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Biological Science Technician (Fish)

Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is a Biological Science Technician (Fish), GS- 0404-5 working in Anderson, California, for Red Bluff Fish and Wildlife Office.

This is a term position expected to last 13 months but may be extended up to a total of 4 years at management's discretion.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/05/2022 to 08/18/2022
Salary
$36,118 to - $46,953 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5
Location
5 vacancies in the following location:
Anderson, CA
Remote job
No
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
No
Appointment type
Term - 13 Months
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
5
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
R8-22-11597222-SW-DE
Control number
669593600

Duties

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These positions work for the Red Bluff Fish and Wildlife Office in Anderson, California. Work focuses on monitoring populations of federally-listed salmonids and their habitats in response to restoration actions in Sacramento River tributaries. Monitoring duties include: snorkel and kayak surveys, walking surveys, fish counting weirs, rotary-screw trapping, video reading, and physical habitat evaluation surveys. Incumbents will collect, enter, and QA/QC data collected on a variety of devices. As a Biological Science Technician (Fish) your duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Participates in multifaceted fish and/or wildlife studies, including carrying out a variety of research and variety of survey methods, analyzing established data, and monitoring environmental elements related to conservation, management, and/or control of fish/wildlife.
  • Identifies and collects fish and aquatic species for studies.
  • Uses a variety of databases and reporting systems to store, compile, and analyze data from studies.
  • Assists biologists in studying and preparing reports on effects to ecosystems from development proposals of local, state, and Federal government organizations.
  • With oversight, provides basic information on fish and wildlife resources and the United States Fish and Wildlife
    Service to groups and individuals.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.
  • Resume and supporting documents (See How to Apply).
  • Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation
  • Uniform: Official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uniform may required.
  • Probationary Period: Selectees may be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
  • Driver's license may be required.
  • Must be able to complete the Swiftwater Safety Certification Course.

Qualifications

Only experience and education obtained by 08/18/2022 will be considered.

In order to qualify for this position you must possess the following Qualification Requirement.

Minimum Qualification [GS-05]

  1. At least one year specialized experience comparable to the GS-4 level or higher in fish hatchery work OR fish surveys and studies; assisting with the preparation, maintenance and use of equipment; assisting with collection, stocking, population determination, migration studies and species identification; participating in fishery management surveys; and assisting with preparing plans and presentations. OR
  2. A bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited college or university with a major field of study or at least 24 semester hours of study in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of the coursework is directly related to the position being filled; OR
  3. A combination of experience as described under number 2 above and education as described under number 1 above which, when combined, is equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirement. (Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours may be used in this calculation). To calculate your percentage of education, first determine the total number of semester hours that exceed 60 semester hours (or your school's definition of one year of study), then divide the total number of your excess semester hours by 60 (or your school's definition of two years of study). To calculate your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%.
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

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

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.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

PCS INFORMATION:
No PCS entitlements authorized.

Telework:

This position is suitable for telework and may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.

Additional Vacancies: One or more positions may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service offices in the local commuting area.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP):Department of Interior (DOI) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) procedures apply in filling this vacancy. CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.
For information on CTAP and ICTAP visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/"

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.

PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

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 for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications outlined above.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you meet the qualifications your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. Note: If, after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications which resulted in you being listed in the highest quality category, you may lose consideration, or be assigned to a lower quality category for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

  • Skill in Oral Communication
  • Knowledge of fish and/or wildlife species specific to the designated survey areas sufficient to complete investigations and gather required data within the timeframe allotted.
  • Basic Knowledge of biological sciences.
  • Ability to use various non-motorized watercraft and snorkeling equipment for adult fish population monitoring.
  • Ability to capture, handle, and tag or collar various fish/wildlife.
  • Ability to follow detailed sampling and laboratory procedures and recognize departures from established quality control and quality assurance guidelines.
All qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. The category ratings for this position are: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, and Qualified

The category rating process protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher).

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