Deadline: Wed, 05/29/2024 - 12:00pm Employer: Columbia Environmental Resource Center Job Field: Fisheries Wildlife Job Type: Full Time Location: Virginia Location Detail: Reston, VA Job Description: Announcement number USGS-DEN-24-12408175-DE-OA As an Ecologist within the Columbia Environmental Resources Center, some of your specific duties will include: Gathering, organizing, analyzing, and interpreting a wide variety of biological, ecological, hydrological, and physical information relevant to interdisciplinary ecological studies and investigations in aquatic ecosystems. Developing and maintaining scientifically relevant bibliographic databases; processes datasets for archiving in publicly accessible websites; writes and reviews relevant metadata. Preparing reports of findings, tables, and graphical materials summarizing results of ecological investigations for use in technical reports and presentations. Contributing to and writes technical manuscripts, journal articles, USGS reports, and digital venues. Communicating with non-governmental, state, federal, and tribal partners. Operating a motor vehicle as an incidental driver. Qualifications: Key Requirements: Applicants must be U.S. Citizens. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record. Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam. Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position? Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued. You will be required to operate a government-owned or -leased vehicle in the performance of your official duties. Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements: (1) possess a valid State license, and (2) possess a safe driving record. If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid State license & a copy of your driving record. Taking and passing a pre-employment medical examination at Federal expense is required due to the physical demands of this job. A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination. Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system. Qualifications BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Ecologist, all grade levels. A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in biology or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours or the equivalent in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours or the equivalent in ecology, and 12 semester hours or the equivalent in physical and mathematical sciences. For GS-07: In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-07 level: **One year of successfully completed graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or the equivalent) in ecology or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the position to be filled. **OR Super Academic Achievement based on undergraduate study. (CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT). **OR one year of appropriate specialized experience that is in biology or a related field of science underlying ecological research is qualifying if it is equivalent to at least the GS-5 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Examples of GS-5 level work may include: 1) collecting basic data from field investigations; 2) preparing samples; 3) making observations on biological conditions; 4) assisting in data entry and routine data analysis; 5) searching published technical sources for information on designated topics and preparing summaries for reference of others. For examples 1-5, the work performed was routine and closely controlled and a designated person assigned the work with clear, specific, and detailed instructions as to the methods, procedures, and guidelines to use. **OR a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and professional experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE). You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement. Education 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 completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs . Miscellaneous: Physical Demands The work involves field studies in an array of locations from high to low elevation and conditions of extreme temperatures. Day and overnight hikes of 5-10 miles per day carrying 20- 35 pound packs may be necessary. Extended periods of data manipulation and analysis and manuscript preparation will require extended periods of working at a desk and computer terminal. Work Environment Field conditions include an array of climatic, topographic, and vegetation conditions with typical risks from hazardous plants, insects, pollen, dust, etc. The indoor work area has adequate light, heat and ventilation. Salary: $49,025 - $63,733 per year Benefits: A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. How to Apply: --Applications (resume and application questions) for this vacancy must be received on-line via USAJOBS BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, D.C. time) on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online resume, you will not be considered for this position. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Most libraries, employment offices, and all USGS personnel offices can provide access to the Internet. If applying online poses a hardship for you, you must speak to someone in the Servicing Human Resources Office listed on this announcement PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE for assistance. --Instructions for Applying Online for this Vacancy Announcement: 1) Click the blue "Apply Online" button. 2) If you are not a registered USAJOBS user, please create a new account and follow the instructions to complete your application process. If you are a registered user, login to access your existing USAJOBS profile. 3) As a registered user, select a stored resume and select one or more of your stored documents to attach to your application. 4) Check the "Certification" box and click the "Apply for this position now!" button located at the bottom of the screen. 5) Address the eligibility questions as well as the questionnaire containing questions and/or task statements that address the knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies for this vacancy. 6) Submit required documents. 7) If you experience technical difficulties during the online application process, please contact the USAJOBS helpdesk.
