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Ecologist (Wildland Fire) - Direct Hire Authority

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Region 6, 7, & 8; Fire and Aviation Management
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Position is located in Yellowstone National Park; Yellowstone National Park, WY.

Incumbent is responsible for providing information for planning and implementing fire management activities and applying a systems approach to the study and analysis of ecological systems and effects of wildland fire management activities and serves as technical advisor in fire ecology for the fire management program.

For more information about this position, please contact John Cataldo at john_cataldo@nps.gov.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/17/2024 to 01/31/2024
Salary
$59,966 to - $94,317 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Yellowstone National Park, WY
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel overnights on fire related assignments for this position as needed.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Employer paid and reimbursed relocation expenses are considered 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
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
24-12276799-IMRFIRE-DHA
Control number
770924400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. DIRECT HIRING AUTHORITY will be used to fill this position.

Duties

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  • Assists in the development and implementation of scientific monitoring protocols to identify, evaluate, and monitor ecosystem response to fire management activities and the ecological process of wildland fire.
  • Manages all aspects of monitoring design, data collection and management, analysis, and reporting related to fire ecology and monitoring.
  • Conducts sampling to determine statistically valid plot distributions and design.
  • Incorporates appropriate technology into job to provide comprehensive and scientifically sound answers to inquiries from managers, coworkers, cooperators, and partners.
  • Utilizes computer applications for data analysis, manipulation, and presentation.
  • Prepares management and scientific reports regarding the results of fire management, monitoring, and research activities and makes recommendations to supervisor on issues found.
  • Coordinates Park or zone ecological strategies and programs with those on adjacent lands for the purposes of achieving broad ecosystem protection/restoration strategies.
  • Supports the fire management organization through the development and monitoring of fuels management project and wildfire-related objectives.
  • Serves as a member of an interdisciplinary team, planning and contributing to the development of land management plans, fire management plans, compliance documents, and agreements.
  • Provides professional expertise in the development of strategies and objectives for wildland fire activities when there are competing social, political, fiscal and resource concerns.
  • Reviews resource management and fire management plans and associated compliance documents that require the application of ecological principles.
  • Duties listed are at the full performance level of the position.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Must be 18 years of age at time of close date of announcement.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable).
  • You will be required to operate a government motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service fire uniform standards.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • Subject to frequent extended travel up to 14 nights a month particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel.
  • Incumbent will be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
  • Government housing may be available, is on a bid system and is NOT guaranteed.

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.

To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. Your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience. If an applicant's resume is incomplete or does not support the requirements for minimum qualifications or specialized experience a rating of "ineligible" or "not qualified" will be applied and no consideration for employment will be granted.

For additional information on the qualifications for this position, go to: Ecology Series 0408 (opm.gov)

Basic Qualification Requirements:

Degree:
Successful completion of a full 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 in biology, or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences.

Transcripts MUST be attached to application package in order to be considered.

In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience is required for the grade(s) specified:

For the GS-9 level:

Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level; Examples of specialized experience are: Inventorying and compiling data on ecosystem components related to vegetation communities or wildlife habitat; Monitoring and reporting ecological responses of grasslands or forests to disturbance; Assisting in analyzing ecological data and preparing reports for management.
OR
A master's or equivalent graduate degree in a related field such as in fire ecology, forest ecology, landscape ecology, rangeland ecology, restoration ecology, wildlife ecology, ecology, or other directly-related subject matter;
OR
2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if related, such as in fire ecology, forest ecology, landscape ecology, rangeland ecology, restoration ecology, wildlife ecology, ecology, or other directly-related subject matter;
OR
An appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education in excess of 27 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level.

For the GS-11 level:
Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 level; Examples of specialized experience are: Planning and implementing studies related to fire ecology, vegetation ecology, or fuel management; Developing and carrying out scientific protocols monitoring ecological responses of grasslands or forests to disturbance by wildland fire; Analyzing ecological data and preparing reports for management.
OR
Three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree with coursework directly related to position being filled such as in fire ecology, forest ecology, landscape ecology, rangeland ecology, restoration ecology, wildlife ecology, ecology, or other directly-related subject matter;
OR
An appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education beyond what is required for a master's degree, more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D. in a related field, such as in fire ecology, forest ecology, landscape ecology, rangeland ecology, restoration ecology, wildlife ecology, ecology, or other directly-related subject matter may be used to qualify applicants at this grade level.

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

This notice is being issued to recruit personnel to occupations for which a critical hiring need has been identified. To assist in filling these positions, OPM has granted the Department of the Interior "Direct Hire Authority".

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.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be solely on you ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Physical Demands: Office work is normally sedentary. However, field work may require moderate physical activity including periods of standing, walking over rough terrain, climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activities will occur in physically dangerous areas or settings over extended periods of time.

Working Conditions: Office conditions require long periods of sitting, working with computers and general lifting, bending and reaching. Field conditions involve the employee being exposed to noise, dust, heat, weather, aircraft turbulence and the hazards of on the line wildland fire activity such as heat, smoke, and fire behavior. Protective clothing and equipment are required when in these hazardous environments.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) OR Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): 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 SF50 noting position, grade level, duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For Information on CTAP and ICTAP visit: Career Transition (opm.gov)

How you will be evaluated

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

Applicants will be evaluated based on how well they meet the qualification requirements.

Upon receipt of the completed application package, a review of the application will be made to ensure basic qualification requirements are met.

This vacancy will be filled through DOI's Direct Hire Authority. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to positions filled under this Authority. All qualified applicants, as determined by the SHRO, will be referred for consideration. While managers and supervisors are not required to conduct interviews, it is highly recommended that they do so in order to assess the competencies of each applicant.

If an applicant's resume is incomplete or does not support the requirements for minimum qualifications or specialized experience a rating of "ineligible" or "not qualified" will be applied and no consideration for employment will be granted.

If a determination is made that an applicant has inflated qualifications or experience on the resume, the employee will receive no consideration for the position, as per OPM regulations.

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