Biological Science Technician

Summary This position is located in Yellowstone National Park, in the Yellowstone Center for Resources. Incumbent implements biological resource management actions as a result of research and monitoring recommendations such as exotic vegetation control, vegetation management, restoration work, riparian protection, etc. Open to the first 75 applicants or until 06/17/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration. Responsibilities Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work from approximately 9 months from March thru November, and you will be in a non-pay status for the remainder of the year. Duties of this position include, but are not limited to: Leads revegetation and ecological restoration efforts including regular coordination with project managers, landscape architects, and various park staff in the fields of planning, implementation, and monitoring. Increases and grows native plant materials including seed collection and storage, plant salvage, grow-out, plant transplantation, seed germination testing, and evaluation of project efficacy and cost-effectiveness. Plans and executes science-based habitat restoration including researching and selecting restoration techniques, developing seeding plans, integrating weed management, and collaborating with a variety of internal and external partners. Prepares reports, plans, and guidelines related to plant production and uses a variety of computer programs for resource management work and research. Provides leadership, direction, advice, assistance, and training to students, volunteers or lower graded biological science technicians. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. You will be required to obtain and maintain a Pesticide Applicator's Certificate with 90 days of enter on duty (EOD.) Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-06/17/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: Performed routine and recurring testing of collected samples; Recorded natural resource data and provided preliminary assessment and classification of the information; Provided direction and/or training in the field to others performing natural resource work related to vegetation management; Ensured quality control of natural resource data collected such as vegetation surveys, invasive plant control work, or similar; Assisted in the preparation of natural resource reports, plans, and protocols; Installed, operated, and maintained equipment for vegetation projects. . You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 1 full year of graduate education in an accredited educational institution (18 semesters hours or 27 quarter hours) directly related to this position. Examples of directly related education are biology, botany, range science, forestry, ecology, environmental science, zoology, fisheries, animal husbandry, natural resources management or other directly related fields. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of graduate level units divided by 18 units or 27 quarter hours. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts. To qualify for this position at the GS-08 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: Organized, scheduled, and executed natural resource management projects related to vegetation management; Collected and organized natural resource field data using standardized data collection procedures and equipment; Prepared draft natural resource project reports, plans and protocols; Ensured proper equipment quality and function for vegetation projects including inventorying, calibrating, and ordering new equipment or parts. You must include hours per week worked. To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-08 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: Organized, scheduled, and executed established natural resource management projects by independently planning and carrying out steps using established techniques to resolve problems; Recommended and/or participated in the development and implementation of plans to address resource concerns related to vegetation or ecological restoration (i.e. native plant revegetation, erosion control, ecological restoration, soil assessments, scientific monitoring); Adapted, modified or developed new techniques and/or procedures to satisfy the needs of vegetation monitoring, restoration projects and/or management. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at 2 years of graduate education or a Master's degree (36 semester hours or 54 quarters hours) where it is directly related to the work of the position. Related graduate education includes biology, botany, range science, forestry, ecology, agriculture, natural resource management or other directly related fields. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Only graduate level units in excess of 18 semester or 27 quarter hours and specialized experience. You must include transcripts. Volunteer Experience: 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 To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Additional Information A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected the display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor. Physical Demands: The work requires regular physical exertion such as walking or climbing over wet, rough, uneven and/or rocky surfaces; bending, crouching, stooping or reaching to observe, collect and/or record field data; or in some situations the work may require physical exertion to handle wild animals, prepare soil for planting, to scuba dive or operate a boat. Moderately heavy items, such as equipment packs weighing up to 50 pounds, must be lifted and carried on a regular basis. May be required to hike several miles in a day. In other situations, there may be special requirements for agility or dexterity such as exceptional hand/eye coordination. Working Conditions: The work environment varies from office/laboratory settings to field sites. The work performed in the field involves regular and recurring exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, poisonous plants, biting insects and wild animals. The employee is required to use protective clothing such as gowns, coats, boots, goggles, gloves. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility, You must submit ALL SF-50s and performance information for each period of temporary/term employment that qualifies for LMWFA. Performance documentation can be obtained by contacting the supervisors for the positions you served in during your 24 months. If they did not complete performance appraisals ask them to provide a statement of performance for each period of service. The statement must specify the dates for each employment period and your level of performance consistent with your SF-50s.