Open & closing dates: 07/08/2021 to 07/14/2021

Salary: $47,609 to $61,893 per year

Appointment type: Permanent

Work schedule: Full-time

See full job and application details at https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/606908700

Responsibilities

As a Fish and Wildlife Biologist your duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Providing biological support on a variety of issues relating to restoration, preservation and conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats;
  • Conducting a wide variety of complex ecological investigations or inspections involving complex land and water resource development actions;
  • Assessing restoration impact for the involved area; and
  • Assisting with or developing fish and/or wildlife mitigation or management plans to insure preservation, protection, and enhancement of fish and/or wildlife and their habitat for a geographic area having a variety of habitat conditions.

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.
  • Resume and supporting documents (See How to Apply).
  • Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation.
  • Uniform: Official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uniform may be required.
  • Probationary Period: Selectees may be required to successfully complete a probationary period.

Qualifications

Only experience and education obtained by 07/14/2021 will be considered.

In order to qualify for this position you must possess both the Basic Requirement and Minimum Qualification.

Basic Requirement:

  • A degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR
  • A combination of education and experience that is equivalent to a major in a biological science. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation.

Minimum Qualification [GS-07]

  • At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in Federal service. Examples of specialized experience may include: assisting in reviewing biological portions of environmental assessment/impact statements or comprehensive resource planning reports to evaluate environmental consequences of proposed actions; researching potential impacts of proposed programs or actions to determine the effects of those programs or actions on threatened and endangered species; assisting with preparing portions of draft biological opinions/assessments as required under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the supervisor’s review and/or discussion; maintaining and updating files on permits issued for activities associated with endangered, threatened, proposed, and candidate species and their habitats; gathering, organizing, and interpreting biological, ecological, pathological, public use, or other pertinent information to ensure management plans are current; and implementing federal environmental laws (i.e., Endangered Species Act, specifically Sections 7 and 10; Clean Water Act; Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act; National Environmental Policy Act), regulations, and policies involving natural resource issues. NOTE: Your resume must contain sufficient information in these areas to be found qualified; OR
  • At least 1 full year of graduate education from an accredited college or university in in wildlife biology, ecology, or a directly related field appropriate to this position; OR
  • Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) S.A.A. is based on (1) Class Standing, (2) Grade-Point Average, or (3) Honor Society Membership. (1) Class Standing: Upper one-third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision based on completed courses. (2) Grade-Point Average: A grade point average of (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (B or better) as recorded on the official transcript or as computed based on four years of education, or computed based on courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum; -or- (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 0 (B+ or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final two years of the curriculum. (3) Election to Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society: Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies. Freshman scholastic honor societies cannot be used to meet the requirements of this position; OR
  • An equivalent combination of professional experience and education beyond the first 60 semester hours towards a bachelor’s degree which together equals 100% of the requirements. (When combining education with experience, first determine the total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine the experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level.)

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

PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution’s registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school’s definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Required Documents:

1. Resume: You are highly encouraged to use USAJOBS Resume Builder to ensure all required information is included in your Resume. If you use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or any other written form you choose then you must describe your job-related qualifications that includes beginning and ending dates for paid and non-paid work experience, hours worked per week, month and year of employment for each job title listed, annual salary, and description of job duties. Include name and address of employer; supervisor name and telephone number. Additional information on what to include can be found here. Your experience needs to address every required qualification.

2. Proof of Eligibility:

CTAP/ICTAP Documentation:

  1. Certification of Expected Separation or Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice or Notice of Proposed Removal AND
  2. Most recent Performance Rating AND
  3. Most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location or SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action.

OR

Veterans’ Preference Documentation: If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-point veterans’ preference, you must attach a copy of your DD-214 Member Copy 2 or 4 showing you were honorably discharged. If you are claiming 10-point veterans’ preference, you must attach an SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veterans’ Preference in addition to the proof required by that form (i.e. VA letter). You may not be awarded preference if you do not attach the correct Veteran Documentation as specified above.

3. College Transcripts: A copy of your transcripts must be submitted. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. A copy of your official transcripts will be required if you are selected.

Additional Documentation if applicable:

1. Cover Letter

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

How to Apply

 

Review the appointment eligibility criteria in the application preview linked below: The eligibility section of the application allows you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the eligibilities that you select “yes” to and submit the required supporting documentation, as listed in the Required Documents section or the application text.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package. See required documents section.

Click ‘Apply’ to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.

  1. Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire and upload required documents. To previous the assessment questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11167616.
  2. Please ensure you check the acknowledgement checkbox then click the Submit Application button to submit your application.
  3. Applications must be received by 07/14/2021, 11:59pm ET to receive consideration.
  4. Check application status by logging into your USAJOBS account, in Applications tab, click the position title you applied to for the status. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.