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Biological Science Technician (Plants)

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Positions are TEMPORARY seasonal not to exceed 1039 hours work in a service year.

The typical seasonal period is April - October but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: April 2024

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/05/2024 to 01/19/2024
Salary
$44,709 - $71,999 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 7
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Concord, MA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Temporary - 1039
Work schedule
Multiple Schedules
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
NE-1820-MIMA-24-12221534-DE
Control number
769071700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

WHO MAY APPLY: All U.S. Citizens, Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)

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Duties

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Duties at the GS-05 grade level.

  • Implement established natural resource management projects.
  • Identify native and non-native plants in Northeastern United States natural areas including wetlands, meadows, woods, and garden areas.
  • Complete trainings and follow instructions and standardized safety procedures associated with the use of field equipment and handling of herbicides.
  • Work with crews managing invasive plants and restoring native vegetation.
  • Collect and organize field data associated with the management of plant species.

Duties at the full performance level GS-07 grade level.
  • Implement established natural resource management projects.
  • Identify native and non-native plants in Northeastern United States natural areas including wetlands, meadows, woods, and garden areas.
  • Complete trainings and follow instructions and standardized safety procedures associated with the use of field equipment and handling of herbicides.
  • Lead field crew managing invasive plants and restoring native vegetation.
  • Record data relating to plant studies and plant treatment areas using GNSS equipment.
  • Lead or conduct field searches for populations of sensitive, threatened or endangered plant species.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Males must meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • Occupancy of government quarters may be required.
  • Government housing may be available at certain parks but is not guaranteed.
    • Use find a park to contact specific parks for more information on government housing.
  • You may 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 on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and/or shift work.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to 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 discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license.
  • State pesticide application certification/license is required after entrance on duty date.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-01/19/2024-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 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized 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.

To qualify for this position at the GS-5 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-4 level in federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Experience MUST HAVE BEEN in the Biological Technician field with specialization of botany, forestry, ecology, or plant pathology. Examples of specialized experience may include but is not limited to: Surveying, mapping, and documenting botany species; assisting in performing botany studies; and compiling data obtained through survey/study for review. Hours per week worked must be included in resume.

-OR-

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree in an accredited educational institution (120 semester hour or 180 quarter hours) which included at least 24 semester hours of scientific or technical courses, such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must be directly related to Botany/Plants. You must submit transcripts.

-OR-

COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: Successful completion of a COMBINATIONof education and experience as described above. To combine education and the number of semester hours (or equivalent) earned towards a bachelor's degree, in excess of 60 semester hours, and divide by 60 semester hours (or equivalent) Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts and hours worked per week on your resume.


To qualify for this position at the GS-7 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-6 level. Specialized experience MUST HAVE BEEN in the Biological Technician field and include activities such as: Surveying, mapping and documenting botany species; researching and compiling botany inventory data; leading or conducting field inventories or studies of botany species and invasive plants; and researching and identifying botany data and compiling data for review in established of new databases.

-OR-

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate education in an accredited educational institution (18 semester hour or 27 quarter hours) directly related to this position. Examples of directly related education are: biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture). You must include transcripts.

-OR-

COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience the number of semester hours (or equivalent) earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 18 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours (or equivalent). Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. This totals 100% of the requirements and meets the qualification requirements for GS-07 grade level. You must include transcripts and hours worked per week on your resume.

Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sectors. The OPM Qualification Standards Handbook is available for review at: OPM Qualification Standards.

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 the interpretation of foreign education programs and that (1) deemed your education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program, or (2) given full credit for courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement will be used to fill one or more additional selections at any time without notification.

Click here for the OPM Salaries and Wages to calculate locality pay.

Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1040 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS).

If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1040 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1040 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility.

The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1040 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1040 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM.

Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work is partially sedentary with prolonged standing, walking, and bending often required. Heavy items (e.g., packs and equipment up to 50 pounds) must be lifted and carried on a routine basis.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work is performed in an office, laboratory, and in the field. Field work includes exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, pesticides, poisonous plants, biting insects, and wild animals. Laboratory work may involve exposure to hazardous chemicals.

PARK CONTACT: If you should have any questions or concerns regarding this position or its duty station, please contact Margaret C Coffin-Brown, Supervisor of at email: Margie_coffin_brown@nps.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 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 will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Botany
  • Ecology
  • Oral Communication
  • Physical Strength
  • Teamwork
  • Technical Competence

National Park Service

The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.

Please visit find a park for additional park information.

Agency contact information

Felecia Burns-Fleming
Phone
000-000-0000
Email
felecia_burns-fleming@nps.gov
Address
Minute Man National Historical Park
174 Liberty Street
Concord, MA 01742
US

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https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/index.htm

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