Overview

  • Accepting applications

Duties

Summary

This is a Direct Hire Public Notice. Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.

This position is located in the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC), Fishery Resources Analysis and Monitoring Division (FRAM) with one vacancy in either Seattle, WA or Newport, OR.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As an Research Fish Biologist/Research Mathematical Statistician, you will be performing the following duties:

  • Design, initiate, and execute research projects and analyses for living marine resources in the northeastern Pacific Ocean with emphasis on groundfish.
  • Lead stock assessments, management strategy evaluations, and analyses of fish biology (e.g., growth or maturity) and ecology (e.g., ecosystem drivers of species productivity or distribution) and mentor and support junior scientists and graduate students in conducting stock assessments, biological modeling and related research projects.
  • Present assessment methods and findings to scientific review panels, and serve as lead respondent to panel questions and requests.
  • Develop improved mathematical, biological and statistical models (e.g., Bayesian statistics, multivariate statistics, and population dynamics) and incorporate biological, environmental and economical covariates in stock assessment and forecasts.
  • Communicate scientific research through the preparation of written stock assessment documents and peer-reviewed articles; and respond to requests for information and analyses from various Federal, state, and international fishery management agencies.

NOTE: Duties are at the full performance level of the ZP-4. The ZP-3 is developmental leading up to such performance.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply.
  • Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
  • Must be suitable for Federal employment.
  • Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
  • Qualifications requirements must be met by closing date of announcement.

This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). This system replaced the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band.

The ZP-3 is equivalent to the GS-11/12.

The ZP-4 is equivalent to the GS-13/14.

Category Rating, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to this Public Notice.

This position requires a Low Risk Security Clearance.

* A three year probationary period may be required.

* Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.

* This position is in the bargaining unit.

NOTE:

Applicants must meet ALL application requirements, to include a complete online resume, by 11:59 p.m. EASTERN TIME (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

College Transcript:  If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume.  You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken.

Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work.  An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards.  This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management’s website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy.

BASIC REUIREMENTS:   This position may be filled in either of the below series (0482/1529).  Each series requires applicants to meet a Basic Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of specialized experience OR substitution of educating for experience OR combination of (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified.  You MUST meet one of the following basic education requirement.

To qualify for the 0482 series:

Basic Requirements

This position requires applicants to meet a Basic Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of specialized experience in order to be found minimally qualified.  You MUST meet one of the following basic education requirements:

Degree: Applicants must show that they have a degree with major study in biology, zoology, or biological oceanography that included at least 30 semester hours in biological and aquatic science and 15 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences. This course work must have included:

  • At least 15 semester hours of preparatory training in zoology beyond introductory biology or zoology in such courses as invertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, histology, physiology, embryology, advanced vertebrate zoology, genetics, entomology, and parasitology; and
  • At least 6 semester hours of training applicable to fishery biology in such subjects as fishery biology, ichthyology, limnology, oceanography, algology, planktonology, marine or fresh water ecology, invertebrate ecology, principles of fishery population dynamics, or related course work in the field of fishery biology; and
  • At least 15 semester hours of training in any combination of two or more of the following: chemistry, physics, mathematics, or statistics.

To qualify for the 1529 series:

Basic Requirements

This position requires applicants to meet a Basic Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of specialized experience in order to be found minimally qualified.  You MUST meet one of the following basic education requirements:

Degree: that included 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, of which at least 12 semester hours were in mathematics and 6 semester hours were in statistics.

OR

Combination of education and experience: at least 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, including at least 12 hours in mathematics and 6 hours in statistics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

To qualify at the ZP-3 or GS-11 level:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-2 or GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

  • Assisting in developing statistical stock assessment for marine fishery statistical data; and
  • Presenting fisheries research results at scientific and management meetings.

OR

EDUCATION: A master’s degree or equivalent graduate degree in a related discipline.

OR

COMBINATION: A combination of education and experience as described above

NOTE: Only education in excess of one year is qualifying at this level.

To qualify at the ZP-4 or GS-13 level:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-3 or GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

  • Developing statistical stock assessments of marine fishery statistical data;
  • Conducting research related to fish population dynamics, including topics such as fish distribution, productivity, mortality, or ecosystem influence on those processes; and
  • Presenting fisheries research results at scientific and management meetings.

Education

  1. College Transcript:  If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume.   You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken.

    Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work.  An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.