This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/553226300. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource.
BLM is seeking a dynamic and energetic individual to join the seasonal team to serve as a Biological Science Technician (Plants) for the Billings Field Office in Billings, Montana. Information about the Billings Area can be found at www.billingschamber.com.
Housing is not provided for this position.
For additional information about the BLM, please visit Our website.
12/03/2019 to 12/17/2019
$16.26 - $20.14 per hour
GS 05 - 07
No
Occasional travel - Travel to field will be required. The amount of overnight travel to be determined by the nature of the work.
No
Temporary - This is a temporary appointment, not to exceed 1039 hours (6 months). 2020 summer season - generally from May-November.
Full-time - Work Schedule is Full-time
Competitive
No - These positions have no promotion potential; if you want to be considered for a higher grade, you must apply for the higher grade.
No
No
MT-TEMP-2020-0036
553226300
All U.S. Citizens - No previous Federal Service is required.
Biology Technicians (Plants) make observations and record data relating to plant studies; documents occurrence and distribution of identified species; inventories rare and endangered species habitat; participate in environmental studies documenting factors affecting plant species and habitat; they lead or conduct field searches for populations of sensitive, threatened or endangered plant species; photograph, collect and mount plant specimens encountered at different stages of development; collect ecological site information for population distribution, condition, trend, associated species, geology, soil type and prepare reports. Work is performed in an outdoor environment that ranges from very cold and wet to very hot and dry. This work may require physical exertion over very steep, wet, muddy, slippery, rough, uneven or rocky surfaces; and also may include bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, and similar activities.
You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the one year of specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume.
GS-5 Biological Science Technician (Plants)- one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-4 level. Examples of specialized experience may include basic plant ID; knowledge of monitoring methologies; inventorying plant species habitat based on guidelines; taking soil samples by layer; and taking root samples. -OR- Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester in any combination of scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. -OR- A combination of experience and education to meet total experience.
GS-7 Biological Science Technician (Plants) - one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-6 level. Examples of specialized experience may include plant ID; experience with monitoring methodologies; surveying, mapping and documenting a variety of plant species and habitat conditions; compiling occurrence and distribution data, cover maps, and herbarium study mounts; assisting in performing botanical studies and in constructing habitat improvement structures; compiling data obtained through soil inventory; and assembling data into a logical sequence for review.
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.
See qualifications section above.
- RELOCATION EXPENSES: Travel, transportation and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
- HOUSING: There is no government housing available – securing housing will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
- Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well qualified for this vacancy. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form. CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they fall within the Well or Best Qualified categories on the rating criteria for this position.
- Land Management Workforce Flexibilty Act: If selected from this or a similar competitive, seasonal announcement, your appointment may be creditable for consideration under PL-114-47, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA). The Act allows certain individuals, who have or had time-limited appointments at land management agencies, to compete for any permanent position in the competitive service under “internal” merit promotion procedures. For more information, see the section under Eligibility, which starts with Question #15 (Q15. Who is eligible for appointment under these provisions?).
- MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENT: Employees required to operate a motor vehicle must be at least 18; otherwise, you must be at least 16 at the time you report for work.
Overnight travel may be required occasionally and employee may be required to obtain and use a government charge card, when travel is necessary.
This position is not eligible for Telework.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Temporary seasonal employees are eligible for the following:
-Annual and Sick Leave
-Depending on tour of duty – Sunday, holiday, shift differential
-Paid Federal Holidays
-Participation in the Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) program - Employees electing to participate in the FEHB will be responsible for the employee share of the premium while on the official agency roles, which is deducted from bi-weekly earnings. After separating from federal employment, employees will be offered to continue participation in FEHB under the Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) option. Employees electing to continue coverage under the TCC provision will be responsible for the full premium amount plus a 2% administration fee.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Upon receipt of your complete application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your rating will be based on your responses to the Job Specific Questionnaire and the information stated in your resume. If you meet the qualification requirements, your application will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. In addition, interviews may be conducted for this position. The interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis or may be scored. The job specific questions relate to the following knowledge, skills and abilities required to do the work of this position.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Temporary seasonal employees are eligible for the following:
-Annual and Sick Leave
-Depending on tour of duty – Sunday, holiday, shift differential
-Paid Federal Holidays
-Participation in the Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) program - Employees electing to participate in the FEHB will be responsible for the employee share of the premium while on the official agency roles, which is deducted from bi-weekly earnings. After separating from federal employment, employees will be offered to continue participation in FEHB under the Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) option. Employees electing to continue coverage under the TCC provision will be responsible for the full premium amount plus a 2% administration fee.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. Your resume must contain enough information to show that you meet the specialized experience as defined in the announcement. In addition, your responses to the questions must be adequately reflected in your resume/application material.
In addition to the online application (resume and responses to the questionnaire), you are required to submit the following forms:
You may submit your documents either via Auto-Requested Fax or by uploading your documents from your USAJOBS Profile. Do not use both options. Auto-Requested Fax: allows you to submit required documentation that will be electronically displayed along with your resume. Uploading Documents: instead of faxing your documents you may use the uploading procedures thru Applicant Manager. Hard copy paper supplemental documents, submitted without prior Human Resources approval, will be considered as an incomplete application. Required documentation must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time, on the closing date of this announcement.
READ THIS: It is the responsibility of the applicant to illustrate that all eligibility requirements are met. This includes ensuring your resume / application documents specific information on each employment listed. Specifically, you must document Agency/Company Name, supervisor's name and contact information, position title, grade/series/salary, and employment dates to include month, day and year. Failure to do so may result in your application being disqualified. If you have questions regarding the necessary documentation to include, contact the HR Specialist listed on this announcement prior to the closing date of the announcement.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
THIS IS AN ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS THROUGH USAJOBS. Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time by the closing date of this announcement. If you need assistance in applying online, please contact the HR Office at 406-896-5002 or apply@blm.gov. If applying online poses a hardship for you (i.e. you do not have access to the Internet) you must contact us prior to the closing date of the announcement for an alternative method of applying. PLEASE NOTE: If you have access to a public library, State Job Service Office, etc., you should use these resources to apply online. You must follow the steps described below to complete the application process:
1) YOU MUST HAVE OR CREATE A PROFILE IN USAJOBS. Your profile must contain a current resume for submission. In order to receive proper consideration, your resume should include the following information:
- Current personal contact information.
- Work experience (paid or unpaid) including - starting and ending dates (month and year), employer's name and address, job title (include job series and grade if Federal), duties and accomplishments, supervisor's name and telephone number, indicate if supervisor may be contacted, hours per week, and salary.
- Education and job-related training including - school name, type and year of degrees/diploma received, credits earned and majors; title of training course and year of completion.
- References - personal and professional
- Additional information - skills (languages, tools, machinery, typing speed, etc.), certificates or licenses (current only), and/or honors, awards, and special accomplishments (recognition, professional memberships, publications, leadership activities, etc.).
INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION COULD RESULT IN AN INELIGIBLE RATING.
The USAJOBS Resume Builder was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is an available tool when you login to your USAJOBS account.
2) APPLY ONLINE. Start the application process by clicking on the “Apply” button that appears on this announcement.
3) SUBMIT A RESUME. Select your resume or use the USAJOBS resume builder.
4) INCLUDE SUPPLEMENTAL DOCUMENTATION. See the “Required Documents” section.
5) REVIEW. Review your application packet & complete the acknowledgement.
6) SURVEY. Complete the one question survey to let us know how you heard about this job.
7) CERTIFICATION. Certify your application material is complete and accurate.
8) AGENCY WEBSITE. Continue to BLMJobs to complete the application process.
9) FOLLOW UP. Check your application status before the announcement closes. It is your responsibility to ensure that a complete application (including a resume, online questionnaire, and applicable supplemental documentation) is received by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. NOTE: Technical problems may take at least 1 business day to resolve; therefore, you are highly encouraged to complete the application process prior to the closing date.
Next Steps: You can track the progress of your application package via your USAJobs account. You will receive an acknowledgment email from USAJobs that your submission was successful once we have received your online assessment questionnaire and resume. It is your responsibility to ensure that additional supporting documentation is received. You will be notified of the status of your application and/or referral to the hiring official via your USAJobs account after the evaluation process is complete. You will be contacted if further evaluation or interviews are required.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. Your resume must contain enough information to show that you meet the specialized experience as defined in the announcement. In addition, your responses to the questions must be adequately reflected in your resume/application material.
In addition to the online application (resume and responses to the questionnaire), you are required to submit the following forms:
You may submit your documents either via Auto-Requested Fax or by uploading your documents from your USAJOBS Profile. Do not use both options. Auto-Requested Fax: allows you to submit required documentation that will be electronically displayed along with your resume. Uploading Documents: instead of faxing your documents you may use the uploading procedures thru Applicant Manager. Hard copy paper supplemental documents, submitted without prior Human Resources approval, will be considered as an incomplete application. Required documentation must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time, on the closing date of this announcement.
READ THIS: It is the responsibility of the applicant to illustrate that all eligibility requirements are met. This includes ensuring your resume / application documents specific information on each employment listed. Specifically, you must document Agency/Company Name, supervisor's name and contact information, position title, grade/series/salary, and employment dates to include month, day and year. Failure to do so may result in your application being disqualified. If you have questions regarding the necessary documentation to include, contact the HR Specialist listed on this announcement prior to the closing date of the announcement.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
THIS IS AN ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS THROUGH USAJOBS. Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time by the closing date of this announcement. If you need assistance in applying online, please contact the HR Office at 406-896-5002 or apply@blm.gov. If applying online poses a hardship for you (i.e. you do not have access to the Internet) you must contact us prior to the closing date of the announcement for an alternative method of applying. PLEASE NOTE: If you have access to a public library, State Job Service Office, etc., you should use these resources to apply online. You must follow the steps described below to complete the application process:
1) YOU MUST HAVE OR CREATE A PROFILE IN USAJOBS. Your profile must contain a current resume for submission. In order to receive proper consideration, your resume should include the following information:
- Current personal contact information.
- Work experience (paid or unpaid) including - starting and ending dates (month and year), employer's name and address, job title (include job series and grade if Federal), duties and accomplishments, supervisor's name and telephone number, indicate if supervisor may be contacted, hours per week, and salary.
- Education and job-related training including - school name, type and year of degrees/diploma received, credits earned and majors; title of training course and year of completion.
- References - personal and professional
- Additional information - skills (languages, tools, machinery, typing speed, etc.), certificates or licenses (current only), and/or honors, awards, and special accomplishments (recognition, professional memberships, publications, leadership activities, etc.).
INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION COULD RESULT IN AN INELIGIBLE RATING.
The USAJOBS Resume Builder was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is an available tool when you login to your USAJOBS account.
2) APPLY ONLINE. Start the application process by clicking on the “Apply” button that appears on this announcement.
3) SUBMIT A RESUME. Select your resume or use the USAJOBS resume builder.
4) INCLUDE SUPPLEMENTAL DOCUMENTATION. See the “Required Documents” section.
5) REVIEW. Review your application packet & complete the acknowledgement.
6) SURVEY. Complete the one question survey to let us know how you heard about this job.
7) CERTIFICATION. Certify your application material is complete and accurate.
8) AGENCY WEBSITE. Continue to BLMJobs to complete the application process.
9) FOLLOW UP. Check your application status before the announcement closes. It is your responsibility to ensure that a complete application (including a resume, online questionnaire, and applicable supplemental documentation) is received by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. NOTE: Technical problems may take at least 1 business day to resolve; therefore, you are highly encouraged to complete the application process prior to the closing date.
Next Steps: You can track the progress of your application package via your USAJobs account. You will receive an acknowledgment email from USAJobs that your submission was successful once we have received your online assessment questionnaire and resume. It is your responsibility to ensure that additional supporting documentation is received. You will be notified of the status of your application and/or referral to the hiring official via your USAJobs account after the evaluation process is complete. You will be contacted if further evaluation or interviews are required.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/553226300. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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