Interdisciplinary Research Ecologist / Fish Biologist Job in Lincoln, NE

Vacancy No. USGS-DEN-25-12570972-DE-CK Department Geological Survey
Salary $86,962.00 to $134,435.00 Grade 12 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/31/2024 Close Date 12/16/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Lincoln, NE


Summary

What General Information Do I Need to Know About This Position?

Salary: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

GS-12: $86,962 (Step 01) to $113,047 (Step 10)
GS-13: $103,409 (Step 01) to $134,435 (Step 10)

Duties

As an Assistant Unit Leader of the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Plan, conduct, and direct research related to freshwater fisheries and other taxa and ecosystems, with application to contemporary science, policy and management needs.
  • Conduct research that is cooperator driven and provide scientific basis for management and policy decisions.
  • Serve as subject matter expert in fish and wildlife ecology, providing leadership and guidance to government and private agencies and university representatives through participation in meetings, conferences, and work groups.
  • Disseminate research results via final reports, peer-reviewed print scientific journals, online scientific journals, books, book chapters or other outlets. Make presentations on findings to scientific and conservation organizations.
  • Serve as graduate faculty member, contributing to both the research, graduate student mentorship, and teaching mission of the university.
  • Operate a government vehicle as an incidental driver.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Key Requirements:

  1. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
  2. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  3. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
  4. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
  5. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
Are There Any Special Requirements for This Position?
  • You will be required to operate a government-owned or leased vehicle in the performance of your official duties. Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements: (1) possess a valid State license, and (2) possess a safe driving record. If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid State license & a copy of your driving record.
  • Because this position requires travel for official business, you will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
  • The successful applicant will be required to maintain a graduate faculty appointment with the School of Natural Resources at University of Nebraska - Lincoln, and participate on university and graduate committees, advise graduate students and post-doctoral scientists, and other tasks that are shared by departmental faculty. You will work closely with University of Nebraska, State (Nebraska Game and Parks Commission), Federal (U.S. Geologic Survey and Fish and Wildlife Service), and non-profit (Wildlife Management Institute) Cooperators.
  • If selected for this position, you may be required to file one or more financial statements upon reporting and annually, some of which may be subject to public disclosure.
  • A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.

Qualifications

DEFINITIONS:

Undergraduate Education: A year of undergraduate education is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of college study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite.

Graduate Education: In the absence of specific graduate program information, a year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of graduate level college course work, or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.

Experience: One year of work experience is twelve months working full-time (at least 35-40 hours per week). Part-time experience can be pro-rated (i.e., a year at 20 hours per week is credited as 6 months of experience). If your position consisted of mixed duties, experience credit is given for the percentage of time that you spent on qualifying duties (i.e., if you held a position for 2 years, full-time, consisting of 25% personnel work and 75% budget work, and then applied for a budget position you could calculate your experience as follows: 2 years = 24 months. 24 months x 75% [percentage of time spent on budget duties] = 18 months of qualifying experience.)

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

This position is interdisciplinary and may be filled with either of the occupational job series listed. You must meet the educational requirements of at least one of these occupational series, in addition to the Ph.D. requirement and specialized experience statement listed below, in order to be considered for this position.

Basic Education for Research Ecologist, GS-0408:

Applicants must meet the following to satisfy the basic education requirement for Ecologist, all grade levels. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in biology or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours or the equivalent in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours or the equivalent in ecology, and 12 semester hours or the equivalent in physical and mathematical sciences.

Basic Education for Research Fish Biologist, GS-0482:

Applicants must meet the following to satisfy the basic education requirement for Research Fish Biologist, all grade levels. Research Positions: Applicants must show that they have a degree with major study in biology, zoology, or biological oceanography that included at least 30 semester hours in biological and aquatic science and 15 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences. This course work must have included:

  • At least 15 semester hours of preparatory training in zoology beyond introductory biology or zoology in such courses as invertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, histology, physiology, embryology, advanced vertebrate zoology, genetics, entomology, and parasitology; and

  • At least 6 semester hours of training applicable to fishery biology in such subjects as fishery biology, ichthyology, limnology, oceanography, algology, planktonology, marine or fresh water ecology, invertebrate ecology, principles of fishery population dynamics, or related course work in the field of fishery biology; and

  • At least 15 semester hours of training in any combination of two or more of the following: chemistry, physics, mathematics, or statistics.

Ph.D. REQUIREMENT:

In addition to meeting at least one of the Basic Education Requirements described above, in order to receive consideration for this position, applicants must also possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Fish Biology, Ecology, Fisheries Management, or a closely related field of study appropriate for this position.

To verify the Ph.D. requirement, transcripts or verification from the university registrar must be submitted that clearly state: Ph.D. awarded, major and date of conferral. Failure to provide this information will result in your application receiving no further consideration.

QUALITY RANKING FACTOR:

This vacancy announcement has a Quality Ranking Factor. Possession of the following factor is not required in order to meet the minimum qualifications. Applicants who possess this factor may be ranked above those who do not:

Possession of a (1) A Ph.D. that is directly related to the field of study necessary for this position, including (1) demonstrated ability to build an applied research program focused on fish ecology in inland lakes and streams that quantifies responses to land use change, climate change, and human activities, and is designed to inform the management, and/or conservation of fisheries and inland aquatic systems; (2) a demonstrated ability to effectively employ statistics, modeling, and robust quantitative techniques in applied research (including but not limited to capture-recapture techniques, occupancy modeling, integrated population modeling); (3) demonstrated ability to teach a university level course focused on applied freshwater fisheries or community ecology and management that incorporates statistics, modeling, and robust quantitative techniques; (4) capacity to conduct and facilitate collaborative research at both local and regional scales in partnerships with state, federal, and university research
scientists to address fisheries-focused aquatic conservation and ecology questions and improve understanding of fish populations, including population dynamics, interactions with their habitats and human populations (e.g., population dynamics; sustainable harvest; overexploitation; climate change effects on fish species, communities, and their restoration; fish species and community climate resiliency; loss of habitat connectivity; habitat change or loss); capacity to develop and implement novel quantitative tools to generate actionable insights to improve the management and conservation of fish populations and their habitats; and (5) experience in successfully designing, planning, and conducting field research resulting in effective, peer-reviewed synthesis.

GS-13 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT:

Applicants must possess at least one year of appropriate professional experience that is in or directly related to the duties of the position to be filled and is equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in Federal service in order to be found qualified for this grade level. This experience must have equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of such experience include: Conduct research across a broad range of aquatic systems (reservoirs, streams, wetlands) and taxa (fish, mollusks, invertebrates or crustaceans, plants) to aid cooperator research needs; Conduct an applied research program aimed at advancing management of native or non-native fish populations and communities, structured decision making to prioritize among competing management activities, human-mediated influences on aquatic systems, or progressing aquatic habitat restoration; Engage with multiple cooperators (state, federal, and others) to aid in design of ecological experiments and interpretation of complex interactions; demonstrated ability to mentor and teach graduate-level students in field of expertise including management of aquatic systems, ecological theory, or quantitative methods; and secure and manage competitive extramural grants leading to a diverse funding portfolio and production of high-impact scholarly work.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

  • 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.
  • Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .

Additional information

Other Information:

  • Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
  • Number of Vacancies - There is currently only one vacancy to be filled; however, this announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies if they become available.
  • The full performance level for a Research position is GS-15; however, promotion eligibility is dependent upon the scientific contributions of the incumbent as evaluated by a peer panel.
  • Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
  • USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
  • The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
  • DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
  • The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.
  • THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
Agency Benefits:

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Vacancy Related Questions: As part of the online application process, you will need to respond to a series of questions designed to assess your possession of the following competencies:

  • Conducting Research
  • Disseminating Results
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Obtaining Grants
  • Project Management
  • Program / Project Management
  • Publishing Results
  • Scientific Knowledge
  • Teaching
  • Written Communication
Basis of Rating: Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are Best Qualified, Well Qualified, and Qualified. You will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. If you are eligible, your on-line responses to the application questions will determine your placement in the appropriate quality category described above. Your responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

Additional Assessment Required: If you meet the eligibility and basic qualification requirements for this position and score above the cut-score based on your responses to the occupational questionnaire, a subject-matter-expert will perform a structured review of your resume to evaluate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and competences as they directly relate to the duties of this position.

NOTE: If it is determined that you have rated yourself higher than is supported in your description of experience and/or education as described in your resume/application, or that your resume or application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible, not qualified, or your score may be lowered.

To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12570972

Required Documents

Required and supporting documents may be: (1) uploaded directly from your desktop; or (2) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments.

Resume

Resumesare required. You are highly encouraged to use USAJOBS Resume Builder to ensure all required information is included in your Resume. If you use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or other written form, then you must describe your job-related qualifications, including: beginning and ending dates for paid and non-paid work experience; hours worked per week; month and year of employment for each job title listed; annual salary; and description of job duties. Include name and address of employer; supervisor name and telephone number. Additional information on what to include can be found here.

Transcripts

This position requires specific educational course work to qualify. You are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.), which includes confirmation of graduation/degree conferral (as applicable), semester hours earned, and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. Please ensure that all documentation is legible.

Veterans' Preference Eligibles

If you are claiming veterans' preference you must provide a legible copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, member 4 copy or any official documentation or statement from the Armed Forces that confirms your dates of service and that your separation, discharge, or release from active duty was under honorable conditions (i.e., Honorable or General Discharge). Note: If you have more than one DD-214 for multiple periods of active duty, submit a copy for each period of service.

If you are currently on active military duty, you must provide documentation (e.g., campaign document, award citation, etc.), that verifies entitlement to veterans' preference and that your character of military service is honorable.

If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the documents specified above, you must also submit documentation that supports your claim, e.g., an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (dated 1991 or later) or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability, or the award of the Purple Heart, etc. The overall rating must be identified on your certification letter or separation orders. Documentation must be received by the closing date shown in this vacancy announcement. If you fail to submit any of the required documentation, you will not be granted veterans' preference.

Additional information on veterans' preference can be found in the VetGuide.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) & Inter-agency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Eligibles

If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, the Servicing Human Resources Office must receive proof by the closing date of this announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330 Subpart F for CTAP and 5 CFR 330 Subpart G for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. This includes:

  • copy of the agency notice;
  • your most recent Performance Rating; and
  • your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location.
If you are a CTAP or ICTAP eligible, you will be considered well qualified if you earn a minimum score of 85 (prior to the assignment of veteran's preference points). For more information on CTAP/ICTAP please click here.

Eligibility for Special Appointing Authorities

If you are applying for this position based on eligibility under a special appointing authority, you must submit proof that supports your claim by the closing date of the announcement. If you fail to submit proof, you will not receive consideration under the special appointing authority. Below is a list of the most common authorities and the documentation requirements. If you're eligible for an authority not listed, you are responsible for submitting documentation that's appropriate for that specific authority. Additional information for all the authorities below can be found on USAJobs Hiring Paths page.

30% or More Disabled Veteran - Submit a legible copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, member 4 copy; and an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (dated 1991 or later) or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability, etc.

Individuals with Disabilities - Submit documentation issued by a licensed medical professional; a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist; or any Federal agency, State agency, or an agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS CONTINUED BELOW IN THE HOW TO APPLY SECTION:

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

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS CONTINUED:

Military Spouse - Submit verification of active duty member of the armed forces (i.e. a copy of your spouse's orders verifying currently on active duty and verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage); OR verification of the member's 100% disability (official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (dated 1991 or later)); OR verification of the member's death while on active duty (DD-1300 and Death Certificate) AND verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).

Appointment of Certain Former Overseas Employees - Submit a SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that confirms your eligibility and a performance appraisal from that period.

Peace Corps & VISTA - Former Peace Corps volunteers or VISTA members must submit their Certification of Volunteer Service. Present and former Peace Corps personnel must submit a SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that confirms their eligibility.

Certain National Guard Technicians - Submit proof that confirms that you were involuntarily separated (other than by removal for cause on charges of misconduct or delinquency); you served at least 3 years as a technician; and are within 1 year of your separation date from service as a Guard Technician.

Public Land Corps (PLC) - Submit the signed Certificate of Eligibility for Noncompetitive Hiring Status (PLC) issued by the PLC Coordinator for the organization where the creditable service was completed.

HOW TO APPLY:

Applications (resume and application questions) for this vacancy must be received on-line via USAJOBS BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, D.C. time) on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online resume, you will not be considered for this position. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Most libraries, employment offices, and all USGS personnel offices can provide access to the Internet. If applying online poses a hardship for you, you must speak to someone in the Servicing Human Resources Office listed on this announcement PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE for assistance.

Instructions for Applying Online for this Vacancy Announcement: 1) Click the blue "Apply Online" button. 2) If you are not a registered USAJOBS user, please create a new account and follow the instructions to complete your application process. If you are a registered user, login to access your existing USAJOBS profile. 3) As a registered user, select a stored resume and select one or more of your stored documents to attach to your application. 4) Check the "Certification" box and click the "Apply for this position now!" button located at the bottom of the screen. 5) Address the eligibility questions as well as the questionnaire containing questions and/or task statements that address the knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies for this vacancy. 6) Submit required documents. 7) If you experience technical difficulties during the online application process, please contact the USAJOBS helpdesk.

Agency contact information

Christina Klima
Address
NEBRASKA CF AND WRU
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Mail Stop 600
Reston, VA 20192
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

If you are rated as one of the most highly qualified candidates, you will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 30-45 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will be notified via email of the outcome. You can also go to "My Account" within USAJOBS to review your Application Status.


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


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