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Duties

As a Research Ecologist/Research Wildlife Biologist within the Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, some of your specific duties will include:

Plans, conducts and directs research related to wildlife ecology with application to contemporary science, policy, and management needs.
Conducts research that is object driven and provides scientific basis for management and policy decision.
Serves as a subject matter expert in wildlife biology or ecological issues.
Disseminates research results via final reports, peer-reviewed journals, books, book chapters or other outlets.
Makes presentations on findings to scientific and conservations organizations.
Serves as a member of the graduate faculty of the host university.
Performs supervisory duties <25% of time.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
Selectee may be subject to complete financial disclosure.
More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.

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.
If you are a Federal employee applying for a promotion (under merit promotion procedures) you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
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.
If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid state driver's license and safe driving record.

Qualifications

Basic Education Requirement for Research Ecologist, GS-0408:

Degree in biology, or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must has included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences.

Basic Education Requirement - Research Wildlife Biologist, GS-0486:

Degree with major in wildlife biology, zoology, or botany that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in biological science and 15 semester hours in the physical, mathematical, and earth sciences. This course work must have included:

At least 9 semester hours of training applicable to wildlife biology in such subjects as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, wildlife management, principles of population dynamics, or related course work in the field of wildlife biology; and
At least 12 semester hours in zoological subjects such as invertebrate zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy of the vertebrates, embryology, animal physiology, entomology, herpetology, parasitology, and genetics; and
At least 9 semester hours in the field of botany and related plant science; and
At least 15 semester hours of training in any combination of two or more of the following: chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics, soils, and/or geology.

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

Other Desired Skills:

Planning, conducting, and directing research that informs the management of terrestrial wildlife populations or communities, or wildlife habitat at landscape scales.
Conducting research that is objective driven and provides scientific basis for management and policy decisions.
Serving as a subject matter expert in fisheries or wildlife biology issues or ecological resources, providing leadership and guidance to government and private agencies, and university representatives through participation in meetings, conferences, and work groups.
Disseminating research results via final reports, peer-reviewed print scientific journals, online scientific journals, books, book chapters or other outlets.
Making presentations on findings to scientific and conservation organizations.
Serving as a graduate faculty member, contributing to both the research, graduate student mentorship and teaching mission of the university.

Specialized Experience Requirement: In addition, the basic education and PhD requirements described above, applicants must also have 1-year of specialized experience as defined below:

GS-13: You must have at least 1-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service. Examples may include: Serving as an independent research conceiving, formulating, and conducting research relevant to diverse research in ecology or wildlife management; working closely with natural resource management state and Federal agencies, universities, non-governmental organizations, and private industry; authoring reports, publications, scientific journal articles, and/or other products of considerable importance to the research situation; attending scientific and interagency meetings to present research results and exchange information within the scientific community; reviewing manuscripts and proposals of other scientists; and working directly and responsibly with scientists of other federal and state agencies and universities on technical issues related to the research assignment.
GS-14: You must have at least 1-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service. Examples may include: Serving as an independent researcher conceiving, formulating, and conducting research relevant to diverse research in ecology or wildlife management; working closely with natural resource management state and Federal agencies, universities, non-governmental organizations, and private industry; authoring publications, peer-reviewed journal articles, scientific reports, and/or other products of considerable interest to science and/or technology in the area of specialization; presenting results of research at scientific meetings, professional societies, interagency meetings, and before the general public, critically reviewing manuscripts and proposals of other scientists, and addressing information needs.
GS-15: You must have at least 1-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level in the Federal service. Examples may include: Serving as a recognized research leader capable of conceiving, formulating, conducting, and leading research relevant to diverse research in ecology and wildlife management; making significant contributions to the professional field and also by leading research teams or leading in the formulation of productive research ideas; authoring publications, peer-reviewed journal articles, scientific reports, and other products which have a significant impact on science and technology; presenting results of research at scientific meetings, professional societies, interagency meetings, and before the general public; critically review manuscripts and proposals of other scientists; and serving on professional and technical committees with other government and non-government scientist.

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: http://www.usgs.gov/humancapital/sw/quals/foreign.html.

Additional 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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Basis of Rating: 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, you will receive a numeric rating based on your on-line responses to the application questions. These responses must be substantiated by your resume.
1. Scientific Knowledge
2. Program/Project Management
3. General Abilities and Knowledge
4. Interpersonal Communication
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 questions please click here.

Required Documents

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This position requires specific educational course work to qualify. You are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) or list of course work, which includes semester hours earned and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. This proof may be faxed, document uploaded, or hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office (see "Required Documents" and/or "Contact Information"). Please ensure that all documentation is legible.

If you are a current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former Federal employee who has reinstatement eligibility, you must submit a copy of a recent SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting proof of competitive status, tenure, position title, occupational series, grade level and step by the closing date of this announcement or you will not receive consideration.

If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, the Servicing Human Resources Office must receive proof by the closing date of this announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330 Subpart F for CTAP and 5 CFR 330 Subpart G for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. This includes a copy of the agency notice, your most recent Performance Rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Required documents may be faxed, uploaded, or hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office (see "Contact Information"). If you are a CTAP or ICTAP eligible, you will be considered well qualified if you earn a minimum score of 85 (prior to the assignment of veteran's preference points). For more information on CTAP/ICTAP please click here.

If you are applying for this position based on eligibility under a special appointing authority, the Servicing Human Resources Office must receive proof of eligibility by the closing date of this announcement. For additional information on special appointing authorities, visit: http://www.usgs.gov/ohr/oars/non_competitive.html

Required documents may be: 1)faxed to the Agency Contact (see "Contact Information") 2)uploaded directly from your desktop 3)uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments 4)hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office (see "Contact Information")

Auto-Requested Fax: allows you to submit required documentation that will be electronically displayed along with your resume.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Help

Applications (resume and application questions) for this vacancy must be received on-line via USAJOBS BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, D.C. time) on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online resume, you will not be considered for this position. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Most libraries, employment offices, and all USGS personnel offices can provide access to the Internet. If applying online poses a hardship for you, you must speak to someone in the Servicing Human Resources Office listed on this announcement PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE for assistance.

Instructions for Applying Online for this Vacancy Announcement: 1)Click the blue "Apply Online" button. 2)If you are not a registered USAJOBS user, please create a new account and follow the instructions to complete your application process. If you are a registered user, login to access your existing USAJOBS profile. 3)As a registered user, select a stored resume and select one or more of your stored documents to attach to your application. 4)Check the "Certification" box and click the "Apply for this position now!" button located at the bottom of the screen. 5)Address the eligibility questions as well as the questionnaire containing questions and/or task statements that address the knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies for this vacancy. 6)Submit required documents using one of the available methods listed below. 7) If you experience technical difficulties during the online application process, please contact the USAJOBS helpdesk.

Agency contact information

Violeta Garcia

Phone: 703-648-7296
Fax: 703-648-4113
Email: vgarcia@usgs.gov

Address: INTERIOR, Geological Survey
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
MS-601
Reston, Virginia 20192-0002
United States

Next steps

If you are rated as one of the most highly qualified candidates, you will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 30-45 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will be notified via email of the outcome. You can also go to "My Account" within USAJOBS to review your Application Status.

Required Documents

Help

This position requires specific educational course work to qualify. You are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) or list of course work, which includes semester hours earned and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. This proof may be faxed, document uploaded, or hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office (see "Required Documents" and/or "Contact Information"). Please ensure that all documentation is legible.

If you are a current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former Federal employee who has reinstatement eligibility, you must submit a copy of a recent SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting proof of competitive status, tenure, position title, occupational series, grade level and step by the closing date of this announcement or you will not receive consideration.

If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, the Servicing Human Resources Office must receive proof by the closing date of this announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330 Subpart F for CTAP and 5 CFR 330 Subpart G for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. This includes a copy of the agency notice, your most recent Performance Rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Required documents may be faxed, uploaded, or hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office (see "Contact Information"). If you are a CTAP or ICTAP eligible, you will be considered well qualified if you earn a minimum score of 85 (prior to the assignment of veteran's preference points). For more information on CTAP/ICTAP please click here.

If you are applying for this position based on eligibility under a special appointing authority, the Servicing Human Resources Office must receive proof of eligibility by the closing date of this announcement. For additional information on special appointing authorities, visit: http://www.usgs.gov/ohr/oars/non_competitive.html

Required documents may be: 1)faxed to the Agency Contact (see "Contact Information") 2)uploaded directly from your desktop 3)uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments 4)hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office (see "Contact Information")

Auto-Requested Fax: allows you to submit required documentation that will be electronically displayed along with your resume.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Help

Applications (resume and application questions) for this vacancy must be received on-line via USAJOBS BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, D.C. time) on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online resume, you will not be considered for this position. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Most libraries, employment offices, and all USGS personnel offices can provide access to the Internet. If applying online poses a hardship for you, you must speak to someone in the Servicing Human Resources Office listed on this announcement PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE for assistance.

Instructions for Applying Online for this Vacancy Announcement: 1)Click the blue "Apply Online" button. 2)If you are not a registered USAJOBS user, please create a new account and follow the instructions to complete your application process. If you are a registered user, login to access your existing USAJOBS profile. 3)As a registered user, select a stored resume and select one or more of your stored documents to attach to your application. 4)Check the "Certification" box and click the "Apply for this position now!" button located at the bottom of the screen. 5)Address the eligibility questions as well as the questionnaire containing questions and/or task statements that address the knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies for this vacancy. 6)Submit required documents using one of the available methods listed below. 7) If you experience technical difficulties during the online application process, please contact the USAJOBS helpdesk.

Agency contact information

Violeta Garcia

Phone: 703-648-7296
Fax: 703-648-4113
Email: vgarcia@usgs.gov

Address: INTERIOR, Geological Survey
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
MS-601
Reston, Virginia 20192-0002
United States

Next steps

If you are rated as one of the most highly qualified candidates, you will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 30-45 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will be notified via email of the outcome. You can also go to "My Account" within USAJOBS to review your Application Status.