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Biological Science Technician (Wildlife)

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

Summary

The purpose of the position is to perform a wide variety of interrelated or nonstandard biological science technical support assignments in one, or more, of the following program areas: wildlife, fisheries, or plants.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/02/2020 to 12/02/2020
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$16.73 to - $16.73 per hour
Pay scale & grade
GS 5
Location
Few vacancies in the following location:
International Falls, MN
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Temporary - 1039 Hours. The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period is April - October, but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: April 11, 2021.
Work schedule
Full-time - You may be required to work evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
MW-1542-VOYA-21-10973798-DE
Control number
585458700

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Duties

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This is a temporary, full-time position stationed at International Falls, MN. You will spend your time on a variety of wildlife ecology and management tasks, including wildlife surveys, wildlife capture and handling, vegetation/habitat surveys, and general natural resource management. Some data entry/data management, including use of ArcGIS, will also be integral to this position. Voyageurs National Park is a water-based park and travel by motorboat is required to conduct fieldwork. You will be expected to work in a variety of environmental conditions; weather can vary from near-freezing temperatures with rain and snow in May to hot and humid weather in late summer. You must be in good physical condition and able to hike one-way distances of up to 6 miles over rough terrain while carrying loads of 50 pounds or more. Biting insects or other pests such as black flies, deer flies, mosquitoes, and ticks are common.

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.
  • Direct Deposit: Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • Drug Testing: You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
  • Incidental Driving: You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to 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 discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license.
  • Uniform: You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • Government Housing: Maybe available.
  • Motorboat Operation/Instructor Certification Course: Incumbent is required to operate a small water craft less than 26 feet in length. Operation includes transport of personnel (including visitors), tools, and materials/supplies to job/work sites. In performing this duty, the incumbent will be required to have a current Department of Interior Motorboat Operator Certification Course (DOI-MOCC) certificate. Applicant must be able to obtain a Motorboat Operator Certification Course (MOCC) or Motorboat Operator Instructor Certification Course (MOICC) after entrance on duty.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-12/02/2020-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.

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: assisting and conducting wildlife censuses and surveys and assembling the information such as habitat use, sex age, and movement. Follow standardized procedures to collect data on condition of range, forage or wildlife. Use statistical methods and procedures to perform testing of field data collected. Assists in control of wildlife, participates in capture, applies visual and radio tags, prepares graphs, charts, and illustrations for reports and technical publications relating to wildlife management activities.
. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a full four year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours are directly related to the position such wildlife biology, zoology, ornithology, etc. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, 6 months of specialized experience (50% of the specialized experience requirement) and 90 semester hours with at least 12 semester hours related to the position and 3 hours directly related to the position (50 % of the education requirement) would be considered qualifying. 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.

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 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.

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.

Working Conditions: 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, wild animals.

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:
  • Biology
  • Research
  • Technology Application
  • Vehicle Operation
  • Wildlife Biology

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