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Research Fish Biologist

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
This job announcement has closed

Summary

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?

Salary: GS-12: $85,799 (Step 01) to $111,543 (Step 10).

NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

The selectee will be entitled to a cost of living allowance of 2.86% in addition to the basic salary.

This position and is being advertised concurrently with the following announcements: Open to current or former Federal employees: USGS-DEN-20-10916259-ST-DEG

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
09/29/2020 to 10/29/2020
Salary
$85,799 to - $111,543 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
Fairbanks, AK
FEW vacancies
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—Relocation expenses are authorized
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
USGS-DEN-20-10916254-DE-DEG
Control number
580247200

Duties

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As a Research Fish Biologist within the Alaska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Plans, conducts, and directs research related to wildlife or ecological resources, with application to contemporary science, policy and management needs.
  • Conducts research that is cooperator driven and provides scientific basis for management and policy decisions.
  • Serves as subject matter expert in fish and wildlife ecology, providing leadership and guidance to government and private agencies and university representatives through participation in meetings, conferences and work groups.
  • Disseminate research results via final reports, peer reviewed print scientific journals, online scientific journals, books, book chapters or other outlets. Make presentations on findings to scientific and conservation organizations.
  • Serves as graduate faculty member, contributing to both the research, graduate student mentorship, and teaching mission of the university.
  • Operates a government vehicle as an incidental driver.
Desirable candidates will possess the following:
  1. Ability to build an applied research program focused on the ecology, management, and conservation of fish species;
  2. Experience conducting research on adaptation of aquatic species to a changing climate, and impacts of natural and human disturbances on fish and their habitats across broad landscapes;
  3. Expertise in field-based research, and application and development of modern quantitative analyses; and/or
  4. Incorporating human dimensions into fisheries management and conservation.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Key Requirements:

  1. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
  2. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  3. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
  4. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
  5. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?
  • Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
  • A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
  • Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
  • You will be required to operate a government-owned or -leased vehicle in the performance of your official duties.? Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements:?(1) possess a valid State license, and (2) possess a safe driving record.? If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid State license & a copy of your driving record.
  • If selected for this position, you may be required to file one or more financial statements upon reporting and annually, some of which may be subject to public disclosure.

Qualifications

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT for Research Fish Biologist, GS-0482:

Research Positions: Applicants must show that they have a degree with major study in biology, zoology, or biological oceanography that included at least 30 semester hours in biological and aquatic science and 15 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences. This course work must have included:

  • At least 15 semester hours of preparatory training in zoology beyond introductory biology or zoology in such courses as invertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, histology, physiology, embryology, advanced vertebrate zoology, genetics, entomology, and parasitology; and

  • At least 6 semester hours of training applicable to fishery biology in such subjects as fishery biology, ichthyology, limnology, oceanography, algology, planktonology, marine or fresh water ecology, invertebrate ecology, principles of fishery population dynamics, or related course work in the field of fishery biology; and

  • At least 15 semester hours of training in any combination of two or more of the following: chemistry, physics, mathematics, or statistics.

Ph.D Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic education requirements described above, in order to receive consideration for this position, you must also possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in wildlife science or a closely related field of study appropriate for this position.

NOTE: To verify the Ph.D requirement, transcripts or verification from the university registrar must be submitted that clearly states the following: Ph.D awarded, major, and date of conferral. Failure to provide this information will result in your application receiving no further consideration.

For GS-12:
A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a directly related field of study appropriate for this position is qualifying for the GS-12 level

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

  • 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 completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .

Additional information

Other Information:

  • Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
  • The full performance level for a Research position is GS-15; however, promotion eligibility is dependent upon the scientific contributions of the incumbent as evaluated by a peer panel.
  • Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
  • USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
  • The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
  • DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
  • THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
Agency Benefits:

How you will be evaluated

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

--Vacancy Related Questions: As part of the online application process, you will need to respond to a series of questions designed to assess your possession of the following knowledge skills, abilities and/or competencies:

  • Scientific Knowledge
  • Written Communication
  • Program/Project Management
  • Interpersonal Communication
--Basis of Rating: Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are Best Qualified, Well Qualified, and Qualified. You will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. If you are eligible, your on-line responses to the application questions will determine your placement in the appropriate quality category described above. Your responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

--NOTE: If it is determined that you have rated yourself higher than is supported in your description of experience and/or education as described in your resume/application, or that your resume or application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible, not qualified, or your score may be lowered.

To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10916254

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