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-13: $114,970 (Step 01) to $149,465 (Step 10)
Open to current or former Federal employees via this link:
Duties
As a Research Ecologist (Avian) within the Fort Collins Science Center, some of your specific duties will include:
- Work within a multi-disciplinary setting with other research scientists at the USGS (FORT) to address landscape-scale questions dealing with bird populations, habitats, and land use.
- Work closely with local, State, and Federal (e.g., US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service) wildlife personnel to address applied scientific research questions of management priority.
- Conduct avian ecology research and create management questions in collaboration with other scientists and managers in order to investigate broad-scale changes to avian populations. This includes developing research; securing research funds; setting up experiments; hiring and training technicians; collecting field data; and using advanced statistical and empirical modeling approaches to analyze and publish research results. This information will be used to develop decision support tools for planning and implementation of management, conservation, and restoration activities.
- Operate a government vehicle as an incidental driver.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
Key Requirements:
- Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
- Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
- Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
- More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
- Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
- Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.
Are There Any Special Requirements for This Position?
- Taking and passing a pre-employment medical examination at Federal expense is required due to the physical demands of this job.
- 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, the selectee 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.
- 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.
- Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
Qualifications
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 yrs = 24 months. 24 months x 75% [percentage of time spent on budget duties] = 18 months of qualifying experience.)
BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT FOR ECOLOGIST, GS-0408:
Applicants must meet the Basic Education Requirement below:
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.
For GS-13:
In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must possess at least one year of appropriate professional experience, that is equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service, and has equipped them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience may include:
- Working within a multi-disciplinary, collaborative setting with other research scientists to address landscape-scale questions dealing with bird populations, bird habitats, and land use and climate change;
- Conducting avian ecology research addressing management questions to investigate broad-scale changes to avian populations. This experience includes developing research ideas, securing research funds, setting up field experiments, hiring and training technicians, collecting field data on wild birds, and using advanced statistical modeling approaches to analyze and publish research results;
- Working with a variety of stakeholders including local, State, and Federal wildlife personnel to address applied scientific research questions of avian management priority; and
- Using scientific information to develop decision support tools for planning and implementation of avian management, conservation, and/or restoration activities.
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 .
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.
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:
- Collect Scientific Data
- Interpersonal Communication
- Modeling Knowledge
- Program / Project Management
- Publications Design
- Scientific Knowledge
- Technology Application
- 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. If you meet the basic qualification and eligibility requirements of this position, you will be contacted via email after the vacancy announcement closes and given 5calendar days to submit narrative responses that address the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required to perform the duties of this position. You will be rated and ranked based on the information you provide in your resume as well as the responses you submit to the required KSAs. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.
The Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities required for this position are as follows:
1. Knowledge of the principles, theories, and practices of avian ecology, population biology, and related environmental disciplines, and ability to prepare research plans, identify and develop the state-of-art approaches, execute research, manage budget, and to deliver the research results.
2. Skill, experience, and ability to conduct quantitative statistical analyses, including ability to use modern methods and models to present and analyze ecological and bird data. Statistical methods could include Bayesian hierarchical modeling and population analyses to assess changes in the distribution, abundance, and movement patterns of avian species. Proficiency in programming languages such as R and Stan for statistical computing and graphics. Ability to apply these techniques to assess impacts of stressors on avian populations and communities. Please describe examples of quantitative or statistical analyses you have conducted, the novelty of the methods, the types of data used, the species to which these analyses were applied, and the programming language used to conduct the analyses.
3. Ability to communicate with natural resource managers, identify scientific questions, prepare new research initiatives and proposals, and secure funding. How many and what types of proposals have you submitted? How successful have you been in securing funding for research that addresses relevant topics for managing and conserving avian populations.
4. Communication skills, leadership, and teamwork: ability to lead or serve as a major player in interdisciplinary research teams, coordinate and communicate to teammates and clients, support the missions of teams, serve at committees, and represent USGS. How many times and what kind of leadership roles did you play in multi-agency teams, workgroups, or committees.
5. Ability to communicate research results effectively, in oral and written forms, both in peer-reviewed journal articles and presentations at professional conferences to other scientists, as well as in informational reports, briefings, and technical consultations with decision makers. Please provide a bibliography of published abstracts, papers, and formal and informal presentations.
HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED CONTINUED BELOW IN THE HOW TO APPLY SECTION:
Required Documents
HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED CONTINUED:
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/12429990
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 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.
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
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.
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.
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