Clarification from the agency

Open to all U.S. Citizens. ICTAP/CTAP eligibles.

This is a temporary appointment intended for seasonal work that is less than 6 months or 1040 hours from the date of appointment/service year. It is expected this position will be terminated upon completion of the seasons work. The agency may non-competitively rehire an eligible temporary seasonal worker in subsequent years who works less than 6 months or 1040 hours in their service year.

As a Seasonal - Small Craft Operator your duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Operate oar or motorized rafts, launches on rivers to transport passengers or light materials in various weather conditions.
• Operate motorized and non-motorized rafts on a variety of river water environments that include calm to white-water rated at a class level 4 or higher.
• Perform routine maintenance on small crafts such as those listed above.
• Conduct fish surveys in large river systems.
• Load and unload cargo from small craft, launches, etc.
• Accomplish work following standard established procedures.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

Physical Effort: Very strenuous effort is required in the operation and frequent adjustment of large pieces of equipment and attachments, often under adverse operating conditions. Considerable strain is caused by the constant vibration of the equipment and the jolting received from operation of the equipment over rough surfaces. Location of the controls and attachments frequently requires work in awkward or strained positions. Daily equipment servicing requires bending, stooping, kneeling, and lifting of heavy objects. The employee frequently lifts, carries, and sets up parts and equipment weighing up to 50 pounds unassisted, and over 50 pounds with assistance. The employee uses jacks, pulleys, dollies, or other lifting and carrying devices. Work may be from ladders, scaffolding, platforms, or high places, and in hard-to-reach places. Frequent arm and leg movements are required to operate controls, make repairs, and build items.

Working Conditions: Work is performed in all types of weather often in an open driver's seat. Due to operations of large and complicated equipment, often in rough terrain, the operator is exposed to injury resulting from equipment overturning, and is subject to noise, vibration, dust, and fumes from machinery. Caution must be exercised to avoid injury from moving machinery and breaking cables, and other difficult circumstances.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation
• Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.
• Driver’s License: This position requires the incumbent to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties. Selectee must hold and maintain a valid state driver’s license throughout their employment in this position.
• Uniform: Official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uniform is required.

Qualifications

By 12/12/2025 of this announcement, you must meet the requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Handbook X118C, Job Qualification System for Trades and Labor Occupation.

http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/x-118c/

Although no specific amount of experience, education or training is required, applicants must meet a minimum level of ability in relation to the position and the Assessment Questionnaire in order to be rated qualified for consideration. To be qualified candidates must meet any screen out element(s) listed at an "acceptable" level, and must achieve an average rating of at least "acceptable" on all of the elements. Only education, training, or experience acquired before the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements.

The screen out element for this position is: Ability to do the work of a Small Craft Operator position at the WG-05 grade level without more than normal supervision, operating small craft on river water environments from calm to white-water rated at class 1 or 2 and the ability to perform routine maintenance on small craft.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you meet the qualifications your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications which resulted in you being listed in the highest quality category, you may lose consideration or be assigned to a lower quality category for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following Job Elements:

• Operation of Motor Vehicles.
• Ability To Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc.
• Work Practices (includes keeping things neat, clean, and in order).
• Ability to Drive Safely (Motor Vehicles).

All qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. The category ratings for this position are: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, and Qualified

The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of Veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher).