Clarification from the agency

This position will be filled under the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority and is open to all United States citizens and U.S. nationals. Veteran's preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications do not apply. All qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration for this position.

Duties

As a Fish Biologist your duties will include but are not limited to the following:

Develops and reviews comprehensive hatchery and fishery management plans and coordinates with other fishery programs that effect biological resources including, but not limited to: fish culture, hatchery quality control, fishery management assistance, sampling for exotic species, assessing fish populations, and recommending habitat restoration/management. Plans and conducts a wide variety of complex investigations including the design, collection, and analysis of biological data to: determine the effects of various fish culture techniques, evaluate the impact of land and water development practices upon the fishery resources of an area; or to assist in implementing hatchery reform initiatives. Leads the application of techniques for hatchery evaluations and ecological interactions between hatchery and wild fish, including stream ecology studies involving population distribution, abundance, survival, age/length composition, behavior, competition and habitat assessments. Maintains a high level of technical skill and knowledge necessary to ensure that recommendations for the hatchery/station/center biological program are consistent with current published literature and other professionally endorsed practices. Reviews and analyzes biological implications of environmental assessments or comprehensive resource planning reports to evaluate environmental consequences of proposed actions on Federal projects. Manages and interprets large sets of data. Uses analytical techniques to design studies and interpret results for hatchery evaluations and evaluations of ecological interactions between hatchery and wild fish populations. Responsible for the final collation, preparation and editing of contract reports, annual reports and scientific documents (to be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals) produced as a result of the fishery activity as well as preparing for and conducting briefings (for example, to regional office personnel).

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Resume (See "Required Documents"). Failure to provide ALL required information on your resume will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is provided on resume. Eligibility and Supporting documents - You will ONLY be considered for the eligibilities that you select "yes" to AND submit the required supporting documentation, as listed in the Required Documents section. Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation. Driver’s License: Selectees may be required to possess and maintain a valid State driver's license at all times during their tenure. Probationary Period: Selectees may be required to successfully complete a probationary period. Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.

Qualifications

Only experience and education obtained by 06/17/2024 will be considered.

In order to qualify for this position you must possess both the Basic Requirement and Minimum Qualification.

Basic Requirement: Degree: major in biological science that included 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 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.). OR Combination of education and experience: 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 in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
Minimum Qualification: One year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility equivalent to grade GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: providing planning support for biological initiatives related to the management of fish and aquatic resources, including Pacific salmonids and Pacific lamprey; conducting studies affecting fish populations, and performing data and statistical analysis; and, assisting in fisheries management planning; and preparing and presenting scientific data relative to fishery resources. OR Completed 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, or have earned a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, in fisheries or aquatics. You must provide a copy of your college transcripts to support educational claims. OR Possess an equivalent combination of professional experience and graduate level education beyond the second year which together equals 100% of the requirements. You must provide a copy of your college transcripts to support educational claims. 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

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:

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