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Biological Science Technician

Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

These are full-time TEMPORARY appointments, not-to-exceed 1 year, which may be extended for a total appointment of 2 years.

The anticipated start date for these position is April - May, 2020.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
02/28/2020 to 03/12/2020
Salary
$34,916 to - $45,393 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5
Locations
few vacancies in the following locations:
Calipatria, CA
Fremont, CA
Los Banos, CA
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Temporary - not-to-exceed 1 year
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
20-R8-10731741-SG-DE
Control number
560945100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens, CTAP

Duties

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The incumbent participates in wildlife studies, including carrying out a variety of research and survey methods, analyzing established data, and monitoring environmental elements related to conservation, management, and/or control of wildlife.

Assists with performing biological studies for determining the manner and extent to which wildlife populations are affected by management activities.

Uses field equipment including cameras, GPS equipment, binoculars, rangefinders and computers in order to capture wildlife survey data or for other records.

Independently identifies and collects data for studies.

Logs samples/data to be used for analysis. Uses a variety of laboratory and equipment to perform standardized tasks for studies.

Compiles and summarizes data from surveys, biological evaluations, and tests. Runs routine programs and checks resulting data for inconsistencies.

Assists in preparation of reports.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Government housing is available at all locations listed
  • Valid state issued driver's license required at all locations listed
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Resume and supporting documents (See How To Apply)
  • Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation
  • May be required to wear official uniform

Qualifications

Only experience and education obtained by 03/12/2020 will be accepted.

Minimum Qualification requirement for this position: Applicants must meet A, B, or C below;

A. I have a bachelor's degree, or have successfully completed of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major field of study (or at least 24 semester hours of study) in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours are directly related to this position.
OR
B. I have at least one year specialized experience comparable to the GS-4 level or higher, performing the following duties: conducting surveys of wildlife; capturing, handling, and tagging a variety of wildlife; assisting with studies of wildlife or vegetation; conducting invasive plant control duties, and recording scientific data to prepare reports.THIS IS CLEARLY DESCRIBED IN MY RESUME. I UNDERSTAND THAT IF IT IS NOT, I WILL BE FOUND NOT QUALIFIED FOR THIS POSITION REGARDLESS OF MY RESPONSE TO THIS QUESTION ON THE QUESTIONNAIRE.
OR
C. I have less than one year of specialized work experience as described in B and have not yet completed four years of education above high school as described in A. However, I have a combination of experience and education as described above that, when computed as percentages of their respective requirements, equals at least 100% when combined.

IMPORTANT: Human Resources is not permitted to "read between the lines," make assumptions about, or infer what duties you performed in your work history. To ensure that we can credit your experience, we recommend that you update your resume to specifically address the duties described above. One year of experience refers to full-time work. Your resume must include the number of hours worked per week.

Physical Demands/Work Environment:
Physical demands will range depending on the project and use of the position. This could range from working primarily in an office/lab environment in which a normal level of agility and dexterity is needed to field work requiring regular and recurring physical activity such as prolonged standing, walking over wet and/or rocky surfaces, stooping, bending, kneeling, climbing, and carrying heavy items may occur. The work environment will range depending on the project and use of the position. This could range from working primarily in an office/lab environment with adequate lighting and temperature control to field work with extreme weather conditions, insects/wildlife, and/or other environments that would require the incumbent to use protective clothing or gear such as hard hats, masks, gowns, earplugs, coats, boots, goggles, gloves, or shields to mitigate risks.

Education

PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT: Most Federal employees earn both annual and sick leave. For additional information, visit Leave Administration. Effective January 2015, employees on temporary appointments may be eligible for health benefits through the Federal Employees Health Benefits program and, if eligible, will receive the same government contribution as full-time permanent employees. To be eligible for consideration, temporary employees working full-time or part-time must be on appointments expected to last at least 90 days, or be on an intermittent work schedule and expected to work 130 hours per month for at least 90 days. Employees electing to participate in the FEHB will be responsible for the employee share of the premium while on the official agency roles, which is deducted from bi-weekly earnings. After separating from federal employment, employees will be offered to continue participation in FEHB under the Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) option. Employees electing to continue coverage under the TCC provision will be responsible for the full premium amount plus a 2% administration fee.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): These programs apply to employees who have been or may be involuntarily separated (e.g. reduction in force, declining to relocate/transfer outside their local commuting area) from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal or Removal Notice; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; or Removal and most recent performance appraisal.). For more information visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/

To register or verify your registration go to the Selective Service System at https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx

Duty Station Salary:
Los Banos, CA: $34916 - $45393 per annum
Calipatria, CA: $34916 - $45393 per annum
Fremont, CA: $42592 - $55372 per annum

More than one position may be filled from this announcement.

A PCS move is not authorized.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the basic qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you meet the basic qualifications your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience which resulted in you being listed in the highest quality category, you may lose consideration, or be assigned to a lower quality category for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

  • Ability to identify wildlife species
  • Practical knowledge of the biological sciences
  • Knowledge of database systems
  • Skill in oral communication
  • Skill in using common hand tools and simple power equipment

All qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. The category ratings for this position are:
  • Qualified: Meets minimum qualifications established for the position, but fails to meet the benchmark definition for the Well Qualified category.
  • Well Qualified: Demonstrates overall competency in the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the position.
  • Highly Qualified: Demonstrates high proficiency and comprehensive level of knowledge, skills, and abilities of the position.

The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of Veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the basic qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher).

If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must attach a copy of your DD-214 showing you were honorably discharged. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must attach an SF-15," Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" in addition to the proof required by that form.

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