Summary
As a Vegetation Ecologist for the Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network, you will serve as the technical lead on the flora and ecology of Great Lakes terrestrial ecosystems, including providing technical assistance to network parks, other Inventory and Monitoring Networks, and/or regional office staff.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Status Candidates (Merit Promotion, VEOA, Land Management, Interchange Agreement, Public Land Corps and Non-Competitive Authority Eligibles)
Duties
- Coordinating and implementing a terrestrial plant monitoring program in nine network parks
- Training and supervising field staff on vegetation sampling methods, Great Lakes region plant identification, backcountry safety, and data management/digital data entry procedures
- Overseeing cooperative agreements and working with partners on vegetation monitoring projects
- Planning field logistics in remote, backcountry settings including coordinating with park and network staff for transportation (i.e. boat operators), planning communication and emergency procedures, and organizing extended backcountry camping trips
- Performing data management tasks including applying quality assurance/quality control procedures to ensure data quality, implementing data backup and transfer from field tablets to the network server and database
- Developing data visualizers, automated summaries, and technical reports/journal articles
- Utilizing statistical software, such as R, and GIS software, such as ArcGIS online, to import, query, and summarize vegetation monitoring data
- Presenting information related to Great Lakes vegetation orally to a wide range of audiences including network staff, park superintendents and natural resource managers, the scientific community, and the public
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
- Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
- May be subject to a one-year probationary period.
- All requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
- Status candidates must meet-time-in-grade requirements.
- You will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
- You must be able to lift 40 lbs and work in backcountry environments.
- A valid state driver's license is required.
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service.
Qualifications
In order to be qualified for this position, you must meet both the Basic Requirement and the Minimum Qualifications for this position.
Basic Requirement: Possess a Bachelor's or higher degree in biology, or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences. You must provide transcripts.
Minimum Qualifications: You must possess one of the following to be qualified for this position:
A. One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-9 level in the Federal service, assisting in the planning of and implementation of multi-year ecological or biological studies of vegetation/flora; using statistical software programs and standard techniques to analyze a broad range of biological monitoring data; and preparing written documents like reports and presentations to communicate scientific results to a variety of audiences - OR -
B. A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in biology, ecology or another closely related field that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position - OR -
C. A combination of specialized experience and described in A and graduate level education as described in B that, when combined, equals 100% of the total requirement. (Please note: only graduate education in excess of the first two years - normally 36 semester hours - may be used in this calculation.)
For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.
For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.
Education
ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the 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. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
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.
Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made if you are within reach of selection and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for this position. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.
Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.
Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
- Botany
- Ecology
- Planning and Evaluating
- Research
- Technical Competence
- Writing
Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.
If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.
Required Documents
The following documents are required and must be received by 11:59 PM (ET) of the closing date of this announcement:
1. Your 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 either full-time or 40 hours per week. If a part-time work schedule is reflected, the hours must be annotated to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade.
2. A complete Assessment Questionnaire
3. College transcript(s): All applicants must provide transcripts which show how they meet the basic educational requirement for this position. For those using a substitution of education for experience to meet the minimum qualifications, transcripts are also required. You may need to submit transcripts from multiple institutions or degrees to verify your qualifications. Transcripts should include your name, college/university information, major, type of degree, date degree confirmed, coursework, semester/quarter hours, grades, GPA, etc.
4. Other supporting documents, if applicable
- Due Weight for Performance Appraisals and Awards: All applicants must submit their most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record and signed by a supervisor or, if one is unavailable, a statement as to why it is not available (including if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level). Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
- Current/Former Federal employees: Federal employees must submit a copy of their latest SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" that reflects career or career-conditional tenure, such as the initial hire, promotion, or reassignment, showing position title, series, grade and tenure (please do not submit an Award SF-50 unless it provides the necessary information) and, if different, an SF-50 showing highest permanent grade ever held. Time in grade will be determined by reviewing your resume and required SF-50's.
- If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess the one-year time-in-grade, as required by this announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade, such as a Within Grade Increase.
- Federal employees must also submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed if hours worked per week are not included on your resume.
- Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act Eligibles: Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility, which includes ALL Appointment AND Termination SF-50s for EACH appointment as well as ALL performance evaluations, for each qualifying period of temporary employment claimed.
- Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA); Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) - applies to GS-11 and below; and 30% Disabled Veteran Eligible: DD214 (Mem Copy 4); dated VA letter and SF-15 if claiming 10 pt. preference; OR if you are currently on active duty, a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty from the military branch headquarters stating you are expecting to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions within 120 days from the date of application.
- CTAP/ICTAP: Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; AND most recent performance evaluation; AND SF-50 documenting your separation or the position you will be separated from.
- Schedule A, Persons with Disabilities Appointment Eligibles: Schedule A letter from a physician, local, state or federal rehabilitation or benefits office citing disability - eligibility under 5 CFR 213.3102 (u).
- Interchange Agreement with Other Merit Systems Eligible: Documentation of eligibility as listed in each individual interchange agreement.
- Other noncompetitive or special appointing authorities (e.g., Peace Corps, Public Land Corps, etc.) must provide substantiating documentation as required.
Visit our website for more information regarding appointment eligibility and requirements for documentation.
How to Apply
A complete application package must be received by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/09/2024 to receive consideration.
- To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
- Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
- To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
- To return to saved application at a later date, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to EO 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. Based upon your score, you may be referred to the hiring official. If your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly by that office for a possible interview. You will receive notice once this process is completed (generally 4-6 weeks).
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