Biologist

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens, Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP).

Duties

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 ten years, or more based on any changes to regulations governing the number of years term appointments may last, without further competition. Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service. The National Park Service retains the right to extend the duration of this appointment after selection and/or appointment, based on changes to the regulation governing the number of years term appointments may last. This change, which may be made at the agency's sole discretion and without further competition, shall not be construed or interpreted as the granting of a right to a selectee or employee to such an extension. No extension to a term appointment shall be granted to a selectee/employee to an amount of time that exceeds the maximum number of years authorized under any present or current regulation, unless such regulation expressly allows such action.

This position is based at Kings Mountain National Military Park in Blacksburg SC, but will also serve Cowpens National Battlefield, Ninety Six National Historic Site, and Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. These parks encompass a vast and diverse area of South Carolina which hosts a wide variety of plant and animal life. Kings mountain is in close proximity to Charlotte North, Carolina with associated amenities. This position will work closely with parks, federal agencies, partners, and research facilities. It is a great opportunity to build upon a strong natural resource program while working collaboratively with the cultural resource of the parks.

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

Independently design and implement field studies, including determining objectives, field methods, collection of field data, and analysis findings to assess the efficacy of wildlife management actions. Independently set and monitor remote digital cameras (including changing memory cards and batteries) for monitoring wildlife presence and activity. Independently identify wildlife species through photos, scat, and tracks. Present technical and non-technical information through oral presentations, outreach or other activities to internal audiences, partners, and the general public. Provide technical advice to the public and agencies neighboring the park on environmentally friendly actions they can take to manage pests and reduce wildlife-human conflicts. Communicate clearly and effectively with print and broadcast media about environmental protection, including wildlife-human conflicts.

Requirements

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 will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and overtime. You will be required to complete a one-year trial period. 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-08/22/2024-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.

0401 Series Individual Occupational Requirements

Basic Requirements

Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess at least 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-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: (1) Designing and managing plant or wildlife monitoring programs; (2) Collecting plant or wildlife study data and summarizing the data results in standard reports; (3) Preparing and giving biological and/or scientific presentations to a variety of audiences, both general and professional. (4) Interacting extensively with various audiences about issues related to natural resources and wildlife protections; (5) Providing professional and technical advice to local community members and partner agencies on natural resources. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's equivalent graduate degree from an accredited educational institution concentrated in a field that is directly related to the work of this position. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first calculate your percentage of qualifying graduate education by dividing your number of semester hours in excess of 18 semester hours by 18 or the number your school uses to represent one year of full time graduate academic study. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience. For example, an applicant with 6 months of appropriate experience equivalent to GS-7 (50 percent of the experience requirement for GS-9) and 27 semester hours of appropriate graduate education (50 percent of the education requirement for GS-9) would be qualified for a GS-9 position You must include transcripts and hours worked per week in resume.

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.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an 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 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.

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