Deadline: Sun, 04/23/2023 - 12:00pm Employer: United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services Job Field: Wildlife Job Type: Full Time Location: Georgia Location Detail: Wildlife Services Georgia State Office Athens, Georgia Job Description: Summary: This position will be based out of the Georgia Wildlife Services state office in Athens, GA and will be heavily focused on NEPA documentation, migratory bird permit support, GIS, various report writing, support of District Supervisor(s) and State Director, and field duties as assigned. DUTIES: • Conducts environmental compliance of WDM projects and programs and evaluates impacts on the quality of the human environment in the work unit. • Monitors and ensures compliance with annual NEPA take thresholds and Federal, State, and local regulations concerning WDM and program directives. • Compiles and evaluates data on damage or hazards caused by various wildlife species for use in NEPA and ESA documents, MBTA permitting processes, and other documents. • Prepares required routine scientific and administrative program reports, including coordination/compilation of materials and response to national and regional data calls • Establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with other Federal, State, county and city government agencies, Tribes, corporations, educational or research institutions, and individuals. • Recommends, to supervisor, areas for potential research or developmental study. • Prepares and submits required routine fleet management reports and work initiation documents. • Provides technical assistance to a variety of cooperators, along with conducting site visits or assessments to identify wildlife damage issues or threats. Qualifications: MINIMUM ELIGIBLITY REQUIREMENTS: To qualify, applicants MUST meet all minimum qualification requirements, except Medical Requirements, by the closing date of the announcement. • Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including the following specialized experience and/or education, as identified by grade level. BASIC REQUIREMENT: Degree: 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 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 you must all meet the following requirements for each grade level. FOR THE GS-07 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: • Experience responding to multiple public inquiries or requests for information on wildlife damage management projects simultaneously. • Experience modifying and/or adapting established wildlife damage control techniques to meet local conditions and address specific environmental, economic or political considerations. • Experience communicating both verbally and in writing to cooperators and stakeholders promoting wildlife damage management activities. • Experience using word processing and spreadsheet software (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel) to create and modify templates. OR 1 year of graduate-level education (18 semester hours) in Wildlife Biology, Wildlife Ecology, Wildlife Management. OR Superior Academic Achievement: To qualify based on superior academic achievement, you must have completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution AND must meet certain GPA requirements. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level. FOR THE GS-09 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: • Experience preparing presentations and reports to cooperators and other entities to ensure program success. • Experience utilizing Geographic Information System (GIS) to analyze data and prepare scientific and administrative reports for presentations. • Experience developing, reviewing, editing and maintaining NEPA documents, including categorical exclusions, and environmental assessments. • Experience interpreting and applying local, State, and Federal laws, regulations or ordinances that pertain to wildlife biology and wildlife damage management. • Experience in the distribution of information requests, collection and review of data calls, and generating technical reports to assist management in decision making processes. OR 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master’s degree in wildlife biology, wildlife management, wildlife ecology or masters or equivalent graduate degree in one of the above mentioned fields. TRANSCRIPTS are required if: • This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. • You are qualifying for the position based on education. • You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education. • You are qualifying for this position based on Superior Academic Achievement. • This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-07/09 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. OTHER REQUIREMENTS: • Must obtain or have a valid state driver’s license. Operation of Government-owned or leased vehicles is required. (if this applies) • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. • Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to havefederal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E- Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/. • Must demonstrate a respect for safety in all operations, including the operation of motor vehicles, firearms, control devices, and equipment. • To perform the essential duties of this position, you must have the legal and physical ability to possess and discharge firearms. You must be able to pass a government background check and meet any additional requirements to carry and use firearms. A background check will include answering questions about where you’ve lived, worked, went to school, and any military history or police records. Selection and retention in this position is contingent on a successfully adjudicated FBI National Criminal History Check (fingerprint check). Miscellaneous: Emergency Response – APHIS is an emergency response agency. This means that all Agency employees may be asked or assigned to participate in rotating temporary duty assignments to support emergency programs at some time during their careers with APHIS. It is difficult to predict the frequency with which such emergency situations may occur – and could range from several emergencies in a year to none over the course of many years. In the event that you are called upon to support an emergency program, this may require irregular working hours, including overtime, and may include duties other than those specified in your official position description. While some emergency program support assignments may be able to be performed at the employee’s current duty station, in other cases employees may be asked to go on-site to a temporary duty state location. In addition, it may be necessary for employees to participate in multiple rotations to an emergency program assignment. Attempts will be made to keep disruption to the employee to a minimum. See this link: https://www.usajobs.gov//Help/working-in-government/fair-andtransparent/signature-false-statements/ Failure to follow application instructions regarding filing appropriate forms and answering questions may result in loss of employment considerations for this position. All applications must be signed, dated, and received by the closing date of this announcement. NOTE: APPLICANTS FOR THIS POSITION WILL BE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT TO URINALYSIS TO SCREEN FOR ILLEGAL DRUG USE PRIOR TO APPOINTMENT. APPOINTMENT TO THE POSITION WILL BE CONTINGENT UPON A NEGATIVE DRUG TEST RESULT. INCUMBENTS OF THIS POSITION WILL BE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT TO URINALYSIS TO SCREEN FOR ILLEGAL DRUG USE ON AN ONGOING BASIS AFTER APPOINTMENT, AS DIRECTED. Carrying a firearm is a condition of employment – In the passing of the Lautenberg Amendment, Congress passed legislation which prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing a firearm or ammunition. If selected you will be required to sign the form, “Inquiry for Positions Requiring Possession of Firearms,” certifying that you meet this criteria. The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor. Reasonable Accommodation Policy Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a Case-by-Case basis. A reasonable accommodation is any change in the workplace or the way things are customarily done that provides an equal employment opportunity to an individual with a disability. Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) must provide reasonable accommodations: • An applicant with a disability needs an accommodation to have an equal opportunity to apply for a job. • An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to perform the essential job duties or to gain access to the workplace. • An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to receive equal access to benefits, such as details, training, and office-sponsored events. Relocation costs will not be paid for this position. More than one position may be selected from this announcement. Salary: GS-7-$49,309-$64,101 per year GS-9-$60,314-$78,406 per year How to Apply: HOW TO APPLY: Additional materials not listed above (i.e. position descriptions, training certificates, etc.) may not be considered. Applicants who do not submit the required items listed above may not be considered. Applications with all supporting documents must be submitted to the contact office and must be RECEIVED by the CLOSING DATE of this announcement. Interested individuals should send a resume, transcripts, veteran documentation (if applicable) to the contact office in each state where the position is located: CONTACT OFFICE FOR GEORGIA: Odin Stephens GA State Director 200 Phoenix Road Athens, GA 30605 (706) 546-5637 odin.l.stephens@usda.gov
