These positions are temporary and may not exceed 1039 hours (six months) in a service year. They may be terminated sooner or extended depending on management needs. Positions may not be filled at every duty station. Selectees may be moved between duty stations within park boundaries. Open to the first 350 applicants or until 09/29/2023 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Duties

The employment periods for each duty station are listed below but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anchorage: Anticipated employment period is May to October. Denali Park: Anticipated employment period is May to September. Fairbanks: Anticipated employment period is May to September. Port Alsworth: Anticipated employment period is May to October. Seward: Anticipated employment period is April to September. Skagway: Anticipated employment period is April to September. As a GS-05 Biological Science Technician (Plants), you will work under the direct supervision of experienced staff at all times as a crew member for the vegetation monitoring program. To perform duties effectively, you will need a foundation in botanical sciences. Attention to details is important. Duties typically include: Assisting with collection of vegetation and environmental data in permanent plots in a variety of settings. Taking detailed data on vegetation communities and assist with data entry using multiple software platforms. Measuring tree diameters and heights and using traditional forest mensuration methods. Assisting with photo documentation of long-term monitoring plots using digital cameras and using transect, quadrat and other methodologies to compile field data. Participating with special projects including forest disturbance, fuels inventories, wetland studies, alpine monitoring, and invasive plant management. As a GS-06 Biological Science Technician (Plants), you will occasionally work under the direct supervision of experienced staff for the vegetation monitoring program, performing certain technical tasks independently with minimal supervision. To perform duties effectively, you will need a strong foundation in the botanical sciences and be able recognize plant species to the species level in the field including some mosses and lichens. Assist less experienced field staff as needed. Attention to detail is important. Duties typically include: Making voucher collections and taking detailed data on vegetation communities and assisting with data entry using multiple software platforms. Working with less experienced staff to collect tree cores from the permanent plots. Independently perform photo documentation of long-term monitoring plots using digital cameras. Using transect, quadrat and other methodologies to compile field data. Measuring tree diameters and heights, using traditional forest mensuration methods. Participating with special projects including forest disturbance, fuels inventories, wetland studies, alpine monitoring, and invasive plant management. The Anchorage duty station will focus on weeds. As a GS-07 Biological Science Technician (Plants), you will provide leadership for the field vegetation monitoring crew while working under the direct supervision of the program leader in lab and office situations. To perform duties effectively, you will need to be an experienced field botanist, with the ability to recognize most plant species to species-level in the field including many moss and lichen species. Attention to details is important. Duties typically include: Collecting vegetation and environmental data in permanent plots. Preparing reports and summaries of collected field data. Performing detailed data entry and extracting data using multiple software platforms. Working with less experienced staff, providing guidance and leadership for field studies. Training others on how to measure tree diameters, tree heights, and orients staff on traditional forest mensuration methods. Assisting with special projects including forest disturbance, fuels inventories, wetland studies, alpine monitoring, and invasive plant management. For all grades, GS-05, GS-06, and GS-07: Performing work in demanding field conditions which include carrying a heavy backpack and field sampling equipment over steep and uneven terrain for including long periods and overnight camping in inclement weather and in areas with brown or black bears.

Requirements

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/29/2023-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time total number of hours worked. If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. GS-05: To qualify for this position at the GS-5 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one year of full-time specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower level (GS-04) in the Federal service performing duties such as assisting resource specialists in data collection and report preparation; identifying and/or collecting vascular and non-vascular (lichens, bryophytes) plants in the field; using a variety of software to compile, summarize and report information; and communicating the results of field studies through technical reports and/or oral presentations. Note: You must provide the hours worked per week. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least four years of education above high school (120 semester hour or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with a major study in a related field of scientific or technical study, such as in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, mathematics, or other directly-related subject matter; or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those shown above. At least 6 semester hours must be directly related to Botany. Note: You must include a copy of your transcripts that supports this claim with your application package. -OR- Equivalent combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours, in excess of the first 60 semester hours earned towards your degree and divide by 60. Take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12. Add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent. Note: You must include a copy of your transcripts that supports this claim with your application package and provide the hours worked per week. GS-06: To qualify for this position at the GS-6 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one year of full-time specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower level (GS-05) in the Federal service performing duties such as planning field projects and collecting and summarizing field data; using taxonomic keys to identify vascular and non-vascular plants in the field; using compound and dissecting microscopes and taxonomic keys to identify vascular and non-vascular species in the lab; collecting and preparing herbarium-quality specimens of vascular and non-vascular plants; operating and maintaining equipment (e.g., data loggers, dendrometers) used in vegetation monitoring; using a variety of software to compile, summarize and report information; and providing information to other employees and visitors about the natural resources programs. Note: You must provide the hours worked per week. GS-07: To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one year of full-time specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower level (GS-06) in the Federal service performing duties such as planning field projects and collecting and summarizing field data; using taxonomic keys to identify vascular and non-vascular (lichens, bryophytes) in the field; using compound and dissecting microscopes and taxonomic keys to identify vascular and non-vascular species in the lab; collecting and preparing large numbers of herbarium-quality specimens of vascular and non-vascular plants; preparing draft project reports; installing, operating, and maintaining equipment (e.g., data loggers, dendrometers) used in vegetation monitoring; using a variety of software to compile, summarize and report information; and providing information to other employees and visitors about the natural resources programs. Note: You must provide the hours worked per week. -OR- EDUCATION: Successfully completed one full year (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours) of graduate level course work, from an accredited college or university, leading to a Master's degree with a major study directly related to the position to be filled. Graduate study must have been in a field of study that is directly related to the work of this position, i.e., scientific or technical study, such as botany, plant physiology, plant anatomy, plant taxonomy or related courses in the field of plant biology. Note: You must include a copy of your transcripts that supports this claim with your application package. -OR- Combination of experience and graduate level education. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. 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. Note: You must include a copy of your transcripts that supports this claim with your application package. 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

For the GS-5 and GS-7 only:
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.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS 6 grade level of this announcement.

Contacts

• Address Alaska Regional Office 240 W 5th Avenue Anchorage, AK 99501 US
• Name: HR Assistant
• Phone: 907-644-3828
• Email: [email protected]