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Biologist (Ecological Services)

Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Anchorage Fish & Wildlife Field Office

Summary

You will serve as a Biologist (Ecological Services) located within the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fish & Wildlife Service Region 7 at the Anchorage Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office in Anchorage, Alaska.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$69,789 - $109,777 per year

See "Additional Information" for more information.

Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Promotion potential
11
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 7 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
Appointment type
Permanent
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
CAXB-27-13113363-DE-CMA
Control number
892885000

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Duties

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At the full performance level (GS-11), some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

  • Plan, evaluate, and carry out complex ecological investigations and inspections of complex land and water resource development projects to determine their effects on fish and/or wildlife resources and habitats, ensuring compliance with legal standards and recommending appropriate actions.
  • Lead the review and processing of research and recovery permits in coordination with federal, tribal, and state agencies, and ensure adherence to policies and deadlines and provide technical information regarding the permit process to field offices.
  • Develop comprehensive fish and/or wildlife mitigation and management plans to ensure the preservation, protection, and enhancement of species and habitats across diverse ecological conditions, organize and implement biological and habitat preservation work, and analyze program outcomes to recommend improvements.
  • Maintain communication with biologists and partner agencies, provide technical biological guidance for conservation and recovery programs, and represent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at professional meetings and public forums.
  • Draft and review biological portions of environmental assessments, impact statements, or resource planning reports to evaluate environmental consequences of proposed actions; and recommend ways to minimize or eliminate impacts on listed species.
  • Respond to inquiries from the public and media, prepare informational materials, assist with public meetings, and provide training to new or lower-grade personnel as required.


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 have and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
  • You must be at least 18 years of age or older to operate government vehicles.

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 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-11/20/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

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 Basic Educational Requirement AND Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying.

Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following:

  • A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. You must submit transcripts.
  • B. Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

-AND-

To qualify for this position at the GS-9 grade level:
  • Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience applying professional knowledge of fish and wildlife biology, ecology, or conservation biology to assist in the development of comprehensive wildlife management plans to ensure conservation, protection, and enhancement of wildlife and their habitat; compiling, evaluating, or analyzing data to develop recommendations, objective reports, or presentations; assisting with preparation and review of biological implications of environmental assessments; plans and conducts assessments of low-to-moderate complexity to determine impacts and support compliance determinations; assess impacts of proposed actions and develop draft opinions for supervisory review; analyzing data and writing reports to evaluate findings and make recommendations; and communicating technical or scientific information to colleagues, partners, stakeholders, landowners, agencies, organizations, or the public to exchange information, provide assistance, coordinate activities, or support resource conservation objectives. You must include hours per week worked. -OR-
  • Education: Successful completion of at least two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. Degree must reflect the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. You must include transcripts. -OR-
  • Combination of education and experience. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 18 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. 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 hours per week and transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level:
  • Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience applying professional knowledge of fish and wildlife biology, ecology, or related natural resource disciplines to independently assess, conserve, protect, restore, or manage fish, wildlife, and their habitats; evaluating biological and project data to identify impacts of proposed projects, programs, or land and water resource activities on fish, wildlife, or habitat resources; reviewing projects, permits, and/or plans for compliance and developing recommendations to address identified concerns; developing reports, environmental analyses, biological evaluations, management plans, and correspondence to communicate findings, conclusions, and recommendations; applying analytical and problem-solving skills to interpret scientific information, assess alternatives, and develop biologically sound recommendations; and communicating biological or environmental information to partners, stakeholders, government agencies, landowners, or the public to explain findings, provide technical assistance, coordinate activities, or support resource conservation and management objectives. You must include hours per week worked. -OR-
  • Education: Successful completion of at least three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. Degree must reflect the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. You must include transcripts. -OR-
  • Combination of education and experience. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 36 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. 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 hours per week and 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

This position has a mandatory education requirement.

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. How do I receive credit for a college degree obtained in a foreign university in another country? - OPM.gov

Applicants must submit all necessary documents to a private U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials, commonly called a credential evaluation service. To be acceptable, the foreign credential evaluation must include/describe:

  • The type of education received by the applicant;
  • The level of education in relation to the U.S. education system, and state that its comparability recommendations follow the general guidelines of the International Education Standards Council;
  • The content of the applicant's educational program earned abroad and the standard obtained;
  • The status of the awarding foreign school's recognition and legitimacy in its home country's education system; and
  • Any other information of interest such as what the evaluation service did to obtain this information, the qualifications of thee valuator, and any indications as to other problems such as forgery.

Foreign credential evaluations that do not contain the above information or that state there is insufficient information provided by the applicant on which to base an evaluation should not be accepted. If the requested evaluation shows the foreign education to be legitimate and comparable to that expected of a candidate with U.S. credentials, it may be accepted at the discretion of the agency.

Additional information

Pay will vary based on grade level and/or duty location for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate. A Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) rate of 1.49% is authorized for Anchorage.

Salary Range Information:
GS-9: $69,789-$90,731 per year
GS-11: $84,439-$109,777 per year


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.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive. A continued service agreement may be required if it is determined you are eligible for a recruitment or relocation incentive.

Physical Demands: Work is sedentary and requires average agility and dexterity. Some field work will require periods of physical exertion such as walking over wet, rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces; bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, or similar activities; occasionally carrying light items, such as books, small instruments or samples, and other similar materials; or driving a motor vehicle.

Work Environment: The work requires both office and outdoor work. The office is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. Temperature and weather extremes may be encountered in the performance of the outdoor work. The incumbent is expected to conduct duties in a safe and orderly manner so as not to endanger self, fellow workers, or property with which entrusted.

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.

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. 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 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.

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

  • Compliance
  • Oral Communication
  • Reasoning
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing


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.

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 Subject Matter Expert (SME) resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

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, score at least 85 (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.

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

Christy Alfano
Email
christy_alfano@ios.doi.gov
Address
Division of Human Resources
Division of Human Resources
1101 East Tudor Road
Anchorage, AK 99503
US

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