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Fish Biologist

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

Summary


This position is located in Key West, Florida and serves Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO) outside of Key West, Florida.

Open to the first 100 applicants or until 02/10/2020 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/27/2020 to 02/10/2020
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$81,723 to - $106,245 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
Key West, FL
1 vacancy
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
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
SE-1628-DRTO-20-10676179-ST
Control number
557794700

Duties

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Determines the long and short range marine fisheries program needs for meeting the conservation and management goals established for the marine ecosystems at Dry Tortugas National Park. Coordinates research and develops working relationships with scientists from academic institutions and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA Fisheries, Monroe County, Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and others performing work in the Florida Keys region and at Dry Tortugas National Park. Communicates with research and monitoring partners frequently and develops a network of marine fisheries professionals that provide marine resource-related information to Dry Tortugas National Park. Implements the Research Natural Area Science Plan and serves as the lead technical representative for Dry Tortugas National Park on projects related to marine resources, including coral reef and seagrass communities monitoring and restoration, aspects of climate change, water quality, including ocean acidification, invasive species (e.g. rats and lionfish) and, in some cases, marine wildlife; provides administrative and technical supervision of support staff; prepares and maintains program budgets and equipment inventory; and monitors research contracts, coop-agreements, etc., relating to marine resources.






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
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • 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.
  • You will 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 will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to [XX] 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.
  • You will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450 on an annual basis.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: You must meet A or B below to qualify for the position.
A. Have successfully completed a full four-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study in biological sciences that included at least 6 semester hours in aquatic subjects such as limnology, ichthyology, fishery biology, aquatic botany, aquatic fauna, oceanography, fish culture, or related courses in the field of fishery biology; AND at least 12 semester hours in zoology in such subjects as general zoology, invertebrate zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, genetics, ecology, cellular biology, parasitology, entomology, or research courses in such subjects (Excess courses in marine biology may be used to meet the zoology requirements where appropriate.); AND At least 9 semester hours in botany or the related plant sciences.
B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours), of which a minimum of 6 semester hours were in aquatic subjects and 12 semester hours were in the animal sciences, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

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-12 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as professional work involving one or more aspects of fish and wildlife biology including work in the research, conservation and management of wildlife, conducting field studies on aquatic and endangered species, gathering scientific data and preparing reports and analyses.. You must include hours per week worked.

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.

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

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.

Physical Demands: Work may involve field conditions of moderate to heavy physical stress.

Working Conditions: Work is performed in the field and office. Some of the projects may require exposure to potentially dangerous conditions such as flying, boating and SCUBA diving. Field work frequently involves long exposure to periods of high heat and humidity, biting insects and severe weather. The incumbent must be able to become NPS SCUBA certified within one-year after appointment.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor 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 who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Biology
  • Fishery Biology
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing


Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

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