Clarification from the agency

This job is open to United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) and those eligible under ICTAP/CTAP

Some of the duties you will perform include but are not limited to:

• Sample fish by multiple methods in a set of study lakes in the backcountry of Voyageurs National Park
• Collect data and samples in support of two water quality monitoring programs
• Participate in research projects focused on fish communities, harmful algal blooms, and aquatic invasive species
• Assist higher-level specialists/technicians in conducting monitoring to detect aquatic invasive species.
• Perform laboratory work associated with this research and monitoring
• Operate motorboats to travel to work destinations. Motorboat training will be provided.

As assigned, perform resource management tasks and duties supporting the mission of the park. These may include, but are not limited to, assisting higher-level specialists/technicians in conducting biological aquatic monitoring programs, biological aquatic surveys, and water quality measurements.

Located in the North Woods, Voyageurs National Park is a water-based park, and travel by motorboat is required to conduct fieldwork. Voyageurs National Park is located in northern Minnesota. The park encompasses over 218,000 acres of boreal forest and water along the Canadian border. The park is a class one air shed, and the lakes of the park are identified as outstanding resource value waters within the State. Lakes include Rainy, Kabetogama, Namakan and Sand Point; along with 26 smaller remote lakes. The area made up a portion of the Voyageurs highway that opened the North American Continent to European settlement. The waterways of the park were integral to the growth and movement of the Ojibwe people of the region. Within the park there are over 200 campsites, 3 visitor centers; and a concession operated hotel, only accessible by boat, or plane; there are 45 miles of trails; 3 boat launches; and about 15 miles of roads. The park is adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park. International Falls is the full-service gateway community at the north entrance, offering a hospital, two medical clinics, shopping, schools, community college, movie theater, bowling alley, community center and churches. International Falls also serves as the gateway to Canada, so those who are visiting may also include a day trip to our sister city, Fort Frances, Ontario
Park website: http://www.nps.gov/VOYA
Facebook: Voyageurs National Park | Facebook

This announcement is clearing Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (I/CTAP) for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.

• Direct Deposit: Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• Drug Testing: You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. [NOTE: This does not apply to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park]
• Driving: 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.
• Motorboat Operation/Instructor Certification Course: Applicant must be able to obtain a Motorboat Operator Certification Course (MOCC) or Motorboat Operator Instructor Certification Course (MOICC) or equivalent after entrance on duty date. [NOTE: This does not apply to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park]
• Uniform: You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• Minimum Age Requirement:Applicants 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.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-01/28/2026-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.

GS-04 grade level: To qualify, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications:

• EXPERIENCE: Six months of general experience AND 6 months of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-3 level in the Federal service that is in or related to the duties of the position to be filled. NOTE: Excess specialized experience beyond the required 6 months may be substituted for general experience. General experience is any type of work that demonstrates your ability to perform the work of the position to be filled and/or shows your familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include assisting in conducting biological field studies and surveys and assembling the information. Follow standardized procedures to collect data on condition of resources. Use statistical methods and procedures to perform routine testing of field data collected. water quality sampling; zooplankton sampling; sediment sampling; conducting aquatic environmental monitoring. You must include hours per week worked. -OR-
• EDUCATION: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must be directly related to the position to be filled (i.e., fisheries biology, aquatic ecology, limnology, plankton ecology, microbial ecology, phycology, malacology, aquatic resources management). You must include transcripts. -OR-
• Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. For example, 6 months of specialized experience (50% of the experience) combined with 1 year of education as outlined above (50% of the education), which included at least 6 semester hours of scientific or technical courses [biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics] and at least 3 semester hours of directly related course. You must include hours per week worked AND include transcripts.

GS-05 grade level: To qualify, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications:

• EXPERIENCE: You must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level. For this position, specialized experience is experience performing biological work relating to the biological and/or physical chemical components of aquatic ecosystems or their subparts such as: water quality sampling; zooplankton sampling; sediment sampling; conducting aquatic environmental monitoring and management activities to document and assess environmental or natural resource conditions; fish or other aquatic animal presence, abundance, reproduction, management issues, and population dynamics; or other similar biological resource management and assessment activities using established protocols and standard scientific equipment; and that has included as a duty and responsibility data entry and data management using Microsoft Access, Excel, Word, ArcGIS, Pathfinder Office, or comparable software programs. You must include hours per week worked. -OR-
• EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least four (4) years of education above high school (120 semester hour or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or 24 semester hours of course work in a related field of scientific or technical study, such as in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, mathematics, wildlife biology, or other directly related subject matter. At least six (6) semester hours of courses must be directly related to this position (i.e., fisheries biology, aquatic ecology, limnology, plankton ecology, microbial ecology, phycology, malacology, aquatic resources management). You must include transcripts. -OR-
• Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to 1 year of specialized experience. For example, if you have six (6) months of the specialized experience described above (50% of the experience requirement), and three (3) years of college study from an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education) which included at least 12 semester hours of related coursework and 3 hours directly related to the position as specified above (50% of the related coursework required). The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week worked AND 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.

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.

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. 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, 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:

• Biology
• Fishery Biology
• Research
• Technology Application

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 01/28/2026:

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. 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.
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.

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