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Biologist

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone Center for Resources
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Implement AIS (aquatic invasive species) management program/projects; management/operation of AIS watercraft inspection/decontamination (WID) stations and perform fee collection.

This is a Career-Seasonal appointment. Career-seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work from approximately late December to early December; non-pay status will be one pay period in December.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/20/2023 to 04/03/2023
This job will close when we have received 30 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$57,118 to - $74,250 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Location
Yellowstone National Park, WY
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will be paid if the selectee lives outside of the local commuting area and is otherwise eligible for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation. This reimbursement is taxable income. The NPS does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. Employees should consult professional tax, legal and accounting advisors regarding concerns about the financial implications of a Permanent Change of Station (PCS).
Appointment type
Permanent - Career Seasonal
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
IM-1540-YELL-23-11880914-ST
Control number
713439000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All current or former career/career-conditional federal employees with competitive/reinstatement eligibility; Eligible applicants under: Veterans' Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA); CTAP/ICTAP within the local commuting area; Special Hiring Authorities; Current or former time-limited employees under PL-114-47, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA); All former PLC members meeting PLC requirements.

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Duties

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  • Manage and operate AIS watercraft inspection and decontamination (WID) stations, provide daily oversight, conduct routine repairs, and collaborate and coordinate with local inspection station partners.
  • Use computers, tablets and associated technology to draft reports, maps, management plans, website material and brochures, including use of WID (Colorado) watercraft database as the database Administrator.
  • Develop and implement monitoring protocols, conduct data and specimen collection, and analysis and reporting for early detection monitoring for AIS.
  • Provide daily oversight, scheduling of seasonal staff, administrative duties, staff training, and lead seasonal staff.
  • Prepare and implement AIS management plans, procedures and scientific reports (AIS rapid response, detection/ preparedness; AIS risk/vulnerability assessments; AIS and WID SOPs; AIS management strategic planning and park-specific AIS regulations).
  • NPS fee collection and government money handling duties (background-Moderate Risk for Public Trust Position).
  • Required to obtain the Department of Interior Motorboat Operator Certification Course (DOI MOCC) certificate after entering on duty, to operate small watercraft (drug testing position).

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.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.
  • You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
  • You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also 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 disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
  • 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 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 travel overnight away from home up tofour nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

Open to the first 30 applicants or until the closing date whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-04/03/2023-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

Basic Requirements: At least 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 (24 semester hours) in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. Official transcript required.
OR,
A combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation. Official transcript required.
AND -
Specialized Experience: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 professional grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: duties related to prevention and management of aquatic invasive species, such as: Performing AIS watercraft and equipment inspections and decontaminations; independently perform recurring, well-precedented projects using standard methods and techniques; monitor and report on the conditions of resources; develop and implement plans and procedures to prevent or reduce AIS introduction and spread such as those for rapid response/preparedness, containment/prevention, risk assessments and law enforcement regulations; identify and resolve resource problems; recommend and participate in development and implementation of plans to address problems; provide technical advice; identify, collect and analyze aquatic species and field data, sampling and monitoring for early detection of AIS; set up and implement new procedures; measure and report on the impact and effectiveness of management actions; draft workplans and implementation strategies; investigate natural resources not previously well documented; assist in coordinating work of visiting professionals; prepare articles or reports on AIS suitable for peer-reviewed scientific journals or distribution to the public and partners. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two years of progressively higher-level graduate education (36 semester hours or 54 quarters hours) leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or other related disciplines. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To determine if you qualify under this combination, first determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the specialized experience required; then determine your education as a percentage of the graduate education required. Only graduate education in excess of the first year (18 semester hours or equivalent) is creditable for this combination. Then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent. You must include transcripts.

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.

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.

Additional information

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.

A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Physical Demands: Strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activities will occur in physically dangerous areas or settings. Documentary research and report writing work is sedentary.

Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are not suitable for telework.

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 how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Data Management
  • Ecology
  • Leadership
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing


In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a panel resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

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