Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
- Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
- Direct Deposit participation required.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit www.dhs.gov/EVerify/.
- You are required to wear a uniform and comply with the uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
- You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
- You 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.
This trial period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
- Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.
Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/15/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. All candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements.
To receive credit for experience, 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. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying 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.
To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:
- Individual Occupational Requirement Experience for the 0404 series. Specialized Experience Requirement: 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.
-AND-
Additional qualifications required at the GS-07 level.
- Specialized Experience: You must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors).Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: basic and applied habitat restoration techniques of wetland habitats for the benefit of various species; experience in the practices/techniques and terminology related to wildlife management and habitats; capturing, handling and monitoring a variety of species; knowledge and experience working with laws and regulations, as well as policies pertaining to the protection of a variety of federally listed species and their habitat; using computer technology to maintain and retrieve information from automated data systems, and statistical software programs in order to develop reports; working with and leading volunteers in a natural resource environment. You must include hours per week worked. -OR
- Education: Successful completion of at least One year (18 semesters) of graduate education in courses in a field of study directly related to the position to be filled (for example, biology or wildlife management). You must include transcripts. You must include transcripts. -OR-
- Combination of education and experience. To combine education and experience as described above. For example, 6 months of specialized experience and half a year of directly related graduate level education. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Yor resume must include hours per week. 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.
Education
You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. 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. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.
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. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification
Additional information
This position will be filled under the Field Unit Local Hiring Authority. Eligibility is limited to applicants who reside within the defined local commuting area at the time of application. For this announcement, the local commuting area is the area from which individuals can reasonably commute to the duty station under normal conditions. The defined vicinity for this position is: Winona, Minnesota. You must provide proof of residency within the defined vicinity (e.g. mortgage or property deed, lease/rental agreement, utility bill, insurance policy, etc.). See the Required Documents section for information on how to verify current residence.
Field Unit Local (FUL) Hiring is defined as 50 miles from the job announcement location.
Location: Winona, Minnesota
Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.
Physical Demands: Field work requires strenuous activity for significant periods of time, often walking over rough terrain and in muddy conditions; on rough or uneven surfaces; wading through vegetation choked marshes, lifting and carrying heavy objects, and in many instances during difficult weather conditions. Collection of bird survey data requires good vision and field work results in exposure to such things as: poison ivy insects, sun, wind, temperature variation and many varieties of pollen. Data interpretation and processing require extensive time at a computer terminal. Seasonal field studies involve considerable physical demands, such as frequent, extensive travel on foot; bending; crouching; and climbing; exertion from lifting and carrying equipment; and energy drain from cold, wet and windy weather. The incumbent must be in good physical condition and anticipate the demands of each field trip. Occasionally lifts containers weighing up to 35 pounds.- additional 30 points for wild land fire fighting duties, when considered a major job requirement: Subject to extreme physical effort and may be required to lift objects weighing over 50 pounds
Working Conditions: Work includes office and outdoor settings. There is regular exposure to high and low temperature extremes, inclement weather, dusty/noisy environments, working near heavy equipment, The incumbent is expected to perform duties in a safe and orderly manner, so as not to endanger self, fellow workers, or property. Field activities are normally conducted in remote locations and often under primitive living conditions. Small boats, canoes, or small aircraft may be used for travel or as a survey platform.- firefighting, exposure to intense heat, inhalation of smoke, etc; long and exhausting work hours- Additional 30 points for wild land fire fighting duties, when considered a major job requirement: Subject to high risks with regular and recurring exposure to potentially dangerous situations that can't necessarily be controlled.
All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, https://www.doi.gov/ethics/ethics-prohibitions.
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.
This position is being filled under the Field Unit Local Hiring Authority. Under this authority, competitive rating, ranking, and veterans' preference procedures do not apply. The Servicing Human Resources Office will determine whether applicants meet the qualification and eligibility requirements described in this announcement. Applicants who meet these requirements may be referred to the selecting official on a certificate of eligibles for consideration.
You must certify that you will maintain a permanent and exclusive residence within the defined vicinity of the field unit(s) listed in this announcement.
Upon receipt of a completed application package, the Servicing Human Resources Office will review your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements described in this announcement.
Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages. Resumes longer than two pages will not be reviewed. Applicants may submit only one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine qualifications and eligibility. If more than one resume is submitted, only the most recent submission will be reviewed.
If your resume is incomplete or does not demonstrate that you meet the qualification requirements or specialized experience described in this announcement, you may be determined ineligible or not qualified for further consideration.
Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
Required Documents
The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/15/2026 - unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement:
- Two Page 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). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. 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. Your 2-page resume must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements. Note: Current and former Federal employees should include pay plan, series, and grade level for relevant federal experience. If experience is for a career ladder position, please ensure to clearly distinguish the job duties for each grade level and how long you were working in each grade level. Resume Builder: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include
- Proof of residence (e.g. mortgage or property deed, lease/rental agreement, utility bill, insurance policy). SF-50 cannot be accepted as proof of residence.
- All college transcript(s), if qualifying based on education. Please submit both undergraduate and graduate level transcripts, as applicable.
- Veteran Documentation, if applicable, such as: DD-214, SF15, letter from Veteran Affairs, etc.
- Current or prior federal employees who hold or have held a non-temporary appointment in the federal competitive or excepted service within the previous 52 weeks must submit official documentation (i.e. SF50s) proving they meet time-in-grade requirements to be eligible for the grade level of this announcement.
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.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from all documents.
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.