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FUL - Biological Science Technician

Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Summary

You will serve as a FUL - Biological Science Technician within the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1, Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery, in Warm Spring, OR.

This position serves as a Biological Science Technician, GS-0404-6/7, at the Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery in Warm Springs, Oregon, and is responsible for planning and conducting data collection on hatchery populations to support the evaluation of fish health and propagation methods.

Overview

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Accepting applications
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—This position is suitable for telework and may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$45,409 - $65,599 per year

Pay will vary based on grade level for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Pay scale & grade
GS 6 - 7
Promotion potential
7
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CBYM-26-13055424-FUL-LAS
Control number
883633800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This position is being filled under the Field Unit Local Hiring Authority and is open to U.S. Citizens and Nationals who meet all eligibility requirements, including permanent and exclusive residency within 50 miles of Warm Springs, OR. Under this authority, veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking procedures do not apply.

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Duties

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Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

  • Plans and carries out some hatchery data collection on hatchery populations to study health and propagation methods.
  • Fish hatchery operations and studies on efficiency may cover breeding, rearing, and/or growing fish in tanks or raceways, caring for fertilized eggs in trays, observing fish behavior in response to feeding, cleaning, and husbandry operations, determining feed regiments, treating fish disease, collecting and recording data (hard copy and digital), operating specialized aquaculture equipment such as gates, pumps, valves, filters, alarms, and other support systems to maintain fish health.
  • Uses specialized techniques and methods to collect biological and physical environment data and reports findings.
  • Collects biological samples ensuring correct documentation, reporting, storage, transport and delivery of samples taken.
  • Develops and uses automated databases to enter, organize and perform preliminary analysis of collected field data.
  • Works with hatchery crew in providing daily care to fish in an aquaculture facility.
  • Performs assignments and general maintenance required for general fish hatchery upkeep and maintenance including simple hand tools or power equipment, landscaping tools (grass mowers, shrub trimmers, etc.), and other tools for minor repairs on hatchery equipment.
  • Works with 5 additional hatcheries in implementing their work plans to accomplish the Complex mission.
Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Direct Deposit participation required.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit www.dhs.gov/EVerify/.
  • Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
  • You are required to wear a uniform and comply with the uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • Government Housing may be available
  • You may be required to work on-call, nights, weekends, and holidays, Emergency Alarm Response required: Must be able to respond to alarms within 30 minutes.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:
  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/11/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. All candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements.

To receive credit for experience, 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. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

To qualify for this position at the GS-06 Grade Level

  • Specialized Experience Requirement: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience includes: 1. Independently performing routine fish culture activities involving the feeding, care, handling, rearing, or distribution of multiple life stages of fish; 2. Monitoring fish health and water quality and maintaining fish culture, inventory, feeding, mortality, or water quality records; 3. performing established fish propagation activities, such as spawning, collecting or processing eggs, and/or operating and maintaining fish culture equipment and systems; 4. maintaining and improving hatchery infrastructure, equipment, and grounds; and 5. performing routine health assessments including: necropsies of morbid fish, collecting ovarian fluid samples, external examination of fish for parasites and collecting blood samples, This experience must be clearly documented in your resume; OR
  • Education: Successfully completed one year of progressively higher-level graduate level education (18 semester/27 quarter hours or the school's equivalent) leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree at an accredited college or university that included courses directly related to the occupation, such as fishery biology, ichthyology, limnology, and aquaculture. OR
  • Combination of education and experience. To combine education and experience, first take the number of graduate level semester hours completed and divide by18 semester hours. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.
To qualify for this position at the GS-07 Grade Level:
  • Specialized Experience Requirement: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience includes: 1. Independently carrying out multiple phases of fish propagation and culture, such as spawning, egg collection and processing, incubation, rearing, sampling, inventory, or distribution; 2. monitoring fish health, water quality, or culture conditions and identifying problems or making routine adjustments in accordance with established procedures; 3. performing fish health procedures and/or troubleshooting and maintaining fish culture systems and equipment; and 4. performing routine health assessments including: necropsies of morbid fish, collecting ovarian fluid samples, external examination of fish for parasites and collecting blood samples,This experience must be clearly documented in your resume; OR
  • Education: Successfully completed one year of progressively higher-level graduate level education (18 semester/27 quarter hours or the school's equivalent) leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree at an accredited college or university that included courses directly related to the occupation, such as fishery biology, ichthyology, limnology, and aquaculture. OR
  • Combination of education and experience. To combine education and experience, first take the number of graduate level semester hours completed and divide by18 semester hours. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.
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

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification

Additional information

This position will be filled under the Field Unit Local Hiring Authority. Eligibility is limited to applicants who reside within the defined local commuting area at the time of application. For this announcement, the local commuting area is the area from which individuals can reasonably commute to the duty station under normal conditions. The defined vicinity for this position is: 50 miles of Warm Springs, OR. You must provide proof of residency within the defined vicinity (e.g. mortgage or property deed, lease/rental agreement, utility bill, insurance policy, etc.). See the Required Documents section for information on how to verify current residence.

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your 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: Physical demands will range depending on the project and use of the position. Most locations will be in locations around running water and requiring regular and recurring physical activity such as prolonged standing, walking over wet and/or rocky surfaces, stooping, bending, kneeling, climbing, and carrying heavy items may occur.

Working Conditions: Most locations will be in locations in and around running water where the incumbent could be exposed to extreme weather conditions, insects/wildlife, and/or other environments that would require the incumbent to use protective clothing or gear such as hard hats, masks, gowns, ear plugs, coats, boots, goggles, gloves, or shields to mitigate risks.

All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, https://www.doi.gov/ethics/ethics-prohibitions.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

This position is being filled under the Field Unit Local Hiring Authority. Under this authority, competitive rating, ranking, and veterans' preference procedures do not apply. The Servicing Human Resources Office will determine whether applicants meet the qualification and eligibility requirements described in this announcement. Applicants who meet these requirements may be referred to the selecting official on a certificate of eligibles for consideration.

You must certify that you will maintain a permanent and exclusive residence within the defined vicinity of the field unit(s) listed in this announcement.

Upon receipt of a completed application package, the Servicing Human Resources Office will review your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements described in this announcement.

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages. Resumes longer than two pages will not be reviewed. Applicants may submit only one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine qualifications and eligibility. If more than one resume is submitted, only the most recent submission will be reviewed.

If your resume is incomplete or does not demonstrate that you meet the qualification requirements or specialized experience described in this announcement, you may be determined ineligible or not qualified for further consideration.

Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The Department of the Interior protects and manages the Nation's natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island Communities. Click here to learn more about the Department of the Interior and its bureaus.

The mission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) is to work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Click here to learn more about the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Agency contact information

DOI Staffing Team 6 (FWS)
Email
StaffingTeam6@ios.doi.gov
Address
Division of Human Resources
Division of Human Resources
Eastside Federal Complex
911 NE Eleventh Avenue
Portland, OR 97232
US

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