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Biologist

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

Summary

This Vacancy will be open until 07/20/2020 or 100 applications are received.

There are multiple vacancies for this position - please see this link for additional information about each one.

This announcement is being advertised concurrently under R9-20-10857827-JLS-MP for current and former federal employees serving under a competitive service career or career-conditional appointment or reinstatement eligible. You must apply to each announcement separately.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
07/07/2020 to 07/20/2020
Salary
$102,663 to - $133,465 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12 - 13
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Baileys Crossroads, VA
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—entitlements for payment of basic moving expenses, as required and to the extent allowed by the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) 302-3.101, are authorized for eligible applicants changing duty station when the change meets the distance tests as provided in FTR 302-1.1 and 302-2.6. All moving expenses are taxable. In addition, relocation discretionary entitlements MAY be authorized for this position including contractor-provided home sale.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
R9-20-10857826-JLS-DE
Control number
572828700

Duties

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As a Biologist, you will be responsible for the following duties:

  • Coordinate and facilitate activities pursuant to sections 4, 7, and 10 of the Endangered Species Act.
  • Prepare and review rulemaking; coordinate litigation related to the program; conduct and review environmental reviews with other Federal agencies and provide outreach and build partnership to advance program goals.
  • Recommends new policies or revisions to exiting policy to improve management control of program resources.
  • Analyze complex biological data, reports or findings submitted for review, evaluating or writing biological and policy arguments ensuring conformance to policy standards.
  • Advises and provides consultation related to the administration of the ESA and other laws.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • 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 successfully complete a probationary period

Qualifications


Only experience and education obtained by 07/20/2020 will be considered.

Basic Requirements for this position: You must meet A or B below to qualify for the position.

  1. Adegree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR
  2. A combination of education and experience that is equivalent to a major as described in option A above Note: The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field.
You may qualify at the GS-12 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:
  • One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service performing duties such as: 1) preparing Endangered Species Act (ESA) related documents 2) participating in teams reviewing biological and commercial data to ensure reliability, credibility, or overall quality 3) applying the principles and regulations which govern the ESA and other pertinent natural resources management statutes; 4)applying the principles and regulations which govern the ESA and other pertinent natural resources management statutes
You may qualify at the GS-13 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:
  • One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service performing duties such as:1) reviewing and preparing Endangered Species Act (ESA) related documents 2) leading teams reviewing biological and commercial data to ensure reliability, credibility, or overall quality 3) serving as a technical advisor on the ESA for other Service staff, government agencies, land owners, private interest groups, etc.4) applying the principles and regulations, and developing regulations, which govern the ESA and other pertinent natural resources management statutes
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.

Promotion Potential: This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed represent the full performance level of GS-13. At lower grade levels, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-13.

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.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

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

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 (80); 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

FWS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

More than one position may be filled from this announcement.

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):

  1. Knowledge of the endangered species act (ESA) and its implementing regulations, procedures, and other pertinent guidelines and policies.

  2. Professional mastery knowledge of the field resource operations (Data Gathering. Data Analysis. etc) sufficient to develop policy, develop scientific Data Standards, evaluate policy implications and interpret findings.

  3. In-depth knowledge of the principles, practices, regulations and precedents which govern the Endangered Species Act and a thorough knowledge of related pertinent public issues, program operations, goals, and objectives suficient to participate in the development of policy, guidance and training.

  4. Ability to analyze, evaluate extremely complex, high level materials, with the purpose of reviewing and/or responding to written correspondence, technical documents, policy issues or Federal Register (FR) notices.


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: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, Qualified


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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