Biological Science Technician Job in Monroe County, FL

Vacancy No. SE-1628-DRTO-25-12594937-DE Department National Park Service
Salary $42,151.00 to $75,170.00 Grade 5 to 8
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/8/2024 Close Date 11/22/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Monroe County, FL


Summary


These positions are located in Dry Tortugas National Park, in the Resource Management Division.

  • These are term positions (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of 10-years.
  • Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service.
Open to the first 100 applicants or until 11/22/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Duties

Four positions are anticipated to be filled from this Job Opportunity Announcement:

  • One position will be filled at the GS 05 grade level, with an annual salary range of $42,151 - $54,793 per year.
  • One position will be filled at the GS 06 grade level, with an annual salary range of $46,987 - $61,085 per year.
  • One position will be filled at the GS 07 grade level, with an annual salary range of $52,214 - $67,880 per year.
  • One position will be filled at the GS 08 grade level, with an annual salary range of $57,824 - $75,170 per year.
Each position is being filled at the full performance level, therefore there is no promotion potential associated with any of these positions.

These positions are duty stationed at Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO) which is located 70 miles west of Key West, Florida, in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. The park is 101 square miles of mostly ocean with a sub-tropical coral reef system. There are currently 7 small keys that make up less than 0.2% of the park area. These keys are home to a variety of nesting seabirds including: sooty terns, brown noddys, magnificent frigatebirds, and masked boobies. The keys are also hosts for several hundred loggerhead and green sea turtle nests each year. The marine part of the park consists of a large variety of coral reefs, which have been severely impacted by warm ocean temperatures and coral diseases over the past several years. The Natural Resources program will be focused on monitoring how the loss of coral effects the ecosystem and whether restoration projects can help preserve and enhance the ecosystem and the populations that rely on it.

Work will include a mixture of terrestrial and marine focused duties. Which will include conducting monitoring studies for seabirds and sea turtles, invasive species management, marine surveys (coral, fish, benthic invertebrates, seagrass, etc...), and restoration projects. Work priorities can shift rapidly due to the remote nature of the park, weather patterns, and logistical difficulties, so being flexible is vital to these positions.

While on duty employees typically stay at Garden Key, a remote 16-acre island with few services. The island does have employee housing, a small recreation room, and limited Starlink internet. Employee housing at Garden Key is in small or shared apartments with other employees. Housing units have running water, air-conditioning, and small kitchens. There are no grocery stores, banks, etc... available on the island. Employees must travel to Key West to access most services. Creating a work-life balance while living at a worksite for up to two weeks, with limited to no services can be challenging. Available recreational activities include: snorkeling, diving, paddleboarding, fishing, sailing, birding, and other outdoor pursuits.

For more information about Dry Tortugas National Park please visit Dry Tortugas National Park (U.S. National Park Service). Information about the city of Key West can be found at Key West, FL | Official Website.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
  • You will be required to submit to pre-employment medical and periodic physical examinations.
  • You will be required to obtain a NPS SCUBA (Blue Card) certification and pass the DOI Motorboat Operator Certification Course within 12 months of Entrance on Duty (EOD).
  • You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
  • You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • You will be required to complete a one-year trial period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 18 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • Must have the ability to safely lift up to 50 lbs.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
  • Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/22/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

SELECTIVE FACTORS: At the GS 07 and GS 08 grade levels, these positions are expected to be able to operate small vessels in open water ocean environments, thus documentation of holding a current DOI Motorboat Operator Certification Course certificate or equivalent boating training program certification is required. As well as documentation of substantial experience operating and crewing small vessels in coastal waters. You must provide documentation at the time of application, such as a copy of your certification and description of your experience in your resume, to meet this requirement. Candidates who do not meet, and provide documentation of meeting, this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position at the GS 07 and GS 08 grade levels.

- AND -

At the GS 05 and GS 06 grade levels, these positions are expected to be able to be able to SCUBA dive. Applicants must provide documentation of holding an advanced open water SCUBA certification or equivalent from an accredited national institute (e.g., NAUI, PADI SSI) and have at least 20 logged scientific and/or commercial dives. You must provide documentation at the time of application, such as a copy of your certification and dive log, to meet this requirement. Candidates who do not meet, and provide documentation of meeting, this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position at the GS 05 and GS 06 grade levels. A dive log providing complete documentation of the required 20 scientific and/or commercial dives is required.

-AND-

At the GS 07 and GS 08 grade levels, these positions are expected to be able to be able to SCUBA dive with more documented diving experience. Applicants must provide documentation of holding an advanced open water SCUBA certification or equivalent from an accredited national institute (e.g., NAUI, PADI SSI) and have at least 50 logged scientific and/or commercial dives. You must provide documentation at the time of application, such as a copy of your certification and dive log, to meet this requirement. Candidates who do not meet, and provide documentation of meeting, this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position at the GS 07 and GS 08 grade levels. A dive log providing complete documentation of the required 50 scientific and/or commercial dives is required.

-AND-

To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: conducting biological/ecological/fishery/wildlife inventory and monitoring activities for a variety of biological/ecological/fishery/wildlife species. 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. NOTE: 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. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 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 scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. You must include transcripts.

-OR-

Successful completion of a combination of experience and education as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of months of qualifying, full-time experience and divide by 12. Multiply the resulting decimal by 100. Then take the number of semester hours completed beyond the first 60, and divide by 60. Multiple the resulting decimal by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-06 grade level, you must possess at least of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: conducting biological/ecological/fishery/wildlife inventory and monitoring activities for a variety of biological/ecological/fishery/wildlife species is critical. 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. NOTE: 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. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a one full year of graduate level education with coursework in a field of study directly related to the position to be filled including biology, ecology, environmental science, marine biology, marine ecology, etc.... You must include transcripts.

-OR-

Successful completion of a combination of experience and education as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of months of qualifying, full-time experience and divide by 12. Multiply the resulting decimal by 100. Then take the number of semester hours completed and divide by 18. Multiple the resulting decimal by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.

Education

Qualifications Continued...
To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: conducting biological/ecological/fishery/wildlife inventory and monitoring activities for a variety of biological/ecological/fishery/wildlife species is critical. 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. NOTE: 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. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a one full year of graduate level education with coursework in a field of study directly related to the position to be filled including biology, ecology, environmental science, marine biology, marine ecology, etc.... You must include transcripts.

-OR-

Successful completion of a combination of experience and education as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of months of qualifying, full-time experience and divide by 12. Multiply the resulting decimal by 100. Then take the number of semester hours completed and divide by 18. Multiple the resulting decimal by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-08 grade level, you must possess at least of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: conducting biological/ecological/fishery/wildlife inventory and monitoring activities for a variety of biological/ecological/fishery/wildlife species is critical. 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. NOTE: 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. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a two full years of graduate level education with coursework in a field of study directly related to the position to be filled including biology, ecology, environmental science, marine biology, marine ecology, etc.... You must include transcripts.

-OR-

Successful completion of a combination of experience and education as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of months of qualifying, full-time experience and divide by 12. Multiply the resulting decimal by 100. Then take the number of semester hours completed beyond the first 18 semester hours and divide by 18. Multiple the resulting decimal by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.

Volunteer Experience: 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 qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Physical Demands: The work requires regular physical exertion such as walking or climbing over wet, rough, uneven and/or
rocky surfaces; bending, crouching, stooping or reaching to observe, collect and/or record field data; or in some situations the work may require physical exertion to handle wild animals, prepare soil for planting, to scuba dive or operate a boat. Moderately heavy items, such as equipment packs weighing up to 50 pounds, must be lifted and carried on a regular basis. May be required to hike several miles in
a day. In other situations, there may be special requirements for agility or dexterity such as exceptional hand/eye coordination.

Working Conditions: The work environment varies from office/laboratory settings to field sites. The work performed in the
field involves regular and recurring exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, poisonous plants, biting insects and wild animals. The employee is required to use protective clothing such as gowns, coats, boots, goggles, gloves.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001).

Benefits

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.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Leadership
  • Risk Management
  • Vehicle Operation
  • Wildlife Biology


In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/22/2024:

  1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, dates specified in month and year format, and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade.
  2. Complete All Required Assessments.
  3. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as:
    • Veterans Preference Documentation:
      • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
      • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
      • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
  4. Documentation that you meet the Selective Factors
  5. College transcripts, if qualifying based on education.
  6. Documentation for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area. You must include: 1) Proof you are a displaced Federal employee, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above 85 on the rating criteria for this position.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

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

To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/22/2024. You must provide documentation to support your claim for each eligibility selected. Please review the required documentation listed in the eligibilities language to ensure you submit the appropriate information. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation.

WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES.

  1. Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account.
  2. Prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application."
  3. Select or add the resume you want to use for this application. Click here on how to build a resume in USAJOBS.
  4. Select documents you want included in this application.
  5. Review package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed.
  6. Select if you want to include your demographic information.
  7. After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
  8. Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
  9. Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown.
    • Upload any missing required documents or optional documents.
  10. Review and Submit Application.
  11. While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
  12. You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement.
    • To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job.
    • Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. So it is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.

Agency contact information

Erin Lamm
Address
Dry Tortugas National Park
33 East Quay Rd
Key West, FL 33041
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once the Occupational Questionnaire is received you will receive acknowledgement that your submission was successful. If you are among the most qualified candidates and your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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