This position is a Physical Science Technician, GS- 1311-6/7 working in Ludington, MI for the R3-Ludington Biological Station. This position is also open to the public under announcement R3-23-12122786-CU-DE. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.

Duties

The primary focus of the position(s) is to provide technical support for the control of sea lampreys in tributaries of the Great Lakes through the application of lampricides. As a Physical Science Technician your duties will include, but are not limited to, the following: Assist in the development and drafting of plans that describe field work, specifically portions including technical procedures and field schedules. Train and occasionally lead technical staff to develop, recommend, and implement technical procedures for lampricide treatments, station safety plans, and quality improvement. Measure and document chemical and physical parameters of streams prior to, during, and following lampricide treatments. Conduct stream-side bioassay tests in mobile laboratories and according to standard protocols to assist in determination of concentrations of lampricides needed for treatments. Design, fabricate, repair, maintain, and operate highly specialized lampricide application equipment used in lampricide treatments. Collect, measure, and record biological, physical, environmental, and geographical data.

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.
• Merit promotion applicants must meet time-in-grade requirement as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
• Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation.
• Drug testing position: Selectees tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
• Medical Requirements: Selectees must pass a pre-employment medical examination and are subject to post-employment medical examinations to ensure maintenance of fitness standards for this position.
• Driver's License: Selectees must possess and maintain a valid State driver's license at all times during their tenure.
• CDL: Selectees must possess or be able to obtain CDL within 6 months of appointment.
• Uniform: Official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uniform is 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 the Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.

Qualifications

Only experience and education obtained by 09/29/2023 will be considered. In order to qualify for this position you must satisfy the Minimum Qualification of the respective grade(s) to which you are applying. Minimum Qualification [GS-6] One year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-5 grade level in the Federal service performing work in or related to aquatic invasive species (AIS). Experience with sea lamprey is preferred but not required. Experience may include (1) handling aquatic organisms responsibly and in compliance with protocols; (2) operating specialized equipment to control sea lamprey or other aquatic invasive species populations.; (3) assisting with applying and disposing of lampricides, piscicides, or aquatic pesticides safely and in accordance with proper standards and procedures; (4) assisting with chemical analysis of water (e.g., pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, total hardness); and/or (5) assisting with performing chemical analysis of applied lampricide or aquatic pesticides. OR One year of graduate-level education with a major study in physical science or other field of study directly related to the work of this position. OR A combination of specialized experience and graduate-level education that satisfies 100% of the requirement. Minimum Qualification [GS-7] One year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-6 grade level in the Federal service performing work in or related to aquatic invasive species (AIS). Experience with sea lamprey is preferred but not required. Experience may include (1) handling aquatic organisms responsibly and in compliance with protocols; (2) applying and disposing of lampricides, piscicides, or aquatic pesticides safely and in accordance with proper standards and procedures; (3) performing chemical analysis of water (e.g., pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, total hardness); (4) assisting with streamside bioassay tests to determine concentrations of lampricide or aquatic pesticides needed for treatment; (5) performing chemical analysis of applied lampricide or aquatic pesticides; and/or (6) operating specialized equipment to control sea lamprey or other aquatic invasive species populations. OR One year of graduate-level education with a major study in physical science or other field of study directly related to the work of this position. OR A combination of specialized experience and graduate-level education that satisfies 100% of the requirement. 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. PHYSICAL CAPABILITY: Much of the work is performed in a field environment, and involves arduous labor. Selectee is required to be in excellent physical condition and capable of rigorous outdoor activities, including safely hiking over wet, rough, steep, slippery or rocky terrain. Work requires frequent bending, stooping, walking, standing, working in cramped positions, climbing, and prolonged standing on concrete floors. Duties of the position occasionally require driving on unimproved roads, considerable walking on steep terrain (80 percent or more), working in water with boots or waders, walking through or working in heavily timbered areas (sometimes walking 5 or more miles), at times carrying heavy packs, lifting and moving objects over 50 pounds, bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, climbing, or other similar activities. The field work takes place outdoors during all seasons of the year, often under adverse weather conditions, with temperatures ranging from 20 to 100 degrees (F), and in very dry to rainy and snowy conditions. Field work is performed during the daytime, night, weekends, and holidays. The nature of the work requires an adequate sense of sight and hearing to safely perform the duties. Work requires the Selectee to wear potentially uncomfortable safety equipment, including a negative pressure respirator sometimes in excess of 8 hours. MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS: Selectee must meet medical standards to assure the ability to perform field work safely. New employees must pass a pre-employment medical examination, and the Selectee will require continued medical clearance through periodic medical examination. Also, the Selectee will be subject to exposure specific medical surveillance testing before and after field seasons. Retention is subject to satisfactory completion of a physical capability test immediately after entering on duty. The physical capability test will simulate the lifting, carrying, and emptying of containers of lampricide (TFM, 50-lbs). Failure to satisfactorily complete this physical capability test may result in the Selectee being terminated from his/her employment with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Time In Grade Requirement: Applicants must meet both eligibility and qualification requirements for the position of interest by the closing date of the JOA. Specifically, Area of Consideration. Time-in-grade (TIG) requirements as specified in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. Time after competitive appointment as specified in 5 CFR 330.502. Qualification requirements outlined in OPM's Qualifications Standards for General Schedule Positions or for Federal Wage System (FWS), wage grade positions, applicants are evaluated using the OPM Job Qualification System for Trades and Labor Occupations and the job element examining method Your SF-50 will be used to confirm you meet all requirements. If your SF-50 does not CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE that you possess time-in-grade, you must submit additional SF-50(s) that clearly demonstrate you satisfy the time-in-grade requirement. The Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA),P.L. 114-47, allows certain individuals who currently or formerly were under time-limited competitive appointments at certain land management agencies to compete under merit promotion procedures. For Eligibility Information click here: USAJOBS Help Center | Land Management Public Land Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority: Served as a qualified youth on an appropriate conservation project completing a minimum of 640 hours of satisfactory service that included at least 120 hours through the PLC and received a certificate of non-competitive eligibility. Completed most recent Corps service, for which a certificate of non-competitive eligibility was issued, within the last 2 years. Appointment must be effected within the 2 year period.

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), 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 5600 American Blvd, West Suite 990 Bloomington, MN 55437 US
• Name: Human Resources Staffing Division
• Phone: 000-000-0000
• Email: [email protected]