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Biologist

Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is a Biologist, GS- 0401-13 working for the R8-Habitat Restoration.

This announcement is location negotiable within the State of California.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/11/2024 to 12/18/2024
Salary
$103,409 to - $134,435 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Location Negotiable After Selection
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
R8-25-12635617-SC-IMP
Control number
823188000

Duties

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As a Biologist your duties will include but are not limited to the following:

  • Provides scientific and technical leadership for a large, complex biological program/project.
  • Works directly with other FWS staff to lead and/or coordinate strategic planning, partnership development, budgeting, program guidance, application of protocols and procedures, and biological planning, monitoring, and evaluation of activities within the assigned program area.
  • Analyzes complex biological data, reports or findings that have been submitted for review.
  • Serves in a leadership role to develop and institutionalize collaborative, biologically sound, and partnership driven approaches to meet Service mission goals with partners and other stakeholders such as other Federal, state fish and wildlife agencies, Tribal organizations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and academia.
  • Provides technical guidance, advisory services, and coordination of compliance with federal environmental statutes such as Endangered Species Act (ESA), Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), among others.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Merit promotion applicants must meet time-in-grade requirement as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
  • Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation.
  • Probationary Period: Selectees may be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
  • Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.

Qualifications

Only experience and education obtained by 12/18/2024 will be considered.

In order to qualify for this position you must possess both the Basic Requirement and Minimum Qualification.

Basic Requirement:

  1. Possess a bachelor's or higher degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. NOTE: transcripts must be provided for verification. OR
  2. Possess a combination of education and experience that includes courses equivalent to a major in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position, PLUS appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate possession of 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. NOTE: transcripts must be provided for verification.

Minimum Qualification [GS-13]
  1. One year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility equivalent to grade GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this grade is defined as: 1) providing scientific, planning or technical expertise on federally listed threatened or endangered species, migratory birds, wetlands, habitats or other important fish and wildlife resources; 2) leading or supervising the work of natural resource professionals engaged in a range of projects and studies related to the conservation of ecosystems and species to ensure the achievement of project objectives; 3) planning/coordinating ecological services activities between diverse stake holding organizations (e.g., state agencies, commission, tribal, other Federal agencies, etc.) to maximize benefits for fish and wildlife resources; 4) preparing budgets, financial reports, briefing materials, or position papers on natural resource conservation and management programs, policies, or activities; and 5) implementing regulations and policies related to natural resource concerns (e.g., the Endangered Species Act National Environmental Policy Act, Clear Water Act, etc.) . NOTE: Your resume must contain sufficient information demonstrating 1 year of equivalent GS-12 experience in areas 1-5 to be found qualified.
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.

Time In Grade Requirement: Applicants must meet both eligibility and qualification requirements for the position of interest by the closing date of the JOA. Specifically,
i. Area of Consideration.
ii. Time-in-grade (TIG) requirements as specified in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
iii. Time after competitive appointment as specified in 5 CFR 330.502.
iv. Qualification requirements outlined in OPM's Qualifications Standards for General Schedule Positions or for Federal Wage System (FWS), wage grade positions, applicants are evaluated using the OPM Job Qualification System for Trades and Labor Occupations and the job element examining method
Your SF-50 will be used to confirm you meet all requirements

Education

PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the 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. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP):Department of Interior (DOI) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) procedures apply in filling this vacancy. CTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP, applicants must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For information on CTAP visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/"

The Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA),P.L. 114-47, allows certain individuals who currently or formerly were under time-limited competitive appointments at certain land management agencies to compete under merit promotion procedures.

Note: You must submit ALL SF-50s and performance information for each period of temporary/term employment that qualifies for LMWFA. Performance documentation can be obtained by contacting the supervisors for the positions you served in during your 24 months. If they did not complete performance appraisals ask them to provide a statement of performance for each period of service. The statement must specify the dates for each employment period and your level of performance (dates should match the dates on the SF-50s).

Current appointees:

  • Must have been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited appointment with a land management agency;
  • Must have served under 1 or more time limited appointments by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of 2 or more years; AND
  • Must have performed at an acceptable level.

Former appointees:

  • Must have been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited appointment with a land management agency;
  • Must have served under 1 or more time limited appointments by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of 2 or more years;
  • Must apply for position within 2 years after separation;
  • Must have been separated for reasons other than misconduct or performance; AND
  • Must have performed at an acceptable level.

Additional information

Salaries for Advertised Locations
Please Note: If selected, you may be placed at a regional office, field office, current duty station, or other DOI-owned or leased worksite at the discretion of management. Additional questions regarding placement should be reserved for the interview process.

Telework: This position is suitable for telework and may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.

Additional Vacancies: One or more positions may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service offices in the local commuting area.

Shared Certificates:
Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.

Reasonable Accommodation: The USFWS provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Please visit USAJOBS Help Center | Reasonable accommodation policy if you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here:

https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

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), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  1. Expert professional knowledge of the theories, principles, practices, concepts methodologies and techniques of biology and an in depth working knowledge of related biological and ecological fields (e.g., fish biology, ecology, conservation science, wildlife biology, botany, chemistry, toxicology, hydrology, entomology, limnology, parasitology, etc.) in order to serve as a scientific and technical expert; undertake complex, cross-program and multi-agency biological studies and projects; evaluate policies and programs; and, to apply new scientific findings, developments, and advances to critical problems of a unique, novel, or highly controversial nature.

  2. Expert knowledge of laws, regulations, and policies governing decisions and responsibilities related to the role and responsibilities of the Service such as theEndangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, Refuge Improvement Act, Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, wilderness Act, Wild and Scenic River Act, , Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Clean Water Act, Federal Power Act, and other associated laws, regulations and policies in order to provide guidance to FWS staff concerning their responsibilities in implementing these laws, regulations, and policies; conduct investigations, assessments or inspections; and, prepare impact statements. biological opinions, or project findings.

  3. Expert technical skills in developing, implementing, refining, and evaluating techniques and approaches for addressing complex resource management issues.

  4. Ability to establish positive working relationships/partnerships and exercise tact and diplomacy in coordinating activities with co-workers, and as needed, with representatives of other federal agencies, state, Tribal and local organizations, conservation organizations, private entities, and the general public.

  5. Ability to effectively communicate orally, at meetings and conferences, to explain and defend findings, recommendations, scientific data and Service policies and positions on issues that are often controversial and contentious to diverse audiences.


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 an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12635617

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