Deadline: Wed, 04/12/2023 - 12:00pm Employer: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Geological Survey Job Field: Wildlife Other Job Type: Full Time Location: Nebraska Location Detail: Lincoln Job Description: Duties As a Research Ecologist (Assistant Unit Leader) within the Nebraska Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, some of your specific duties will include: Planning, conducting, and directing research related to ecological resources, with application to contemporary science, policy and management needs. Conducting research that is cooperator driven and provides scientific basis for management and policy decisions. Serving as subject matter expert in ecology, providing leadership and guidance to government and private agencies and university representatives through participation in meetings, conferences and work groups. Disseminating research results via final reports, peer-reviewed print scientific journals, online scientific journals, books, book chapters or other outlets. Make presentations on findings to scientific and conservation organizations. Serving as graduate faculty member, contributing to both the research, graduate student mentorship, and teaching mission of the university. Within the broad guidelines established by the Unit Leader and Unit Cooperators, the Assistant Leader is expected to formulate and conduct a basic or applied research program to address problems of regional and national importance in the discipline of ecology. Research includes studies of aquatic and terrestrial communities and landscapes in the Great Plains. Qualifications: Requirements Conditions of Employment 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. Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position? If selected you may be asked to provide information regarding your COVID-19 vaccination status for the purposes of implementing workplace safety protocols, such as those related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine. 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. If selected for this position, you may be required to file one or more financial statements upon reporting and annually, some of which may be subject to public disclosure. 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. If you are a Federal employee applying for a promotion (under merit promotion procedures) you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Qualifications BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT FOR ECOLOGIST - GS-0408 Applicants must meet the following to satisfy the basic education requirement for Ecologist, all grade levels. 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. Ph.D. Requirement In addition to meeting the basic education requirements described above, in order to receive consideration for this position, you must also possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in wildlife science or a closely related field of study appropriate for this position. To verify the Ph.D. requirement, transcripts or verification from the university registrar must be submitted that clearly state: Ph.D. awarded, major, and date of conferral. Failure to provide this information will result in your application receiving no further consideration. For GS-13: In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must have one year of appropriate professional experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience at the GS-12 level may include: experience that is in a directly related to a field of study appropriate for the position, which includes demonstrated experience in developing methods and conducting research that uses ecoinformatics (develops ways to access and integrate databases with noisy, structured and unstructured data, and develops new algorithms enabling diverse and complex ecological datasets to be combined) and hierarchical statistical models (such as machine and deep learning, maximum likelihood, mixed models, or Bayesian approaches) for terrestrial or aquatic communities or landscapes, or human-ecological interactions to test ecological hypotheses and inform decision making in natural-resource management. 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 . REQUIRED DOCUMENTS, CONTINUED Land Management Workforce Flexibility Eligibles --If you are applying as a current or former employee of a land management agency, i.e., Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, or the U.S. Forest Service who is serving or previously served on a temporary or term appointment under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, you must submit the following documentation by the closing date of this vacancy announcement in order to receive consideration: SF-50(s), Notification of Personnel Action, that documents your service under competitive examining procedures in time limited appointments that totals 2 or more years at land management agencies; and Documentation of satisfactory performance such as performance evaluations or references by supervisors or other documents, e.g., memorandums of record, whereas the supervisor documented an acceptable performance level. Additional information can be found here. Eligibility for Special Appointing Authorities If you are applying for this position based on eligibility under a special appointing authority, you must submit proof that supports your claim by the closing date of the announcement. If you fail to submit proof, you will not receive consideration under the special appointing authority. Below is a list of the most common authorities and the documentation requirements. If you're eligible for an authority not listed, you are responsible for submitting documentation that's appropriate for that specific authority. --30% or More Disabled Veteran - Submit a legible copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, member 4 copy; and an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (dated 1991 or later) or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability, , etc. Additional information can be found in the VetGuide. --Individuals with Disabilities - Submit documentation issued by a licensed medical professional; a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist; or any Federal agency, State agency, or an agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits. Additional information can be found here. --Military Spouse - Submit Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders issued within the last 2 years, that lists you as authorized to accompany the Military member to the new duty permanent station; OR verification of the member's 100% disability (official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (dated 1991 or later)); OR verification of the member's death while on active duty (DD-1300 and Death Certificate) AND verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage). Additional information can be found here. --Appointment of Certain Former Overseas Employees - Submit a SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that confirms your eligibility and a performance appraisal from that period. Additional information can be found here. --Peace Corps & VISTA - Former Peace Corps volunteers or VISTA members must submit their Certification of Volunteer Service. Present and former Peace Corps personnel must submit a SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that confirms their eligibility. Additional information can be found here. --White House Staff - Submit proof that you are a current employee serving in the immediate Office of the President or Vice-President or on the White House Staff who has completed at least 2 years of service. Additional information can be found here. --Certain National Guard Technicians - Submit proof that confirms that you were involuntarily separated (other than by removal for cause on charges of misconduct or delinquency); you served at least 3 years as a technician; and are within 1 year of your separation date from service as a Guard Technician. Additional information can be found here. --Public Land Corps (PLC) - Submit the signed Certificate of Eligibility for Noncompetitive Hiring Status (PLC) issued by the PLC Coordinator for the organization where the creditable service was completed. Additional information can be found here. Additional information
