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Ecologist

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

Summary

This position is located at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, in the Resources Management and Science Division.

  • This is a term position (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment expecting to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of 10-years years. Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/23/2024 to 09/06/2024
Salary
$87,208 - $113,366 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP
Three Rivers, CA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - Not To Exceed 13 months, but with possible extensions.
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
NPS-IRA-24-12457194-DE
Control number
806190400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All US Citizens, Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) eligibles.

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Duties

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Major Duties include but are not limited to the following:

  • Primary coordinator of outside research activity within the parks and primary advisor to Resource Management Division Chief on research needs concerning coupled ecological human connections to inform decisions of resource sustainability, coordinated climate change resilience and resistance planning, and tribal co-stewardship especially with respect to fire and forest ecology.
  • Plan and develop a comprehensive and complex program to monitor, restore and maintain natural ecosystem species and processes in coordination with the people that use them especially with respect to climate change, forested systems, fire, and tribal co-stewardship.
  • Coordinates multidisciplinary resource stewardship plans and projects and forums to advance the protection and sustainability of coupled ecological human systems.
  • Directs or coordinates unique, complex, and/or highly sensitive management projects and efforts, especially as they relate to external partners and stakeholders.
  • Plays primary role in development of both climate change plan and tribal co-stewardship plan for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Please visit find a park for additional park information.

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.
  • 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 on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • You will be required to complete a one-year trial period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 1 night 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.
  • Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/06/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for 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 the resume 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 of qualified specialized experience.

To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess the following basic requirement:

BASIC REQUIREMENT:
A bachelor's degree, or higher degree, from an accredited college or university or 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. You must include a copy of your transcripts.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement listed above, to qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE:
At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level or higher in Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include duties involved in: conducting research to understand factors affecting terrestrial ecosystems and publishing manuscripts and reports to communicate study findings; designing and implementing terrestrial scientific monitoring programs through data collection, analysis, and reporting; working on preparation of terrestrial resource action plans and strategies needed to successfully manage and protect natural ecosystems and environmental conditions; providing technical assistance to natural resource managers regarding terrestrial management policy and science-based conservation. (You must include the number of hours worked per week within your resume.)

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

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level of this announcement.

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.

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.

Government housing is not available.

Physical Demands: The position may require 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, which entails the ability to concentrate and write for long periods of time.

Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather. Assignments may be performed in potentially hazardous areas including steep slopes, rocky terrain, volcanoes, caves, firelines, arctic environments, swamps, deserts, and forests. Flying in fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters is possible.

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:
  • Communications and Media
  • Leadership
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Project Management
  • Technical Competence
  • Technology Application
  • Written Communication

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.

Agency contact information

Charlene Pierson
Email
charlene_pierson@nps.gov
Address
NPS Inflation Reduction Act
1849 C St. NW
Washington, DC 20240
US

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

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