Natural Resource Specialist/Fish Biologist

Conditions of Employment

This position is located within the Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), West Coast Region (WCR) with 9 vacancies located in Seattle, WA; Lacey, WA; Ellensburg, WA; Portland, OR; Roseburg, OR; Boise, ID; Sacramento, CA; Santa Rosa, CA; Arcata, CA; or Long Beach, CA.



This is a Direct Hire Public Notice. Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration. This is an interdisciplinary position.



This is a term appointment not to exceed 1 year with possible extensions up to a total of 4 years without further competition. Appointment to this position will not convey permanent status in the Federal service.



This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel Systems (CAPS). This system replaces the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band.



The ZP-3 is equivalent to the GS-11/12.



Key Requirements:

1. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
2. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
3. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
4. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
5. Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (ww.sss.gov)
6. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.

NOTE:

• This position is not in the bargaining unit.
• Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.
• Payment of recruitment/relocation incentives may be authorized.
• 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

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• This position requires the operation of a Federal motor vehicle.
• The position requires occasional travel on behalf of the agency to attend meetings with external and internal partners.
• This position requires occasional travel to research sites. Incumbent will travel to work sites to evaluate projects and the effects of various actions on trust species and habitats. Work sites could be remotely located and could require the use of a small boat or all-terrain vehicle for access.

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy.



BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience OR substitution of education for experience OR combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following requirements:



To qualify for the 0401 series:



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



OR



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



To qualify for the 0482 series:



A. 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 when appropriate.)

OR



B. 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.



SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.



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.



To qualify at the ZP-3 or GS-11 level:



SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-2 or GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

• Assisting in the gathering and analysis of scientific data and technical information to determine environmental impacts on biological resources and marine or aquatic species/habitats;
• Evaluating effects of land management actions, water project operations, or proposed fisheries on marine or other aquatic species/habitats to determine compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies; and
• Preparing or contributing to drafting regulatory documents in accordance with the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act or other applicable natural resources conservation/environmental regulations or statutes.

-OR-



SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.



-OR-



COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience as described above.



Note: Only graduate education in excess of two years is qualifying for combination.

Education

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: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation