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Fish Biologist - Direct Hire Authority

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Grand Canyon National Park
This job announcement has closed

Summary

These positions are located in Grand Canyon National Park, in the Science and Resource Management Division.

This is a term position (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment expecting to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of 10 years. Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service.

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
01/16/2025 to 01/22/2025
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$73,939 to - $96,116 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Grand Canyon National Park
Flagstaff, AZ
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - Initial appointment is not-to-exceed 13 months and can be extended up to 10 years total.
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
IM-1541-GRCA-25-12666901-DE
Control number
828000000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. DIRECT HIRING AUTHORITY will be used to fill this position.

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Duties

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The first TERM position will be funded through project funds for fisheries rapid response efforts related to high-risk invasive species. Since 2022, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park have been combating an invasion of high-risk invasive fish species. Establishment of these species, including smallmouth bass, could jeopardize the status of the federally listed humpback chub and razorback sucker within a few years and could result in a whole-scale shift from a native-dominated to nonnative dominated fishery in Grand Canyon. This TERM position will focus on leading the rapid response efforts prevent establishment.

The second TERM position will be funded by project funds to monitor construction activities in and around Bright Angel Creek and tributaries, provide technical review and feedback on mitigations related to fish impacts, and collect and analyze data related to activities before and after construction. This position will also support pilot projects to experimentally translocate ESA-listed fish species in Grand Canyon and assist with monitoring threatened humpback chub projects.

Telework: The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Flagstaff Area Information: This position is stationed at the Grand Canyon National Park offices in Flagstaff, Arizona. Flagstaff is located about 70 miles from the park and has a population of about 75,000. Flagstaff has an elevation of 7,000 ft. and includes multiple K-12 public and private schools, Northern Arizona University, a diverse community, medical and other support services. The rental and home markets in Flagstaff can be relatively expensive and limited. Summers in Flagstaff are warm with temperatures in the 80's and frequent monsoon thunderstorms. Winters are cold, with low temperatures near zero and snow averaging around 90 inches. Recreational opportunities in both areas cross all four seasons in environments ranging from low deserts to high mountains and include hiking, backpacking, fishing, cross-country and downhill skiing, and golfing in nearby communities. Government housing is not available.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to 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 discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • You will be required to complete a one-year trial period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 14 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
  • 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-01/21/2025-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 qualified specialized experience.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has basic requirements required by the Office of Personnel Management. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position. It is recommended to upload any and all transcripts you have to justify this requirement (under grad, grad, etc.). Applicants must meet one of the following before the close of the announcement:

EDUCATION: Successfully completed a course of study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study in biology, ecology, environmental science, natural resource management, botany, chemistry, agriculture, or related disciplines appropriate to the position that MUST include: 1) At least 6 semester hours in aquatic subjects such as limnology, ichthyology, fishery biology, aquatic botany, aquatic fauna, oceanography, fish culture, or related courses in the field of fishery biology; AND 2) At least 12 semester hours in the animal sciences in such subjects as general zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, entomology, parasitology, ecology, cellular biology, genetics, or research in these fields. Excess course work in aquatic subjects may be used to meet this requirement when appropriate.
-OR-
COMBINATION: A combination of education and experience that included courses equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours), of which a minimum of 6 semester hours were in aquatic subjects and 12 semester hours were in the animal sciences, as shown above; PLUS appropriate experience or additional course work. The quality of the combination demonstrates that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the work of the position and is comparable to that normally acquired through the completion of a full four-year course of study with a major as described above.

-AND-

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying specialized experience is: organizing and/or leading endangered fresh-water fish species monitoring studies; planning and completing endangered aquatic habitat restoration projects; organizing and/or leading invasive fish control projects to support the conservation of endangered fish species; managing data on aquatic conservation projects, including participating in data entry and data quality reviews, performing statistical analyses of data, evaluating findings and preparing technical written reports; working and coordinating with partners on endangered fish research projects; evaluating environmental impacts of existing or proposed actions on endangered fish species to ensure National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and/or Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance. You must include hours worked per week.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least three years (54 semester hours or 81 quarter hours) of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited educational institution in biology, ecology, environmental science, natural resource management, botany, chemistry, agriculture, or in a field that is directly related to the work of this position. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of education (only excess credits beyond 36 credits of graduate education are creditable) and experience as described above which together equals 100% of the requirement. For example, 45 credits in graduate level education leading to a Ph.D. and 6 months professional experience equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. You must include transcripts and hours worked per week.

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. You must include hours worked per week.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

This notice is being issued to recruit personnel to occupations for which a severe shortage of candidates exists and/or a critical hiring need has been identified. To assist in filling these positions, OPM has granted agencies "Direct Hire Authority".

Salary Range: A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

Additional Selections: This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Physical Demands: The position may require strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activities will occur in physically dangerous areas or settings. The employee must be physically capable of carrying out strenuous fieldwork associated with sampling in streams, ponds, lakes, and wetlands, frequently under adverse weather conditions such as rain, snow, high humidity or excessive heat. Documentary research and report writing work is sedentary, which entails the ability to concentrate and write for
long periods of time.

Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather. Assignments may be performed in potentially hazardous areas including steep slopes, rocky terrain, firelines, arctic environments, swamps, deserts, and forests. Flying in fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters is
possible. Will be required to operate small watercraft and electrofishing equipment.

CTAP/ICTAP: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is considered by the organization as well qualified. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001).

How you will be evaluated

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

Applicants will be evaluated based on how well they meet the qualification requirements.

Upon receipt of the completed application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure basic qualification requirements are met.

This vacancy will be filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to positions filled under this Authority. All qualified applicants, as determined by the SHRO, will be referred for consideration. While managers and supervisors are not required to conduct interviews, it is highly recommended that they do so in order to assess the competencies of each applicant.

If an applicant's resume is incomplete or does not support the requirements for minimum qualifications or specialized experience a rating of "ineligible" or "not qualified" will be applied.

If a determination is made that an applicant has inflated qualifications or experience on the resume, consideration for the position will be denied, as per OPM regulations.

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