Job summary

About the Position: This position serves as the Wildlife Biologist for the Lower Granite Natural Resources Management office in Clarkston Washington. The Natural Resources Management office oversees a diverse range of facilities for recreation, environmental stewardship and the Lewiston levee system.

Major duties

Perform Contracting Officer Representative (COR) duties on the chemical weed control contract by executing quality assurance inspections of habitat management units (HMUs), reviews of invoices, and monthly contract meetings. Checking the condition of HMU lands, fencing, gates, locks, parking lots, vault toilets, water guzzlers, irrigation, wildlife, weed control, plantings, and other activities pertaining to the Wildlife Mission. Obtain and maintain a pesticide license, process Integrated Pest Management Program (IPMP) reports, conduct in-house applications keeping up to date with current regulations and policies. Performs field work including Biological, chemical, and mechanical weed control. Boundary fence line inspection and repair including boundary signage replacement. Vault toilet maintenance and operation. Litter bag dispenser and kiosk maintenance. Field calls from the public, different agencies (County, State, and Federal) and other projects about wildlife issues and from different groups about volunteer activities. Assist the other GS-09 Biologist with managing day -to-day activities of 2 GS-7 bio-techs, maintenance crew, and interns (when on staff) on 55 separate habitat units covering 18,000 acres along approximately 100 miles of river. Obtain and maintain a Corps of Engineers boat license. Safely and effectively operate various Corps vessels, trucks, atvs, and side-by-side vehicles on the field. Work involves working in remote areas along the entire footprint, often alone, in the field and in the office. The conditions are arid, and temperatures can be extremely hot to extremely cold. Field conditions are often rocky, and the terrain can be uneven, with a variety of snakes, ticks, and other wildlife present. Will also work a great deal from a boat, as many areas can only be accessed from the water. Performs work planting, seeding, mowing, and other activities. Emphasis on a lot of planting work during the course of the fall and winter.

Qualification

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities. Current Department of Army Civilian Employees Current Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army) Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473 Non-Department of Defense (DoD) Transfer People with Disabilities, Schedule A Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible Reinstatement Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998 In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Wildlife Biologist: A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in biological science that included at least 9 semester hours in such wildlife subjects as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, wildlife management, or research courses in the field of wildlife biology; AND at least 12 semester hours in zoology in such subjects as general zoology, invertebrate zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, genetics, ecology, cellular biology, parasitology, entomology, or research courses in such subjects (excess courses in wildlife biology may be used to meet the zoology requirements where appropriate.); AND at least 9 semester hours in botany or the related plant sciences. OR B. Combination of Education and Experience: Equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours), with at least 9 semester hours in wildlife subjects, 12 semester hours in zoology, and 9 semester hours in botany or related plant science, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes experience utilizing a professional working knowledge of wildlife and their habitats so that habitat management plans designed to stabilize or improve the carrying capacity of wildlife habitats can be developed and implemented. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07). OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Wildlife Biology. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas: Botany Interpersonal Skills Planning and Evaluating Wildlife Biology Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-07).

Education

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 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Evaluations

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, 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, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. You may claim Military Spouse preference. You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.