Clarification from the agency

Open to individuals eligible for appointment under the Pathways Recent Graduates Program who have completed a qualifying degree, certificate, or career or technical education program within the previous two years. Certain veterans may have an extended eligibility period as provided by law and regulation.

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

• Assist in preparing and reviewing environmental documents and supporting compliance with NEPA, ESA, and other applicable environmental laws.
• Coordinate with federal, state, and local agencies on environmental planning, Section 7 consultations, and resource management activities.
• Conduct field inspections, collect and analyze resource data, and monitor land and water areas to identify environmental impacts and compliance issues.
• Assist in planning and implementing restoration and enhancement projects involving erosion control, wildlife habitats, wetlands, and riparian areas.
• Provide technical support for environmental permits, resource management contracts, pest management activities, and environmental compliance.

Conditions of employment

• Must provide proof of U.S. Citizenship or Foreign National who meets both Immigration and Annual Appropriations Laws.
• 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/.
• Recent Graduates will be required to sign a Pathways Recent Graduate Participant Agreement.
• Recent Graduates must receive at least 40 hours of formal training directly linked to their employment field.
• Recent Graduates will enter a formal training program with a mentor and execute an Individual Development Plan outlining training requirements and program expectations.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, the duration of the Recent Graduates excepted service appointment is counted as a trial period. During this time, your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This trial 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 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 trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Recent Graduate Requirement:
You must apply for a Recent Graduate position within two (2) years of completing a qualifying educational program, i.e., within the previous two (2) years, the Recent Graduate must have completed a qualifying associate, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. Except as provided for in the bullet below, an application will be considered only if it is received no later than two (2) years from the date all requirements for a qualifying degree or certificate were met.

• Exceptions are made for veterans, as defined in 5 USC 2108, who, due to military service obligations, were precluded from applying to the Program during the two-year eligibility period described above. These individuals have a full two-year period of eligibility upon their release or discharge from active duty. In no event, however, may their eligibility period extend beyond six years from the date on which they completed their academic requirements.

In addition to being a Recent Graduate, to qualify for this position, you must meet the following Basic Educational Requirement AND Specialized Experience/Education:

Basic Educational Requirements: To be considered, you must meet at least one of the following education requirement:

• A. Degree: A degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. -OR-
• B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

In addition to meeting the above, to qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level you must meet one of the below requirements:

• Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: assisting with environmental compliance activities or preparing environmental documentation; collecting, compiling, or analyzing natural resource data; conducting field surveys or monitoring land, water, or wildlife resources; and assisting with natural resource management or environmental restoration activities. -OR-
• Education: Successful completion of one full year of graduate-level education in a field directly related to the position, such as biological sciences, environmental science, natural resource management, or a closely related discipline -OR-
• Combination of education and experience: A combination of qualifying graduate-level education and specialized experience that together meet the qualification requirements for this position.
• Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): You may qualify based on a bachelor's degree in a field directly related to the position and Superior Academic Achievement. S.A.A. may be demonstrated by one of the following:
  • Class standing: Graduated in the upper one-third of your college, university, or major subdivision.
  • Grade-point average: A GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale based on 4 years of education, or based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or a GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field, or the required courses completed during the final two years. Note: GPA will be rounded to one decimal place, for example, 2.95 = 3.0, 2.94 = 2.9
  • Honor society membership: Membership in a qualifying national scholastic honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. Freshman honor society membership does not qualify. See OPM for a list of eligible societies.

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.

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.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/23/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

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 any additional assessment(s) required for this position.

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.

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. CP/CPS veterans are placed at the top of the highest category for all positions except professional and scientific positions at GS-9 and higher. If you are a preference eligible candidate, you will be listed at the top of whichever quality category your rating places you in. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into the following 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.

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 additional assessment(s), including a structured resume review. This assessment measures the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Compliance, Conservation Biology, and Field Data Collection

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