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Fish Biologist / Hydrologist

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located on Mio Ranger District of the Huron-Manistee National Forest in Mio, MI.

This is a Zone position and has responsibility for planning, administering, and providing professional expertise in fisheries and hydrology programs on two Districts.

For more information, please contact Andrea Ania Fisheries Program Manager at andrea.ania@usda.gov or 231-942-4963; or Ben Wiese at benjamin.wiese@usda.gov or 989-739-0728 x3002.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
07/08/2020 to 07/21/2020
Salary
$52,905 to - $83,210 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Location
Mio, MI
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel for site visits, meetings and training may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation expenses may be reimbursed at the discretion of management in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
20-R9SVADEC-0921-707379G-JD
Control number
572834200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current permanent federal employees with competitive status, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP and VEOA eligibles, Farm Service Agency permanent county employees, 30 percent or More Disabled Veterans, Certain Former Overseas and Foreign Service Employees, Military Spouses, Interchange Agreement and Other Miscellaneous Authorities, People with Disabilities, Peace Corps and VISTA, Reinstatement, Public Land Corps, Resource Assistant Program, and VRA eligible candidates.

Duties

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  • Duties are listed at the Full Performance Level (GS-11).
  • Develops plans and provides input related to the protection and management of water resources and water resource restoration.
  • Provide recommendations relating to stream and lake habitat management, including streamside and riparian area management and in-channel work.
  • Develops watershed, stream, and road related restoration priorities for out-year projects.
  • Provides input into designs for road drainage and fish passage projects, including stream simulation design for fish passage culverts.
  • Independently conducts or directs surveys of the water resources for the Zone.
  • Leads hydrologic studies and investigations (collecting and interpreting water quality data and stream flow data).
  • Maintains technical skills and stay apprised of new developments in fisheries research and management techniques.
  • Compiles consultation documents for any project that could have an impact on threatened or endangered fish species or listed fish habitat.
  • Writes Biological Assessments (BAs) for a variety of project types ranging from recreation projects to complex timber sales.
  • Leads writing of aquatics and hydrologic specialist reports for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents.
  • Prepares technical progress and final reports, presenting results of monitoring administrative studies, surveys, and other activities relating to fish habitat and watershed management.
  • Responsible for aquatic target reporting for fish, watershed, and integrated targets.
  • Provides leadership in the development and implementation of fish and water resource programs for the Zone..
  • Leads Zone aquatic work plan development, monitoring, and reporting.
  • Develops a diverse program focusing on restoration, partnerships, collaboration, monitoring, and community outreach.
  • Represents the Forest Service in partnerships and collaboration efforts related to the design, implementation, and monitoring of aquatic restoration projects.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.

This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled in any of the job series listed below.

Basic Requirement:
GS-0482:

Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-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 science 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 the animal sciences in such subjects as general zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, entomology, parasitology, ecology, cellular biology, genetics, or research in these fields. (Excess course work in aquatic subjects may be used to meet this requirement when appropriate.)

OR
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 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

GS-1315:
Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-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 physical or natural science, or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in any combination of courses in hydrology, the physical sciences, geophysics, chemistry, engineering science, soils, mathematics, aquatic biology, atmospheric science, meteorology, geology, oceanography, or the management or conservation of water resources. The course work must have included at least 6 semester hours in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus), and at least 6 semester hours in physics. Calculus and physics, as described above, are requirements for all grade levels.

OR
Combination of education and experience -- course work as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Acceptable experience must have included performance of scientific functions related to the study of water resources, based on and requiring a professional knowledge of related sciences and the consistent application of basic scientific principles to the solution of theoretical and practical hydrologic problems. The following is illustrative of acceptable experience: field or laboratory work that would require application of hydrologic theory and related sciences such as geology, geo-chemistry, geophysics, or civil engineering to making observations, taking samples, operating instruments, assembling data from source materials, analyzing and interpreting data, and reporting findings orally and in writing. In some cases, professional scientific experience that is not clearly water resource experience may be acceptable if such experience was preceded by appropriate education in hydrology or by professional hydrology experience.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below.

Specialized Experience Requirement:
For the GS-9 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level; Examples of specialized experience are: Assisted in implementing well-established hydrology / fisheries / watershed projects; Collected field data on fish habitats and other aquatic resources for preparation of maps and management plans using all types of sampling equipment; Conducted hydrologic studies/aquatic habitat/fish inventories and analyzed data and prepared comprehensive reports on the resource; Assisted in the assessment of water resource capability and suitability and identifying goals, issues, and concerns for water resource management; Written Biological Assessments (BA's), Categorical Exclusions (CE's) or similar documents for a variety of projects ranging from recreation projects to routine timber sales.

OR a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related;

OR an appropriate combination of specialized experience and education (only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

For the GS-11 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level; Examples of specialized experience are: Implemented well-established hydrology / fisheries/ watershed projects; Provided input in the fish/aquatic or watershed management program by gathering, compiling, and analyzing data to determine environmental conditions, characteristics, and values, and the interrelationship of fisheries/aquatic resources with other resources; Analyzed data and recommended solutions to problems involving a limited section of fisheries or water resources issues; Provided input in the preparation, maintenance, and revision of functional plans for specific areas of responsibility such as fisheries management, aquatic and riparian habitat, stream or lake management, hydrology, etc., that involved interpretation of data obtained and synthesis into conclusions; Participated as a member of interdisciplinary teams working on land management planning, emergency burn rehabilitation, or similar projects;

OR 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (coursework directly related to position being filled);

OR an appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D.).

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.

TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

See above for education that may be qualifying for the specific grade level. Transcripts must be submitted with application.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Part-time and intermittent service will be credited only for time actually worked. Non-pay status such as leave without pay is credited for up to six months in a calendar year; anything beyond six months is not credited. Applicants are responsible for providing sufficient information/documentation to determine if the 24 month criteria is met.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website

This position is being concurrently announced under Delegated Examining (or Demo) #20-R9SVADEC-0921-707379DP.This announcement is open to all qualified candidates. Applying to both announcements may expand the possibilities of consideration since different referral criteria apply to each type of announcement. See the above announcement for more information.

This position can be filled at the 9 or 11 grade level with a target grade of GS-11.

If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied or guaranteed.

Selectee will be responsible for tax obligations related to payments for moving expenses - 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, Public Law 115-97. Questions should be directed to the Travel help Desk, 877-372-7248, Option 1, or email SM.FS.asc_tos@usda.gov

This is a bargaining unit position represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees, IAMAW.

Forest Service daycare facilities are not available.

Government Housing is not available.

This position is eligible for telework and other flexible work arrangements.

We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the competencies listed below:

  • Manages and Organizes Information
  • Partnering
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing


Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

If you meet the qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified, you will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities must meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10855266

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