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FishBiologist/Wildlife Biologist

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

These positions are located through out the Intermountain Region, Region 4. The incumbent is responsible for providing professional wildlife and fisheries expertise in the protection, management, and improvement of wildlife and fisheries within the framework of multiple-use management of forest and range lands.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/06/2022 to 12/14/2022
Salary
$66,214 to - $66,214 per year

Salary wage as shown is for Rest of the U.S. For more information, refer to the Office of Personnel Management, Salary and Wages web page.

Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Council, ID
Ketchum, ID
Mackay, ID
McCall, ID
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required for field work, site visits, trainings and/or meetings.
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
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
23-R4GV-0482-0486-11DP-RD
Control number
692917700

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Duties

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  • Inspect habitat improvement projects for compliance with approved plans and recommends habitat protection or improvements.
  • Lead the design of fish and amphibian habitat and population monitoring studies and strategies to collect new data required for ensuring habitat and population maintenance.
  • Plan wildlife habitat management programs, with emphasis on maintaining and enhancing bio-diversity.
  • Review habitat management and improvement plans for technical soundness and adequacy in meeting overall wildlife and fisheries management objectives.
  • Serve as a member in an Interdisciplinary Planning Teams (IDT) unit.
  • Develop plans for information and education activities in wildlife and fisheries conservation.

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:

Fish Biology Series GS-0482:
Degree: Major 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 in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Wildlife Biology Series GS-0486:

Degree:
Major in Biological Science that included:
  • At least 9 semester hours in such wildlife subjects as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, wildlife management, or research courses in the field of wildlife 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 wildlife biology may be used to meet the zoology requirements where appropriate.); and
  • At least 9 semester hours in botany or the related plant sciences
or

Combination of education and experience: equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours), with at least 9 semester hours in wildlife subjects, 12 semester hours in zoology, and 9 semester hours in botany or related plant science, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

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-11: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined having experience in two (2) or more of the following: Provided input in the wildlife and/or fishery biology program by gathering, compiling, and analyzing data to determine environmental conditions, characteristics, and values, and the interrelationship of wildlife/fishery resources with other resources; Analyzed data and recommended solutions to problems involving a limited section of wildlife/fishery resource issues, Provided input in the preparation, maintenance, and revision of wildlife/fishery plans that involved interpretation of data obtained from studies and field surveys.

OR

Three (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.

Your resume must clearly document the following for each block of work experience; the beginning day, month and year the work assignment started and ended; the hours worked per week; position title, and series and grade if applicable; and description of duties performed. This information must be provided for each permanent, temporary, or seasonal appointment/work assignment or volunteer work and should be clearly documented as a separate block of time. Incomplete, inaccurate, or conflicting work history may not be credited for qualifications purposes. This can result in an applicant not being considered for the position.

Education

Please see Qualifications section for Education requirements.

Additional information

The USDA Forest Service has legislative authority to recruit and fill Permanent (Career/Career-Conditional), Temporary, and Term Appointments under the USDA Demonstration Project. Under this authority, any U.S. citizen may apply.

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 eligibles must meet the agency's definition for a quality candidate as provided in the How You Will Be Evaluated section of this announcement to be considered.

This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.

The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional information is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-and-leave-flexibilities-for-recruitment-and-retention/

Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE.

Forest Service daycare facilities are not available.

Government Housing may be available.

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

For additional information about the duties of these positions, please contact the following:
Wildlife Biologist in Mackay, ID: Jonathan LeBlanc at 208-588-3402 or jonathan.leblanc@usda.gov
Wildlife Biologist in Salmon, ID: Bobbi Filbert at 208-756-5247 or bobbi.filbert@usda.gov
Fish Biologist in Ketchum, ID: Kurt Nelson at 208-622-5371 or kurt.nelson@usda.gov
Wildlife Biologist in Ketchum, ID: Kurt Nelson at 208-622-5371 or kurt.nelson@usda.gov
Fish Biologist in Afton, WY: Susan Colligan at 307-739-5521 or susan.colligan@usda.gov
Wildlife Biologist in Jackson or Moran, WY: Susan Colligan at 307-739-5521 or susan.colligan@usda.gov
Fish Biologist in McCall, ID: Erin Vonderheit at 208-634-0707 or erin.vonderheit@usda.gov
Wildlife Biologist in McCall, ID: Jennifer Blake at 208-634-0401 or jennifer.b.blake@usda.gov
Wildlife Biologist in Council, ID: Jeffrey Jones at 208-253-0127 or jeffrey.jones3@usda.gov
Wildlife Biologist in Austin or Tonopah, NV: Lance Brown at 775-964-2671 or lance.brown@usda.gov

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 in accordance with the category rating procedure as defined in the USDA Demonstration Project Plan. Applicants who meet the basic minimum qualification requirements established for the position will be placed in the Eligible category. You will be further evaluated against criteria for placement in the Quality category. This evaluation is based on the level of your experience, education, and/or training as determined by your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire. Individuals with veterans' preference are listed ahead of applicants who do not have veterans' preference within each category.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. 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 up to including removal from the Federal service.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11755662

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