The position is a non-research grade Wildlife Biologist/Support Scientist and is located at the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) Headquarters or a Field Station. The program is multi-faceted and is directed at the reduction of wildlife damage as it relates to agriculture, human health and safety, public and private property, and natural resources.

Duties

The duties described are for the full-performance level. The duties may include, but are not limited to: Plans and implements field, computer modeling, and laboratory studies with limited input from the Supervisor. Manages work meant to develop tools and methods applicable to solving problems inflicted by vertebrates. Leads in developing investigations and fully participate in the entire research process, including field work, laboratory trials, data collection, data analysis. Writes reports of results for peer-reviewed publication, and presentations at professional conferences, stakeholder meetings, and outreach events. Serves as study director on research studies. Works on applied and basic biological/ecological questions. Designs and conducts studies devised to determine biological and behavioral attributes and characteristics of wildlife species. Conducts complex computer modeling studies using contemporary statistical analyses and quantitative approaches.

Requirements

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal 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 E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/
• All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.
• Must be physically fit and able to do activities involving lifting, carrying, pushing, building, climbing, and walking under conditions ranging from easy to adverse.
• Must also be capable of performing arduous field assignments such as conducting surveys, trapping, and tracking on foot in rugged terrain under adverse weather conditions.
• Must have the ability to work safely and competently in field, pen, laboratory, shop, and office environments.
• Animal handling may require a degree of physical agility and dexterity as well as applied restraint.
• Skilled operation of government owned or leased vehicles in remote locations of various types of terrain under adverse weather conditions.
• The work will require average agility and dexterity, and the ability to operate a computer for long periods.
• Work is primarily performed in an office setting. The candidate will have the option to travel occasionally to discuss collaborative research and present findings at conferences, workshops and meetings with collaborators.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. BASIC REQUIREMENT: Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Independently performed, optimized, and troubleshot the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay for the detection of prions. Designed, planned, implemented, and published research studies in the following fields or in related fields: prion disease, zoology, neurobiology, neurogenesis, neuropathology, and/or neurodegeneration. Maintained a BSL-2 laboratory for prion disease research including procurement and maintenance of instruments, development and implementation of laboratory protocols, designation of space for efficient and effective workflow, and communication of laboratory capacity to stakeholders. Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level. TRANSCRIPTS are required: This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. 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 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

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Contacts

• Address Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service USDA APHIS MRPBS 250 Marquette Avenue, Suite 410 Minneapolis, MN 55401 US
• Name: MRP Human Resources
• Phone: 612-336-3227
• Email: [email protected]