Fish Biologist Job in Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)

Vacancy No. WO-1614-NRSS-24-12502579-DE Department National Park Service
Salary $72,553.00 to $140,713.00 Grade 11 to 12
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/13/2024 Close Date 10/26/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)


Summary

This position (Aquatic Invasive Species Specialist) is located in Natural Resources Stewardship and Science, in the Water Resource Division. The incumbent serves as a senior principal advisor in Aquatic Invasive Species for one or more parks and is responsible for program development and implementation dealing with the management and protection of aquatic and fish resources and their habitats.

This is a Term promotion not to exceed 3 years.
This is a remote position.

Duties

The major duties of the Fish Biologist position include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Provides technical assistance to parks in the areas of aquatic invasive species prevention, early detection / rapid response, control, and eradication. Assistance may include training, plan development and participating in or leading sampling, monitoring or control and eradication efforts.
  • Provides service-wide expertise and leadership on aquatic invasive species issues. Assists in coordination with parks, regions, and/or Washington Office technical teams as well as with external partners to address aquatic invasive species issues involving impacts to aquatic resources at regional or national scale. Works with communications specialists to increase park awareness of the risks associated with aquatic invasives species, encourages adoption of appropriate prevention measures and develops and promotes effective outreach and education to enlist visitors in preventing the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species.
  • Acts as liaison between the NPS other federal agencies such as the US Geological Survey, US Bureau of Reclamation, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, FEMA, states, tribes, experts in academia, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
  • Assists with WRD responses to requests for input on policy development and requests for technical and scientific assistance related to policy, with special emphasis on policy for aquatic invasive species, develops and interprets NPS aquatic invasive species policy, reviews proposed laws, regulations, etc. affecting NPS resources and prepares comments that shape the NPS response to and positions on such proposals.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.
Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

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 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 work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/26/2024-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.

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.

QUALITY RANKING FACTOR: Quality ranking factors are KSAs/competencies that could be expected to significantly enhance performance in a position. Applicants who possess the quality ranking factors can be ranked above those who do not, but no one can be rated ineligible solely for failure to possess a quality ranking factor. The following quality ranking factor applies to this job announcement:
  • I have experience evaluating the risk of aquatic invasive species introduction and establishment in park waters and recommend appropriate prevention programs and measures.
-OR-
  • I have experience Planning, organizing, and implementing potentially complex rapid responses to aquatic invasive species detections park waters.

-AND-

To qualify for the Fish Biologist position at the GS-11/12 grade, you must meet the following minimum qualifications by the closing date of this announcement:

Basic Requirement:
Have a degree with a major in biological science that include:
  • At least 6 semester hours in aquatic subjects such as limnology, ichthyology, fishery biology, aquatic botany, aquatic fauna, oceanography, fish culture, or related courses in the field of fishery biology; and at least 12 semester hours in the animal sciences in such subjects as general zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, entomology, parasitology, ecology, cellular biology, genetics, or research in these fields. (Excess course work in aquatic subjects may be used to meet this requirement when appropriate.)
-AND-
To qualify for this position at the GS-11/12 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
EXPERIENCE:
To qualify for GS-11
One or more years of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equips the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the duties of this position. Experience at this level includes performing the following: (1) providing expertise and leadership in aquatic invasive species prevention, early detection and rapid response, control, containment and eradication, (2) leading and conducting investigations to determine aquatic invasive species presence, abundance and distribution, (3) designing and conducting monitoring programs for aquatic species in general and aquatic invasive species in particular, (4) developing and implementing aquatic resource management plans including plans for aquatic invasive species prevention, early detection / rapid response, control and eradication, (5) providing technical assistance and training to resource managers, operations and maintenance staff, communications and interpretive specialists, law enforcement personnel, administrators and others on best practices for preventing the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species, (6) planning and conducting or supporting aquatic invasive species control and / or eradication efforts. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
A combination of education and experience. You must include transcripts.
To qualify for GS-12
EXPERIENCE:
One or more years of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equips the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the duties of this position. Experience at this level includes performing the following:(1) providing expertise and leadership in aquatic invasive species prevention, early detection and rapid response, control, containment and eradication, (2) leading and conducting investigations to determine aquatic invasive species presence, abundance and distribution, (3) designing and conducting monitoring programs for aquatic species in general and aquatic invasive species in particular, (4) developing and implementing aquatic resource management plans including plans for aquatic invasive species prevention, early detection / rapid response, control and eradication, (5) providing technical assistance and training to resource managers, operations and maintenance staff, communications and interpretive specialists, law enforcement personnel, administrators and others on best practices for preventing the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species, (6) planning and conducting or supporting aquatic invasive species control and / or eradication efforts. You must include hours per week worked.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-12 of this announcement.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". Experience listed as full-time will be credited at 40 hours per week.

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

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.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-12 grade level of this announcement.

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.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Physical Demands: The position may require strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activities will occur in physically dangerous areas or settings. Lifting or carrying equipment, supplies or materials or other weights over 50 pounds is occasionally required. Duties may be performed alone in relatively isolated areas. Documentary research and report writing work is sedentary, which entails the ability to concentrate and write for long periods of time.

Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather. Assignments may be performed in potentially hazardous areas including steep slopes, rocky terrain, volcanoes, caves, rivers, oceans, fire lines, arctic environments, swamps, deserts, and forests. Flying in fixed wing aircraft and helicopters are possible. Will be required to operate small watercraft and electrofishing equipment.

This is a fully remote position

This is a term promotion not to exceed 3 years. This term promotion may be made permanent without further competition.

Open to the first 100 applicants or until Close Date; whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

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:
  • Education and Training
  • Fishery Biology
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Project Management
  • Risk Management
  • Technical Competence


In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a panel resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/26/2024:

  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. College transcripts, if qualifying based on education.
  5. 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 10/26/2024. 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.
Please note: The eligibility section of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the appointment eligibilities that you select. You must provide the supporting documentation to support your claim. Please review the list of documentation provided in the eligibilities language to ensure you provide the appropriate information. You may choose more than one eligibility.

Agency contact information

Adrienne Campbell
Address
Natural Resources Stewardship and Science
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
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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