Overview

  • Open & closing dates

     11/16/2020 to 11/27/2020

  • Service

    Competitive

  • Pay scale & grade

    GS 9

  • Salary

    $25.35 to $25.35 per hour

  • Appointment type

    Temporary

  • Work schedule

    Full-Time

Apply here: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/584438900

Duties

Summary

This position is located within a National Forest. The primary purpose of this position is to perform serve as a professional wildlife biologist in the administration of the wildlife habitat and related coordination with other resources. Incumbent provides guidance and assistance for the protection, management, and improvement of wildlife habitat within the framework of multiple-use management of forest and range lands.

Responsibilities

  • Provides technical advice and leadership for a wildlife management program. This includes gathering, compiling, and analyzing data to determine wildlife habitat requirements and management needs;
  • assessing habitat quality and quantity, interpreting biological requirements for all wildlife species and their habitat; inventorying and monitoring habitat and in some cases populations;
  • determining the need for and recommending wildlife habitat restoration, enhancement or improvement projects; and studying and recommending solutions to special coordination problems involving wildlife habitat protection.
  • Performs specific portions or minor phases of assignments in support of Integrated Resource Inventory (IRI) activities. Incumbent prepares field data to be digitized;
  • digitizes data and processes data for use in geographic information systems (GIS). Documents field procedures and office methodologies produced by IRI team to develop information on IRI data layers.
  • Works cooperatively with State wildlife resource agencies. Coordinates wildlife management with timber, grazing, minerals and recreation and other resource programs.
  • This includes gathering information for wildlife management plans, surveys of game and nongame occurrence, mapping key game for suitability, determination of annual browse utilization
  • and/or amount of soil disturbance, joint recommendations for annual game harvest, and the need for wildlife habitat development or restoration.
  • Prepares wildlife management input for the unit land management planning team. Prepares environmental analysis reports. Develops biological evaluations for review by journey-level biologists.
  • Recommends, prepares, or reviews annual operating plans and budgets for wildlife habitat improvement and animal damage control projects in consideration of biological needs, project standards, and the needs of other resources.
  • Participates in wildlife monitoring program activities by making observations, gathering data, and reporting findings. Gathers information to be used in environmental assessments and environmental impact statements affecting wildlife resources.
  • Develops plans for information and education activities in wildlife conservation. Responsible for assigned areas of public relation activities, such as speaking at meetings and participating in field trips.
  • Serves as project leader on wildlife habitat improvement projects and participates on interdisciplinary teams in all aspects of natural resource management, which may include program evaluation.
  • Manages partnership programs for wildlife and rare plant.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check
  • Direct Deposit Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing.
  • Must be 18 years of age
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-Verify

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement (or date of referral if an Open Continuous announcement) as defined below. For more information on the qualifications for this position, go to: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/group-stds/gs-admin.asp

Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor’s or higher degree that included a major field of study in biological science that included at least 9 semester hours in such wildlife subjects as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, wildlife management, or research courses in the field of wildlife biology; and at least 12 semester hours in zoology in such subjects as general zoology, invertebrate zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, genetics, ecology, cellular biology, parasitology, entomology, or research courses in such subjects (Excess courses in wildlife biology may be used to meet the zoology requirements where appropriate.); and at least 9 semester hours in botany or the related plant sciences.

OR

Successful completion of 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master’s degree or have received a master’s or equivalent graduate degree.

Or

Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience in wildlife biology and performed common qualitative and quantitative analyses of wildlife resources; conducted surveys and drafted tentative professional opinions to assist in determining wildlife resource needs and remedies; and/or assisted in carrying out a range of analytical/scientific assignments in the wildlife biology profession that included researching and analyzing data, issues, and information that support wildlife project recommendations.

OR

Combination of education and experience — equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours), with at least 9 semester hours in wildlife subjects, 12 semester hours in zoology, and 9 semester hours in botany or related plant science, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Bachelor’s Degree with major in wildlife biology, zoology, or botany that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in biological science and 15 semester hours in the physical, mathematical, and earth sciences. This course work must have included:

At least 9 semester hours of training applicable to wildlife biology in such subjects as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, wildlife management, principles of population dynamics, or related course work in the field of wildlife biology; and

At least 12 semester hours in zoological subjects such as invertebrate zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy of the vertebrates, embryology, animal physiology, entomology, herpetology, parasitology, and genetics; and

At least 9 semester hours in the field of botany and related plant science; and

At least 15 semester hours of training in any combination of two or more of the following: chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics, soils, and/or geology.

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.

To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Additional information

PLEASE NOTE: This vacancy is being used to fill positions for FY2021 Temporary Employment Hiring season.

This position is temporary, has a Not-to-Exceed date and will be filled for up to 6 months or as a not to exceed (NTE) 1 year, however an extension of the appointment may be possible without further competition. The appointment may also end early due to lack of work or lack of funds.

The duty station for this position will be at one of the duty locations listed in this announcement. Salary range as shown is the locality pay Rest of U.S. (RUS). Pay rates vary by location. Please visit the Office of Personnel Management’s website for additional information on pay rates.

The USDA Forest Service has legislative authority to recruit and fill Permanent (Career/Career-Conditional), Temporary, and Term Appointments under the USDA Demonstration Project. Under this authority, any U.S. citizen may apply.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP eligible must meet the agency’s definition for a quality candidate as provided in the How You Will Be Evaluated section of this announcement to be considered.

If you are retired from the Federal Government and are selected for this vacancy, your retirement annuity may be offset from your pay.

This position is not eligible for telework.

Bargaining Unit Status: Eligible – Coverage is dependent upon unit location.

Availability of government housing and federal day care facilities will vary by location.