Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities may also apply to Job Announcement #23R-LW-308048-MPA-NZP More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

The Biologist (Assistant Elephant Curator) position is located in the Animal Care Sciences, Elephant Trails Unit of the National Zoological Park (NZP) in Washington, DC. The Assistant Elephant Curator serves as an assistant to the curator/elephant manager and maintains all aspects of the care and welfare of the elephants at the National Zoo. The Biologist may also be tasked with providing care to any other animals within the Unit. 

In this position you will: 

GS-9

• Manage all aspects of daily care of the elephant collection and other exotic animals managed by the Unit.  
• Maintain compliance with policies and standards for animal care. 
• Assist with the upkeep of the elephant facilities and exhibit elements.
• Identify and provide recommendations on housing and safety requirements associated with the elephant facility. 

GS-11

• Manage all aspects of daily care of the elephant collection and other exotic animals managed by the Unit.  
• Assist with supervision of other animal keepers, volunteers, interns, contractors, and any other staff.  
• Oversee and coordinate the elephant training program.
• Assist with the coordination and upkeep of the elephant facilities and exhibit elements. 
• Identify and provide recommendations on housing and safety requirements associated with the elephant facility. 

Conditions of employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• May need to complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS:

For the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccination requirements and its impact on your application, click on Smithsonian Institution’s Frequently Asked Questions. 

Qualification requirements must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications: Specialized Experience

Degree: Biological Sciences, Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, Chemistry, or other related disciplines appropriate to the position, such as zoology, animal behavior, conservation, ecology, anthropology, psychology, etc. 

or 

Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

GS-09

You qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.  For this position Specialized Experience is defined as: Serving as an animal keeper with leadership responsibilities in an elephant program in an AZA accredited zoo; training elephants for medical and husbandry procedures, managing elephant social interactions (such as introductions, breeding encounters, calves), writing protocols and procedures, and training other keepers in elephant care.

GS-11

You qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system.  For this position specialized experience is defined as: Leading an elephant program in an AZA accredited zoo as an elephant manager or lead elephant keeper; coordinating and maintaining an elephant program; leading the training of elephants for medical and husbandry procedures, managing elephant social interactions (such as introductions, breeding encounters, calves), initiating and writing protocols and procedures, and training other keepers in all aspects of elephant care.

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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Education: To qualify at the GS-09 grade level based on education, applicants must successfully complete 2 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree related to the work of the position. 

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. 

How you will be evaluated

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

Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job related competencies below:

GS 9/11

• Ability to care for Asian Elephants at an AZA-accredited zoo.
• Ability to lead with administration of a complex animal care and management program for Asian Elephants.
• Ability to create and lead a behavioral training program for elephants. 
• Ability to assist with, and provide leadership over, management of exhibit maintenance, improvements and design for elephants.
• Ability to oversee and coordinate collection of husbandry and management data, and to facilitate and promote research.
• Ability to communicate to co-workers, media and general public as a subject matter expert.

Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:

• Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.
• Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.
• Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.

This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three", but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.

Important Note:

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.