Summary
The Smithsonian Institution (SI) is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is in the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center is responsible for ecological and environmental research education
Clarification from the agency
This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals.
More than one selection may be made from this announcement.
Duties
The Biologist is responsible for conceiving, planning and conducting highly specialized research in areas of specialization (reef ecology, urban estuarine ecology, or marine biodiversity conservation) and expected to perform scholarly research and participate in making contribution to the biological, ecological physical or chemical fields of science.
In this position, you will:
- Initiate, develop, and participate in research and fieldwork in oyster reef ecology or marine biodiversity conservation.
- Write reports and publishable scientific papers and give oral presentations on the design and results of research and experiments.
- Serve as a consultant and advisor on professional matters in oyster reef ecology or marine biodiversity conservation and assists with guidance and teaching of students and technicians working on research projects.
- Assist or lead in preparation, submission, and review of grant proposals, manuscripts, and publications as requested by scientific colleagues and outside institutions.
Conditions of Employment
- Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
- May need to complete a Probationary Period
- Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
- Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
- Valid Passport is required to meet the international travel requirements
- Maintain a valid state issued driver's license.
- The employee may be required to travel on boars for scientific scuba trips
- May require walking extended distances over a variety of surfaces
Conditions of Employment
Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.
This is a term appointment not to exceed 3 years. Term appointments are non-status, non-permanent appointments of limited duration of more than 1 year, but not more than 10 years. Should the need warrant, term appointments may be extended without further competition up to a maximum of the 10-year limitation. The appointment to a term position does not confer eligibility for permanent employment.
Qualifications
BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B to satisfy the basic education requirement for Biologist.
A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the specialized experience listed below:
GS-09 Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal Service. For this position Specialized experience is defined researching, investigating oyster reef ecology or marine biodiversity conservation, or related subject area.
OR
Master’s or equivalent graduate degree or 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such degree.
You must submit a copy of your unofficial college transcripts for verification to be considered.
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.
Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.
Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
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), degree conferred/awarded, or type of degree being pursued (ex. undergrad, graduate (masters, PhD, etc,.), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcript, we cannot assume the credit. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts before starting the job.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job related competencies below:
- Knowledge in developing and implementing a research program in oyster reef ecology or marine biodiversity conservation.
- Ability to publish and disseminate research findings that describe new or modified theories and principles in ecological and environmental data.
- Ability to serve as a consultant and advisor on professional matters in their area of expertise in oyster reef ecology or marine biodiversity conservation.
- Ability to prepare grant proposals for research funding and support and to review proposals, manuscripts and publications for colleagues and outside institutions.
Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:
- Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.
- Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.
- Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.
This 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 category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.
Important Note:
The review of your resume will determine your final rating and should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed. You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Your application package should include the following documents:
-
Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position.
For assistance with creating a resume, please click here.
- Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
- Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
- Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note:
- You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
- You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process.
- The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
- If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.
Next steps
At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed. Additional Information:
- Tips on applying for Smithsonian jobs are available at https://www.si.edu/OHR/howtoapply.
- The Smithsonian does not pay relocation expenses but recruitment incentives may be authorized.
- The Smithsonian embraces diversity and equal employment opportunity (www.si.edu/oeema).
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