor-provided home sale. All moving expenses are taxable.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:

DRIVER'S LICENSE: You must possess and maintain a valid vehicle State driver's license at all times
during your tenure.

More than one position may be filled from this announcement.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application: 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.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the basic qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you meet the basic qualifications your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience which resulted in you being listed in the highest quality category, you may lose consideration.

Applicants will not be rated or ranked. Veteran's Preference does not apply. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
--Ability to represent the Service with a broad range of partnerships and stakeholders at a national or international level in order to apply policies and navigate technical issues associated with the implementation of ecosystem conservation initiatives that impact fish and wildlife.
--Knowledge of conservation and resource management policies and objectives and their application to the conservation of trust resources at multiple spatial scales.
--Program management skills in providing scientific and technical coordination support in order to progressively refine the scientific and technical underpinning of fish and wildlife conservation strategies.
--Mastery professional knowledge of natural resources management, wildlife biology, fisheries biology, botany, and/or applied ecology sufficient to provide scientific and technical coordination support, facilitate scientific expertise and coordination for the purpose of developing and refining the biological foundation underlying fish and wildlife conservation strategies and plans.
--Interpersonal skills sufficient to establish positive working relationships with individuals having widely varying perspectives and values.

All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.

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