This position is a Geneticist, GS- 0440-11 working in Dexter, New Mexico for the R2-SW Native Aquatic Resources and Recovery Center.

Duties

The Southwestern Native Aquatic Resources and Recovery Center (Center), located in Dexter, New Mexico, is the largest endangered species facility in the National Fish Hatchery system. The town of Dexter is a small, agricultural community in southeastern New Mexico. Dexter, NM is located within the Pecos River Valley of southeastern New Mexico, 200 miles southeast of Albuquerque, 20 miles south of Roswell, and one mile east of the town of Dexter on State Road 190. Dexter is located on the northern fringes of the Chihuahuan Desert and adjacent to the Llano Estacado to the east. Elevation is approximately 3,500 feet, and the average rainfall is 12 inches. New Mexico is diverse in art, culture, and outdoor recreational opportunities such as camping, hiking, biking, fishing, and skiing. The Center is a complex of three Units including Research, Fish Culture, and Fish Health, as well as Maintenance and Administration support staff. Nationally, the Center is part of a network of Fish Technology and Aquatic Resources Centers within the Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Center's work is primarily on the development of culture techniques for native, imperiled fish and genetic and behavioral requirements for species conservation. The Fish Culture program currently maintains 14 different warmwater threatened and endangered species from a variety of watersheds in the southwest. Many of the species maintained are the only captive broodstock or genetic refuge population in existence. Some of the species maintained include Colorado Pikeminnow, Humpback Chub, Chihuahua Chub, Guzman Beautiful Shiner, Rio Grande Silvery Minnow, and Bonytail. The Molecular Ecology Lab within the Research Unit has an increasing number of projects that use Illumina sequencing technology (GTseq; RADseq; metabarcoding; other Illumina applications) and wants to recruit people with relevant experience. They have Illumina MiSeq and ABI 3500XL sequencers on station. Most studies focus on conservation and population genetics of threatened and endangered fishes of the desert southwest, but they have also recently conducted studies on other aquatic species (e.g., aquatic plants, freshwater mussels) and terrestrial species. They also have an eDNA clean room and a new QuantStudio Digital PCR. The duties for this position include, but are not limited to: Use DNA markers and automated DNA analyzers/sequencers to collect genotypic, gene frequency, and DNA sequence data on hatchery and wild population of fishes Collate information from multiple sources to effectively manage technical coordination of information across multiple applied research studies Perform population genetics statistical analyses Provide overall technical coordination of complex molecular genetics analyses for a variety of projects Provide oral presentation at workshops, symposia, and other scientific meetings

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Resume (See "Required Documents"). Failure to provide ALL required information on your resume will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is provided on resume.
• Eligibility and Supporting documents - You will ONLY be considered for the eligibilities that you select "yes" to AND submit the required supporting documentation, as listed in the Required Documents section.
• Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation.
• Driver's License: Selectees MAY be required to possess and maintain a valid State driver's license at all times during their tenure.
• Uniform: Official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uniform may required.
• Probationary Period: Selectees may be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
• Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. To verify registration, visit SSS.gov.
• Government Housing Available.

Qualifications

Only experience and education obtained by 08/24/2023 will be considered. In order to qualify for this position you must possess both the Basic Requirement and Minimum Qualification. Basic Requirement: Possess a degree with a major in genetics; or one of the basic biological sciences that included at least 9 semester hours in genetics. Graduate Education: Genetics, or a curriculum or pattern of training that placed major emphasis on genetics. Graduate study in related fields such as agronomy, horticulture, animal, dairy, or poultry husbandry, entomology, microbiology, plant pathology, chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, and physiology that involved cross-training in genetics is qualifying, provided it placed sufficient emphasis on genetics. Minimum Qualification [GS-11]: One year of professional experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: operating specialized molecular population genetics laboratory equipment such as thermal cyclers, automated DNA sequencers, and centrifuges; experience and skill in molecular genetic techniques including next generation library prep, DNA extraction, and PCR amplification of DNA; using genetic concepts and principles to conduct studies using common molecular genetics methods of population assignment, species identification, parentage assessment, and population structure. OR Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or have successfully completed 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. in genetics or another closely related field which places sufficient emphasis on genetics and which provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the work of the position. You must upload a copy of your transcript. OR A combination of education and experience as described in 1 and 2 above which together equals 100% of the requirement. (Please note that only graduate education in excess of the first two years may be used in this calculation.) You must upload a copy of your transcript. 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

PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), degree conferred/awarded or type of degree being pursued (ex. undergrad, graduate (masters, PhD, etc,.), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address Division of Human Resources Division of Human Resources 500 Gold Avenue, SW Room 5222 Albuquerque, NM 87103 US
• Name: Human Resources Staffing Division
• Phone: 833-512-0482
• Email: [email protected]