Clarification from the agency

Department of the Interior (DOI)-Wide: This is a Merit Promotion announcement for career and career-conditional DOI employees, Career Transition eligibles (CTAP), and current or former time-limited employees eligible under Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA). Refer to Required Documents section for more information.

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The Field Senior Wildlife Inspector serves as a frontline enforcement officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Law Enforcement, protecting wildlife resources by detecting and deterring illegal wildlife trade. As a technical expert at assigned ports of entry, the position conducts complex inspections, leads interdiction activities, and ensures compliance with federal, state, and international wildlife protection laws. Working across cargo facilities, passenger terminals, warehouses, and other port environments, the inspector applies advanced biological and analytical expertise to regulate legal wildlife trade and counter trafficking efforts. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full-performance level. At the full-performance level GS-12, the duties include but are not limited to:

• Leading interdiction and inspection activities at ports of entry to detect and counter wildlife trafficking, applying expertise in species identification, risk assessment, and data analysis.
• Conducting inspections and investigations of wildlife shipments and travelers, identifying high-risk activity, collaborating with partner agencies, and supporting the lawful flow of wildlife trade through informed compliance efforts.
• Serving as a technical expert and liaison, supporting civil and criminal cases, sharing information with domestic and international partners, completing special projects, and preparing reports and presentations.
• Delivering training and outreach to inspectors, partners, and the public, and providing leadership and mentorship to strengthen Wildlife Inspection Program capabilities.
• Performs other related duties as assigned, including conducting inspections in varied and hazardous environments, preparing investigative findings and recommendations, and coordinating with experts and regional counterparts to enhance inspection operations.

Physical Demands: This position requires performing physical inspections that may involve pushing, pulling, lifting, and moving items weighing up to 50 pounds, as well as working with live animals and animal products that present significant safety hazards. Wildlife Inspectors may encounter bites, scratches, and potentially dangerous envenomation from reptiles and invertebrates, and may be exposed to various communicable diseases, and hazardous chemicals used on wildlife products. Strict adherence to safety procedures is required, including use and maintenance of protective equipment and completion of required safety training.

Work Environment: Administrative work is performed in an office setting; however, inspections occur at warehouses, container stations, passenger terminals, quarantine facilities, and other locations throughout the port of entry, sometimes many miles apart. Frequent or extended travel for special staffing assignments may be required, including work at non-designated ports of entry, and assisting Special Agents with executing search warrants.

Medical Surveillance Program: Position is subject to enrollment and ongoing participation in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Medical Surveillance Program in accordance with 242 FW 4 and 5 CFR Part 339. Incumbents must complete periodic medical surveillance examinations due to potential exposure to hazardous chemicals and communicable diseases encountered during inspection and interdiction activities.

Work Schedule: Position may require working at a fixed workstation or at multiple stations/work sites under established, rotating, or other work schedules (i.e., evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime, and shift work).

Foreign Language: Depending on the duty station, this position may necessitate demonstrating basic to fluent proficiency in a foreign language (speaking, reading, and writing).

Conditions of employment

• Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration, visit SSS.gov.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation.
• Merit promotion applicants must meet time-in-grade requirement as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
• Pre-employment and random drug testing are required. Applicants selected for this position will not be appointed if a verified positive drug test result is received.
• Must possess and maintain a valid State driver's license throughout employment.
• Employees are required to wear an official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• Position is subject to a financial disclosure requirement, within 30 days of appointment.
• This is a bargaining unit position represented by American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).

• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, may be required to serve a one (1)-year probationary period. This probationary period allows the Agency to evaluate an employee's fitness for Federal service and to determine whether the employee's continued employment advances the public interest.

  The probationary period is an extension of the appointment process. During this time, the Agency will evaluate whether an employee's continuation in the position supports the Agency's mission and organizational goals, aligns with Agency needs and interests, promotes the efficiency of the service, and otherwise advances the public interest. In making this determination, the Agency will consider the employee's performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the Agency; whether continued service supports broader Agency or Government objectives; and whether continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

  Under applicable law, an employee's service during a probationary period automatically terminates at the end of that period unless the Agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the employee's continued employment advances the public interest and that the employee's appointment should be finalized. If the Agency does not issue this written certification, the appointment will be terminated at the conclusion of the probationary period.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date, 08/20/2026, of this announcement - unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Competitive candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

For current Federal Employees, if hours worked per week are not included in 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 periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. 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.

Minimum Qualification Requirements GS-11:
1. One (1) year of full-time specialized experience comparable to difficulty and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: 1) conducting targeted interdiction and inspection activities to detect noncompliance with U.S. and foreign wildlife laws, treaties, and regulations; 2) identifying wildlife, parts, and products, and referring specimens requiring advanced identification; 3) conducting risk assessments and analyzing trade data and trends to develop criteria for evaluating compliance with permits and regulations; 4) communicating mission objectives through analytical reports; 5) supporting civil and criminal investigations with partner agencies involving illegal wildlife trade and other violations of federal, state, tribal, and international laws. -OR-
2. Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M, in a field of study directly related to the position. You must include transcripts. -OR-
3. Successful completion of a combination of graduate education and specialized experience, as described above, may be used to meet 100 percent of the qualification requirements for this position. Only graduate education beyond the first two (2) years may be combined with specialized experience. To combine graduate education and specialized experience, first take the amount of qualifying graduate education beyond the second year and divide that number of semester hours by 18. Then take the number of full-time months of specialized experience and divide that number by 12. Add the resulting percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.

You must include the number of hours worked per week for all experience listed and must submit transcripts to verify qualifying education.

Minimum Qualification Requirements GS-12:
1. One (1) year of full-time specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: 1) conducting interdiction and inspection of wildlife shipments at ports of entry, identifying specimens using taxonomic or forensic methods, and documenting findings to support enforcement actions; 2) conducting port-specific risk assessments using analytical tools, intelligence, and trade data to identify trends, establish inspection criteria, and develop cargo and passenger lookouts; 3) supporting investigations by collecting, preserving, and processing evidence under federal standards, examining high-risk shipments across transport modes, and contributing to case development; 4) serving as a technical expert and liaison with domestic and international partners, facilitating information exchange, advising industry entities, participating in special projects, and preparing reports and presentations; 5) developing and delivering training, guidance, and outreach to inspectors, partners, and the public, supporting program improvements, and providing mentorship to strengthen inspection program operations. You must include hours worked per week for all experience listed.

NOTE: There is no substitution of education for specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level.

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.

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-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.

How you will be evaluated

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

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 assessment(s) required for this position. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Knowledge of compliance inspection methods used to monitor wildlife shipments and ensure adherence to U.S. and foreign wildlife protection laws.
• Knowledge of information sources and analytical methods used to extract and assess wildlife trafficking data for targeting purposes.
• Knowledge of departmental operational procedures, applicable laws and regulations, and Federal requirements governing search, seizure, and due process necessary to carry out duties professionally.
• Knowledge of relevant federal laws, regulations, and procedures to coordinate activities, provide technical expertise, serve as liaison with partner organizations, and support legal proceedings.
• Ability to develop, advise on, and present training and outreach materials that support the mission to protect wildlife resources through investigation, regulation, and public compliance with protection laws.

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 successful completion of an additional assessment - a structured resume review. This assessment measures the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Due Weight: 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 five (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. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, you must submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration or your score may be lowered. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.