Natural Resource Specialist

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to United States Citizens; U.S. Nationals; and Career transition eligibles (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL).

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 6, Prairie Pothole Joint Venture duty stationed in Bismarck, North Dakota or Great Falls, Montana.

At the full performance level (GS-09) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Serve Joint Venture (JV) partners, particularly the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), by working closely with partners to understand priorities and develop products that communicate complex scientific information in clear, accessible formats to strengthen support and funding for JV and partner initiatives.
2. Interpret and translate technical information developed by the JV Science Coordinator and the Habitat and Population Evaluation Team, collaborating with the JV Communications Coordinator to produce clear and compelling materials for partners, decision makers, and the public.
3. Promote, establish, and maintain cooperative working relationships with partners, including government agencies, tribal entities, conservation organizations, agribusiness organizations, local community groups, and individual farmers and ranchers.
4. Compile data and information and assist in the preparation of reports and other documents required by the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture Coordinator, including input into state and national accomplishment tracking systems.
5. Obtain input from agencies and conservation entities on proposed actions, coordinating and corresponding with all necessary agencies, organizations, and individuals associated with each project.

Salary Range Information (Per Annum): *First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.

GS-09:$61,722 - $80,243

Travel: You may be expected to travel for meetings, or to inspect potential or ongoing projects.

Telework: This position is suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

Physical Demands: Work is performed in office and outdoor settings, and requires frequent long distance automobile travel for meetings, or to inspect potential or ongoing projects. The work requires some physical exertion such as walking in uneven or wet terrain, bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, and reaching. Work requires average to moderate agility and dexterity.

Work Environment: The work requires both office and outdoor activity. The office is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. Temperature and weather extremes may be encountered in the performance of the outdoor work. The incumbent is expected to conduct duties in a safe and orderly manner so as not to endanger self, fellow workers, or property with which entrusted.

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

Conditions of employment

1. You must be a U.S. Citizen.
2. You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination.
3. You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
4. You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
5. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position you must meet the (1) Basic Educational Requirements AND (2) Specialized Experience or a Qualifying education substitution for Specialized Experience for the series/grade to which you are applying.

Natural Resources Management and Biological Series, 0401:Individual Occupational Requirements

(1) Basic Educational Requirements
To be eligible for this position, you must meet either (A) or (B) below:

A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

-OR-

B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in (A) above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Please Note: This position requires specific educational coursework to qualify. You MUST provide transcripts (Unofficial okay) in order to verify that the educational requirements have been met. This information must be received by the closing date of the announcement. Failure to provide this information may result in you receiving an "INELIGIBLE" rating.

-AND-

(2) Specialized Experience
To qualify for the GS-09, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

1. Experience applying biological and ecological principles to support wildlife and habitat conservation using appropriate field, analytical, and technical methods.
2. Experience analyzing natural resource or ecological data and communicating findings to government agencies (local, county, state, or federal), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and/or private landowners in support of habitat restoration and/or bird conservation.
3. Experience using modern computer and geospatial technologies-such as word processing software, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), presentation tools, email, hybrid-meeting platforms, and virtual file-sharing systems-to contribute effectively as part of an interdisciplinary conservation team.
4. Experience assisting with the preparation of reports, planning documents, and accomplishment-tracking materials, including contributions to state or national Joint Venture reporting systems or other conservation tracking frameworks.
If qualifying on experience, you MUST MEET 3 of the 4 statements above to be found qualified.

-OR-

Education:
2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. (Degree must be related to advertised position to qualify)

-OR-

Combination of Education/Experience:
Have a combination of specialized experience and education that equals 100% of the requirement for the GS-09 level.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.aspAll qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

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.

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

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. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into the following 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 and/or job elements:

• Attention to Detail
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Teamwork

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from 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.

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/30/2026:

1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed. 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. 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 qualification requirements. More information on how to write a Federal Resume: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include
2. Complete Required Assessment.
3. College Transcripts (Unofficial Okay)
4. Veterans Preference Documentation, if applicable. Veterans must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (member 4 copy) or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Parent 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.va.gov/records/ or call 1-800-827-1000. 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.
5. Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (I/CTAP): If you are applying under I/CTAP, you MUST submit proof of eligibility including 1) copy of the agency notice, 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 well qualified. For more information visit: USAJOBS Help Center - Career Transition Programs (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL).

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.

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