Research Ecologist/Fish Biologist/Wildlife Biologist (Unit Leader)

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

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 supervisory and/or probationary period.
4. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
5. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The applicant will be required to maintain a graduate faculty appointment in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Arkansas, and participate on university and graduate committees, graduate advising, and other tasks that are shared by departmental faculty as appropriate.
• 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.

Qualifications

This position is interdisciplinary and may be filled in one of the occupational job series listed. You must meet the educational requirements of at least one of these occupational series, in addition to the Minimum and PhD Requirement listed below, in order to be found qualified and referred for consideration.



BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT:



Basic Education 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.



*OR*



Basic Education for Fish Biologist, GS-0482: Applicants must meet the following to satisfy the basic education requirement for Research Fish Biologist, all grade levels. Research Positions: Applicants must show that they have a degree with major study in biology, zoology, or biological oceanography that included at least 30 semester hours in biological and aquatic science and 15 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences. This course work must have included:

• At least 15 semester hours of preparatory training in zoology beyond introductory biology or zoology in such courses as invertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, histology, physiology, embryology, advanced vertebrate zoology, genetics, entomology, and parasitology; and

• At least 6 semester hours of training applicable to fishery biology in such subjects as fishery biology, ichthyology, limnology, oceanography, algology, planktonology, marine or fresh water ecology, invertebrate ecology, principles of fishery population dynamics, or related course work in the field of fishery biology; and

• At least 15 semester hours of training in any combination of two or more of the following: chemistry, physics, mathematics, or statistics.

*OR*



Basic Education for Research Wildlife Biologist, GS-0486: Applicants must meet the following to satisfy the basic education requirement for Research Wildlife Biologist, all grade levels. Research positions: Degree with major in wildlife biology, zoology, or botany that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in biological science and 15 semester hours in the physical, mathematical, and earth sciences. This course work must have included:

• At least 9 semester hours of training applicable to wildlife biology in such subjects as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, wildlife management, principles of population dynamics, or related course work in the field of wildlife biology; and
• At least 12 semester hours in zoological subjects such as invertebrate zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy of the vertebrates, embryology, animal physiology, entomology, herpetology, parasitology, and genetics; and
• At least 9 semester hours in the field of botany and related plant science; and
• At least 15 semester hours of training in any combination of two or more of the following: chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics, soils, and/or geology.

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 or fisheries 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 GS-12 level work may include: 1) planning and coordinating fisheries or wildlife biology projects of considerable depth and/or breadth; 2) analyzing and interpreting wildlife or fisheries related project data for novel and obscure problems; 3) developing new or significantly modified biological techniques, methods, or criteria; 4) providing advisory, planning, or reviewing services as a technical specialist on a wildlife or fisheries issues; 5) work provided wide latitude for the exercise of independent judgment to perform scientific work of marked difficulty and responsibility. The researcher must have an established record of obtaining funding and managing an applied, research program focused on fish, or wildlife biology or management that is relevant to wildlife conservation agencies and stakeholders locally, nationally, and internationally, and have demonstrated ability to make contributions to the field.



For GS-14: 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-13 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience at the GS-13 level includes, in addition to those described above: 1) an established record of obtaining funding and managing an applied, research program focused on fish, or wildlife biology or management that is relevant to wildlife conservation agencies and stakeholders locally, nationally, and internationally; 2) a record of leading research teams that provide a scientific basis for decisions on management and conservation of fish or wildlife populations; 2) conducting research investigations based upon newly identified principles in wildlife or fisheries program areas where little or no information is available; 4) work that required the development or extension of traditional methods and practices, or the development of essentially new or vastly modified techniques or methods. The researcher should have demonstrated ability to make significant research contributions to the field.

In addition to the basic qualifications, candidates should include a teaching statement, research statement, statement of commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.



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 .