Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Biological Science Technician (Wildlife)

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

Summary

These positions are temporary and may not exceed 1039 hours (six months) in a service year or 1730 hours (1730 hours only for positions identified in specific geographic locations). They may be terminated sooner or extended depending on management needs.

Positions may not be filled at every duty station.

Selectees may be moved between duty stations within park boundaries.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/16/2020 to 11/20/2020
Salary
$21.77 to - $21.77 per hour

Salary includes a 4.40% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA)

Pay scale & grade
GS 6
Locations
Bartlett Cove, AK
1 vacancy
Denali Park, AK
1 vacancy
King Salmon, AK
1 vacancy
Lake and Peninsula County, AK
2 vacancies
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Temporary - 1039 hours or 1730 hours (1730 hours only for positions identified in specific geographical locations)
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
AK-1537-AKRO-21-10965692-DE
Control number
584536700

Videos

Duties

Help

The parks and duty stations hiring for these positions are below. The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period for each park/duty station is listed below. These months vary due to weather conditions, project needs and/or funding.

  • Denali National Park and Preserve (Denali Park, AK): May - September
  • Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (Bartlett Cove): May - September
  • Katmai National Park and Preserve (King Salmon and Lake & Peninsula County, AK. Applicants selected for Lake & Peninsula County will be duty stationed at Brooks Camp, AK): April - October
  • Kenai Fjords National Park (Seward, AK): April - October
Please visit find a park for additional park information.

Work will include, but is not limited to the following:
  • Surveys for amphibians, birds (including seabirds, shorebirds, raptors, land birds, etc.), or mammals (bears, wolves, marine mammals, etc.).
  • Participates in planning, managing, conducting, analyzing data, and writing reports on a variety of wildlife oriented biological survey, monitoring and research activities.
  • Performs a wide variety of biological science technical support functions under the supervision of a professional specialist.
  • Assists with the planning study design and field sampling schemes, logistical arrangements, field work, data entry, and analysis of data and completing reports or other documents related to the project.
  • Wildlife surveys, GPS mapping, GIS data management, map production, data entry, managing and manipulating digital images and web or journal based research.
  • Additional duties may include assisting with other natural resource management projects, maintaining and repairing field equipment, preparing for field trips, working with volunteers and researchers, communicating resource management topics to park staff and visitors, implementing bear-human interaction management, including conducting aversive conditioning on black or brown bears.
Physical Demands: The work requires physical exertion such as regular and recurring walking, hiking or climbing over wet, rough, uneven or rocky surfaces; bending, crouching, stooping, lifting or reaching to observe, collect or record field data; or in some situations, the work may require physical exertion to scuba dive or operate a boat. Heavy items (e.g., equipment and packs up to 50 pounds) must be lifted and carried on a routine basis.

Work Environment: The work is performed in an office or outdoors. The work performed involves regular and recurring exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, poisonous plants, biting insects and wild animals.

Government housing is available at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and Katmai National Park and Preserve. It may be available at Denali National Park and Preserve and Kenai Fjords National Park.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Selectee(s) will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • This position may be subject to drug testing based on the collateral duty requiring firearms in the back-country or other locations for non-law enforcement reasons such as protection from animals. If applicable, you will be required to submit a drug test and receive negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, the position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. You must be free of any domestic violence convictions.
  • You may 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 may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle.
  • You may be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • Motorboat operation may be required. Drug testing is required for motorboat operation.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays and overtime.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 6 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/20/2020-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, you must possess the following minimum qualification by close of the announcement:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) conducting wildlife inventory and monitoring programs for a variety of wildlife species. This experience includes assisting in field surveys in remote locations to document and assess animal presence, abundance, reproduction, management issues, and population dynamics using established protocols and standard scientific equipment (including GPS); following established protocols; and managing and summarizing wildlife data using computer software (such as Microsoft Access, Excel, Word, ArcGIS, Pathfinder Office, or comparable).

Volunteer 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

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

Additional information

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. All travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the sole responsibility of the selected employee.

Alaska currently does not have a state income tax.

Salary and COLA subject to annual review and adjustment.

Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1040 or 1730 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS).

If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1040 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1040 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility.

The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1040 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1040 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM.

Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations.

1,730 Waiver Information: Only for approved positions in identified geographic locations, the Not to Exceed limit for seasonal temporary time limited appointments is increased to 1,730 hours which will be determined upon selection.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position may be suitable for situational telework only during an emergency or natural disaster with prior supervisory approval.

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:
  • Research
  • Technical Competence
  • Technology Application
  • Wildlife Biology
  • Writing

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.