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Biological Science Technician (Fisheries)

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

Summary

This position is located in Mount Rainier National Park, in the Natural and Cultural Resources Division. Please visit find a park for additional park information.

This position is concurrently open to Merit Promotion eligibles under Announcement Number NPS-PWR-20-10757715-MP-OPM.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/21/2020 to 05/04/2020
Salary
$47,380 to - $61,589 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Location
Few vacancies in the following location:
Longmire, WA
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - 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 - Career Seasonal (Subject to Non-Pay/Non-Duty Status
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
7
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
NPS-PWR-20-10794681-DE-OPM
Control number
565962100

Duties

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The appointee serves as a lead technician for multiple aquatic projects at Mount Rainier National Park, and serves as a natural resource representative for projects requiring National Environmental Policy Act compliance. The incumbent completes day-to-day planning and logistics and directs seasonal field crews and volunteers in aquatic data collection, including fish and amphibian surveys. Work will be conducted independently and will require the appointee to be self-directed and motivated. Employee will be expected to work in a team atmosphere, be responsible for creating a safe personal environment, and communicate with staff in this and other parks, agencies and partners. The position organizationally is located within the Division of Natural and Cultural Resources at Mount Rainier National Park.

Responsibilities include:

  • Conduct field surveys of fish and other aquatic biota, via snorkeling, seining, gill netting, electrofishing, and other sampling methods.
  • Coordinate field surveys to support project planning required by the National Environmental Policy Act, provides technical advice for aquatic resource protection and mitigations, and attends interdisciplinary team meeting.
  • Provide leadership and training to seasonal field crews, including interns and volunteer staff in aquatic and atmospheric resource monitoring projects and park operations.
  • Analyze data, prepares technical reports, and presents findings.
  • Assist with projects tied to implementation of Mount Rainier Fish Management Plan

Fieldwork requires arduous physical exertion carrying a backpack up to 50 lbs., in a variety of weather conditions in wilderness, surrounding an active volcano. The work requires travel primarily on foot, on steep rocky slopes, in forest, subalpine/alpine and wetland environments at elevations ranging from 2000 to over 10,000 ft.

Duty stationed is Longmire, WA. The park is located approximately 2 hours south of Seattle, near the community of Ashford. It is included within the Seattle/Tacoma locality pay area. Government housing is not available, however a full range of living options are available within commuting distance, from rural to small town to suburban. All services and amenities are available in nearby communities. Outdoor recreational opportunities abound: hiking, climbing, canoeing and kayaking, biking, and fishing among others. The climate is considered moderate, but frequently overcast and rainy at lower elevations during fall, winter and spring. At Longmire, the duty station of this position, substantial snowfall is common from November-May. Summers are normally sunny and pleasant with daytime temperatures ranging from the low 70's to low 80's and low humidity. You may visit the park's website at http://www.nps.gov/mora.

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

Qualifications

This is a Career-Seasonal position and subject to release and recall procedures. Selectee will be in a non-pay/non-duty status for at least 2 weeks to 6 months per year based on project requirements or weather conditions. The season is expected to last a minimum of 13 pay periods, beginning in April until then end of October.

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying:


A.Have one (1) full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: (1) conducting field surveys of fish and other aquatic biota; (2) coordinating field surveys to support project planning required by the National Environmental Policy Act; (3) providing technical advice for aquatic resource protection and mitigations; (4) recording observations of wildlife behavior and/or human-wildlife interactions on public lands; (5) analyzing data, preparing technical reports, and presenting findings
-OR-
B. Have successfully completed one full year of graduate education in a field directly related to the work of this position. Examples of directly related fields include: limnology, ichthyology, fishery biology, aquatic botany, aquatic fauna, oceanography, fish culture, or related courses in the field of fishery biology. Note: You must submit a copy of your transcripts with your application.
-OR-
C. Have an equivalent combination of the specialized experience described in "A" and the education described in "B." The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify). Note: You must submit a copy of your transcripts with your application.

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

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.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

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.


GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

Additional information

  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • 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.
  • 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 complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Physical Demands: The work requires regular physical exertion such as walking or climbing over wet, rough, uneven and/or rocky surfaces; bending, crouching, stooping or reaching to observe, collect and/or record field data; or in some situations the work may require physical exertion to scuba dive or operate a boat. Moderately heavy items, such as equipment packs weighing up to 50 pounds, must be lifted and carried on a regular basis. May be required to hike several miles in a day.

Working Conditions: The work environment varies from office/laboratory settings to field sites. The work performed in the field involves regular and recurring exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, poisonous plants, biting insects and wild animals.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.


If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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 Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may 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:
  • Fishery Biology
  • Leadership
  • Self Management
  • Technology Application

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