This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/789517000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Salary: GS-13 $114,970 (Step 01) - $149,465 (Step 10)
GS-14: $135,860 (Step 01) - $176,620 (Step 10)
This vacancy is advertised concurrently with:
Open to all U.S. citizens under: USGS-DEN-24-12355723-DE-AJG
05/02/2024 to 05/17/2024
$114,970 - $176,620 per year
GS 13 - 14
FEW vacancies in the following location:
No
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent
Full-time
Competitive
15
Yes
No
USGS-DEN-24-12355724-ST-AJG
789517000
Current or former competitive service federal employees.
Current excepted service federal employees.
Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.
Family members of a federal employee or uniformed service member who is or was, working overseas.
Current members, those who want to join or transitioning military members.
Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.
Open to current or former Federal employees w/perm comp status; OR those eligible under a special or noncomp appointing authority (e.g., disabled, Pathways Interns & Recent Grads who are elig for noncomp conversion, etc.); OR current or former employees who are serving, or previously served, on temp or term appt in a land mgmt agency; OR veterans with preference or have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after approx 3yrs or more of continuous active service.
As a Research Ecologist (Fire) within the Fort Collins Science Center, some of your specific duties will include:
Key Requirements:
Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?
EXPERIENCE: One year of work experience is twelve months working full-time (at least 35-40 hours per week). Part-time experience can be pro-rated (i.e., a year at 20 hours per week is credited as 6 months of experience). If your position consisted of mixed duties, experience credit is given for the percentage of time that you spent on qualifying duties (i.e., if you held a position for 2 years, full-time, consisting of 25% personnel work and 75% budget work, and then applied for a budget position you could calculate your experience as follows: 2 yrs = 24 months. 24 months x 75% [percentage of time spent on budget duties] = 18 months of qualifying experience.)
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: A year of undergraduate education is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of college study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: In the absence of specific graduate program information, a year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of graduate level college course work, or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.
BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Ecologist, all grade levels.
A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in biology or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours or the equivalent in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours or the equivalent in ecology, and 12 semester hours or the equivalent in physical and mathematical sciences.
In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-13 level:
**One year of appropriate specialized experience that is in ecology, biology or a related field of science underlying ecological research is qualifying if it is equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled.
Examples of GS-12 level work may include: 1) planning and coordinating research on fire ecology and the effects of fire and other stressors on populations, communities, ecosystems or landscapes; 2) analyzing and interpreting data to address novel and obscure problems in fire ecology; 3) contributing to the development of competitive research grants to conduct research in fire ecology; 4) performing studies in the field of fire ecology as part of a group; 5) publishing technical reports and journal articles in the field of fire ecology.
In addition to the basic education requirements as stated above, applicants must have one year of specialized experience at or equal to the next lower grade level.
Examples of GS-13 level work may include: 1) leading ecological investigations in the areas of fire ecology and related conservation and management; 2) using technical skills in quantitative/statistical analyses to address novel topics in fire ecology; 3) leading the development of competitive research grants to conduct research in fire ecology; 4) contributing to interdisciplinary research teams and working with managers to address issues in fire ecology; 5) leading the publication of technical reports and journal articles in the field of fire ecology. For examples 1-5, the work provided wide latitude for the exercise of independent judgment to perform scientific work of marked difficulty and responsibility.
You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.
Other Information:
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
--Basis of Rating:
If you meet the basic qualification and eligibility requirements of this position, you will be contacted via email after the vacancy announcement closes and given 5 calendar days to submit narrative responses that address the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required to perform the duties of this position. You will be rated and ranked based on the information you provide in your resume as well as the responses you submit to the required KSAs. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.
The knowledge, skills, and abilities required for this position are as follows:
1. Knowledge of the principles, theories, and practices of ecology, biology, and related environmental disciplines, and ability to prepare research plans, identify and develop the state-of-art approaches, execute research, manage budget, and to deliver the research results.
2. Skills, experience, and ability to conduct quantitative statistical analyses, including ability to use modern methods and models to present and analyze ecological processes, fire response, and/or fire behavior. Methods could include Bayesian hierarchical modeling, Behave, Farsite, and others. Proficiency in programming languages such as R or Python for statistical computing and graphics. Ability to apply these techniques to assess impacts of stressors on vegetation community ecology and wildlife populations and communities.
3. Ability to communicate with natural resource managers, identify scientific questions, prepare new research initiatives and proposals, and secure funding in fire ecology and fire modeling research areas. How many and what types of proposals have you submitted? How successful have you been in securing research funding in fire ecology and fire modeling studies.
4. Communication skills, leadership, and teamwork: ability to lead or serve as a major player in interdisciplinary research teams, coordinate and communicate to teammates and clients, support the missions of teams, serve at committees, represent USGS. How many times and what kind of leadership roles did you play in multi-agency teams, workgroups, or committees?
Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and awards during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager. If referred, all relevant documents including performance appraisals and awards submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the hiring official for review.
5. Ability to communicate research results effectively, in oral and written forms, both in peer-reviewed journal articles and presentations at professional conferences to other scientists, as well as in informational reports, briefings, and technical consultations with decision makers. How many and what types of deliverables have you produced, as the lead author and co-author? How successful have you been in publishing peer-reviewed fire ecology studies?
Required documents may be: (1) uploaded directly from your desktop; or (2) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments.
Resume
--Resumesare required. You are highly encouraged to use USAJOBS Resume Builder to ensure all required information is included in your Resume. If you use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or other written form, then you must describe your job-related qualifications, including: beginning and ending dates for paid and non-paid work experience; hours worked per week; month and year of employment for each job title listed; annual salary; and description of job duties. Include name and address of employer; supervisor name and telephone number. Additional information on what to include can be found here.
Supporting documents
--Upload any supporting documents identified in the Key Requirements section or included below as it applies to your eligibility. Supporting documents may be: (1) uploaded directly from your desktop; or (2) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments.
Transcripts
--This position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.), which includes semester hours earned and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. Please ensure that all documentation is legible.
Due Weight for Performance
--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. Due weight for performance applies to federal and non-federal work. 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.
Current & Former Federal Employees
--If you are a current career or career-conditional Federal employee OR a former Federal employee who has reinstatement eligibility, you must submit a copy of a recent SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting proof of competitive status, tenure, position title, occupational series, grade level and step by the closing date of this announcement, or you will not receive consideration.
Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA)
--If you are claiming eligibility under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), you must submit proof that supports your claim. This may include:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
--Applications (resume and application questions) for this vacancy must be received on-line via USAJOBS BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, D.C. time) on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online resume, you will not be considered for this position. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Most libraries, employment offices, and all USGS personnel offices can provide access to the Internet. If applying online poses a hardship for you, you must speak to someone in the Servicing Human Resources Office listed on this announcement PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE for assistance.
--Instructions for Applying Online for this Vacancy Announcement: 1)Click the blue "Apply Online" button. 2)If you are not a registered USAJOBS user, please create a new account and follow the instructions to complete your application process. If you are a registered user, login to access your existing USAJOBS profile. 3)As a registered user, select a stored resume and select one or more of your stored documents to attach to your application. 4)Check the "Certification" box and click the "Apply for this position now!" button located at the bottom of the screen. 5)Address the eligibility questions as well as the questionnaire containing questions and/or task statements that address the knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies for this vacancy. 6)Submit required documents. 7) If you experience technical difficulties during the online application process, please contact the USAJOBS helpdesk.
--If you are rated as one of the most highly qualified candidates, you will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 30-45 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will be notified via email of the outcome. You can also go to "My Account" within USAJOBS to review your Application Status.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/789517000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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