Position is located in Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network. 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 for approximately 7 months, and you will be in a non-pay status from December to April. Open to the first 75 applicants or until September 6 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 EST on the closing day will receive consideration.

Duties

The Biological Technicians (plants) will work with the National Park Service Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network to implement a long-term ecological monitoring program for vegetation in 13 park units in the Northern Great Plains. This position will assist the Vegetation Ecologist, Lead Biological Technician, and Crew Leads in the following tasks: Collecting plant abundance and diversity data using established network monitoring protocols. Accurately identifying Northern Great Plains vegetation to the species level in the field or in the office using standard floras. Conducting fieldwork in remote backcountry settings and under difficult conditions in a safe and efficient manner. Entering data and following quality assurance procedures to ensure accurate data transcription into established databases. The position will involve a combination of office work, field time, and travel to the parks. During the summer field season, these positions work 10-hour days and require constant travel to parks within Nebraska, Wyoming, South and North Dakota. Crew members will be required to hike off-trail with heavy packs, sometimes in extremely hot weather or through thick vegetation. The position will spend approximately 10-20% of time performing computer and office work, the majority of which will be done after the field season. The anticipated field season is May through September, with some office work at the beginning and end of the season. Rapid City is South Dakota's second largest city with approximately 78,000 residents and is the gateway to the Black Hills area of South Dakota. Rapid City offers early childhood programs, public and private schools, a university, and a technical college. The area offers entertainment opportunities at the Civic auditorium, superior health care facilities, beautiful neighborhoods, and endless outdoor recreational opportunities such a skiing, rock climbing, camping, and kayaking. Rapid City is within a 90-minute drive of four national park units (Wind Cave National Park, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Jewel Cave National Monument, and Badlands National Park), and South Dakota's crown jewel state park- Custer State Park. Summer is warm, dry, and sunny. July and August are the warmest months of the year, when daytime temperatures climb into the 70s and 80s--and sometime 90s. Breezy winds and low humidity levels help make the hot days comfortable. January and February are the coldest months of winter. Daytime temperatures average in the 30s, but Chinook winds can warm temperatures into the 50s and 60s. Average monthly snowfall ranges from five inches in Rapid City to 15 inches in the Black Hills . More information about Rapid City can be found from the Chamber of Commerce: https://www.elevaterapidcity.com/economic-development/why-rapid-city/

Requirements

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/06/2024-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 or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. To qualify for this position at the GS-05 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-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: collecting data in the field for vegetation surveys/invasive plant management using established protocols; using dichotomous keys to identify plants. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least four years above high school (120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or 24 semester hours of course work in a related field of scientific study, such as in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, mathematics, wildlife biology, or other directly related subject matter. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. NOTE: Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to one year of specialized experience. For example, I have six months of specialized experience (50% of the experience requirement), and three years of college study from an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education) that equals 100% of the total requirement. 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. I/CTAP: CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. If you are applying under CTAP or ICTAP, you MUST submit proof of eligibility under 5 CFR 330.602(a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible. For information on CTAP and ICTAP visit: USAJOBS Help Center | Career Transition Programs (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

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.

Contacts

• Address Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network 820 Columbus Street Rapid City, SD 57701 US
• Name: MWR HR Central Team
• Email: [email protected]