Summary
Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Biological Science Aid & Technician. Make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.
Duty Location: Fresno, California
This job is open to
The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
Clarification from the agency
U.S. Citizens and U.S. Nationals
Duties
Duties:
-Assists in the collection, entering (hard copy and electronic), and performing Quality Control on data to ensure compliance with environmental statutes.
-Conducts in-river sampling, via walking, wading, boating, or kayaking, that requires handling and identification of common fish species.
-Assists with adult salmon monitoring and trap and haul operations.
-Assists with adult salmon redd and carcass surveys juvenile salmon rotary screw trap monitoring.
-Conducts in-river water quality monitoring and assists with identifying fish species.
Additional information: In response to the state of the San Joaquin River (SJR) fishery, a coalition of environmental groups, led by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), filed a lawsuit challenging the renewal of long-term water service contracts between the United States and the Central Valley Project Friant Division Long-Term Contractors. The resulting settlement (NRDC, et.al. v. Rodgers, et al. 2006) requires, among other things, reintroduction of Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) into the upper SJR (i.e., Restoration Area (RA); upstream of the Merced River confluence), and includes a long-term goal to reestablish naturally reproducing and self-sustaining populations of these fish. The San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP, www.restoresjr.net) was established to meet goals defined in the settlement. To facilitate this goal the Bureau of Reclamation and partnering SJRRP agencies conduct full life-cycle monitoring of spring-run Chinook Salmon in the RA, including, but not limited to, adult escapement, survival and spawning, and juvenile survival and emigration, to develop trends and provide information to better understand what factors could be limiting the SJRRP to successfully restore salmon to the SJRRP RA.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents).
You must meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications).
You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements (see Qualifications/Education).
You must maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times as the position requires operation of government vehicles on government and public roads. Failure to maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times will result in removal from the position.
Qualifications
Required Experience:
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, the HR Office must be able to determine that you meet the general and/or specialized experience requirement - this information must be clearly supported in the resume.
To qualify at the GS-03 level, you must possess six months of general experience that shows your ability to perform progressively more complex, responsible, or difficult duties, and that shows your ability to learn the specific work of this job. You may combine general experience and education to meet the minimum qualifications.
To qualify at the GS-04 level, you must possess six months of general experience that shows your ability to perform progressively more complex, responsible, or difficult duties; and that shows your ability to learn the specific work of this job; and 6 months of specialized experience including performing biological science tasks common to fish and wildlife resource management; supporting senior staff; collecting and organizing field data; recording data to include quality control; providing preliminary assessment and classification of the information; evaluating observed conditions and problems; and making preliminary determinations in the case of problems noted. You may combine experience and education to meet the minimum qualifications.
To qualify at the GS-05 level, you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-04 level having demonstrated experience performing biological science tasks common to fish and wildlife resource management; supporting senior staff; collecting and organizing field data; recording data to include quality control; providing preliminary assessment and classification of the information; evaluating observed conditions and problems; and making preliminary determinations in the case of problems noted. You may combine specialized experience and education to meet the minimum qualifications.
This position requires you to hold and maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times as the position requires operation of government vehicles on government and public roads. Failure to maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times will result in removal from the position.
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.
You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors if applicable, by 06/23/2026.
Education
This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement:
Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Experience must have been related to the work of the position for which application is made. The specialized experience required for some positions in this series is normally work performed in a controlled environment. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:
- Research activity or control program work.
- Nursery work that required the growing and maintenance of plants in a controlled environment.
- Work comparable to that with a large dairy farm where production records, animal environment, and sanitary conditions were kept in accordance with modern dairy practice.
Farming experience that was not performed in a controlled environment, or experience as a laborer who was not responsible for planning and scheduling his/her own work, but only performed assigned tasks, would not qualify as specialized experience.
OR
Education and Training
For GS-3: Successful completion of l year of study that included at least 6 semester hours in any combination of scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics.
For GS-4: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those shown above for GS-3. At least 6 semester hours of courses must be directly related to the position to be filled.
For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those shown above for GS-3. At least 6 semester hours of courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. The successful completion of a full course of study of at least 12 months in a school for clinical laboratory technicians may be substituted for the 1 year of specialized experience required at the GS-5 level for positions involving microbiology and biochemistry technician work.
This vacancy announcement allows substituting education for experience at the GS-03/04/05 grade levels. You must submit a copy of college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not-qualified for the position.
You will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications, if selected. An official transcript must be sent directly from the University's Registrar's office and must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. Academic transcripts certified by notary publics are NOT official. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to reporting to work as a condition of employment. Failure to submit official transcripts may be grounds for dismissal or rescission of the job offer.
Accreditation: Only education from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education is acceptable to meet education requirements or to substitute for experience, if applicable. For additional info, refer to the
Office of Personnel Management and
U.S. Department of Education.
Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For additional info, refer to the
U.S. Network for Education Information.
Additional information
This vacancy is limited to 50 applicants and may close before the closing date listed if that limit is reached. If you are interested, please ensure you apply as soon as possible to avoid missing the cut off.
A valid driver's license is required and will need to be submitted by the date of selection. All positions will also require obtaining government motor vehicle training which is an online course we will provide. Government vehicles will be used for travel to, from, and around field sites.
Salary:
Grade 03: $15.62 per hour.
Grade 04: $17.53 per hour.
Grade 05: $19.62 Per hour.
Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information, visit: Recruitment Incentive.
DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/
This position is designated as a LOW RISK position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated SF85 Background Investigation (T1 or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment.
Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov
Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Category rating and selection procedures will be used to evaluate applications from this announcement. If an applicant meets the basic qualification requirements, his/her on-line responses to the vacancy assessment questionnaire will be used to determine the quality and extent of his/her experience, education, training, etc., for placement in one of the following categories: 1) Best Qualified, 2) Well Qualified, and 3) Qualified. Qualified candidates will be assigned a numerical score on a scale of 70-100. 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). The assessment questionnaire will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide to the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):
- Biology
- Technical Competence
- Visual Identification
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.
Your answers will be verified against information provided in your resume. Your resume must clearly support the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position. You must make a fair and accurate assessment of your qualifications. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than what is apparent in the description of your experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training (or that your resume/application is incomplete), you could be rated ineligible or your score could be lowered.
Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. You may choose to have your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate you are on, you will be notified.
Required Documents
Please submit the supporting documents outlined below applicable to your claimed eligibility status and the position and grade to which you are applying. Failing to submit required documents will result in non-consideration due to an incomplete application package.
RESUME: You must submit a resume that demonstrates how skills and experiences through job duties meet the qualifications and requirements listed in the job announcement to be considered for the job. Each job experience must include dates of employment including start and end dates (month and year), work schedule (full-time or part-time), and hours worked per week. 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.For more information, click here.
TRANSCRIPTS: Required for candidates using education as a basis for qualifications. You must provide a copy of your college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable). Transcripts must include the name of the college or university, specific courses, and the number of semester/quarter hours currently enrolled. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. If selected, applicants will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications prior to reporting for work.
VETERANS: If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service. If claiming disability preference, you must also submit the disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service and the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15. For more information, click here.
CAREER TRANSITION PROGRAMS: Permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. You must submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including selective factors, education and experience requirements) and score at least 85.0 on the assessment questionnaire as established, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For more information, click here.
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.
How to Apply
Applications (resume, assessment questionnaire, and supporting documentation) for this vacancy MUST be received online BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, DC time) on 06/23/2026. To apply, click the blue APPLY ONLINE button at the top of the page.
Do not submit photographs with the application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - applicant must remove any images from badges, licenses, etc.
Next steps
Upon successful submission of the application packet, you will receive a confirmation email from USAJOBS. If you do not receive this email confirmation, the application has not yet been accepted by the system.
After all application packages have been received, resumes and supporting document(s) will be reviewed to ensure applicants meet the basic qualification requirements. Each applicant who meets the basic qualifications will be further evaluated on the information provided in the resume, application questionnaire, and other assessment criteria identified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. Best-qualified applicants will be referred to the selecting official. After making a tentative job offer, a suitability and/or security background investigation will be conducted. A final job offer is typically made within 40 days after the deadline for applications. Applicants should monitor their status for positions with the Bureau of Reclamation by regularly checking their public status notifications in the USAJOBS profile.