This announcement is for multiple seasonal Biological Science Technician (Plants) positions for Montana Dakotas. This is an open continuous vacancy announcement. Applicants will be referred monthly throughout the announcement period. Final application disposition will be completed once all positions have been filled or the announcement reaches the end of the open period stated in the announcement. See "Additional Information" for information.

Duties

Performs inventories of public lands to document occurrence and distribution of a variety of plant species. Makes recommendations on plant habitat protection, enhancement, or "critical" habitat designation to supervisor. Assists in performing field studies to document environmental factors affecting plant species and habitat. Duty Enters and retrieves data from automated databases. Photographs and collects plant specimens to facilitate field identification.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Be sure to read the 'How to Apply' and 'Required Documents' Sections.
• You cannot hold an active real estate license: nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
• Direct Deposit Required.
• Appointment will be subject to a favorably adjudicated background/suitability investigation/determination.
• Your resume must contain enough information to show that you meet the qualification requirements as defined in the announcement. In addition, your responses to the questions must adequately reflect in your resume.
• You must be 18 years of age prior to entrance on duty in order to be authorized to operate a government vehicle as required for field work.
• NO GOVERNMENT HOUSING IS AVAILABLE. Securing housing will be the responsibility of the selected employee.

Qualifications

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. GS-04: You must possess six months of general experience and six months of specialized experience. General experience is any working in professional, technical, or other responsible field that provided a familiarity of soils or techniques of collecting scientific data. Specialized experience must be at or equivalent to the GS-03 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: following specific instructions to check data relating to the survey/study area; assisting in collecting biological samples; or observing and recording specific information (i.e., vegetative cover, water quality samples, flora, or fauna). -OR- Education: Successful completion of two years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least six semester hours of courses must be directly related to the position to be filled. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate undergraduate education. GS-05: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-04 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: include basic plant ID; knowledge of monitoring methodologies; inventorying plant species habitat based on guidelines; taking soil samples by layer; and taking root samples. -OR- Education: Successful completion of a full four-year course of study leading to a Bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least six semester hours of courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate undergraduate education. GS-6: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-05 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: include basic plant ID; experience with monitoring methodologies; surveying, mapping and documenting a variety of plant species and habitat conditions; compiling occurrence and distribution data, cover maps, and herbarium study mounts; and compiling data obtained through soil inventory and assembling data into logical sequence for review. -OR- Education: Successful completion of a full year course of study leading to a Master's degree with major study or at least 18 semester hours in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. Courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education. GS-7: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-06 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: include intermediate plant ID; experience with leading crews of 3-5 people; experience with applying principles, methods or tools for scheduling and coordinating projects and resources; experience with monitoring methodologies; surveying, mapping and documenting a variety of plant species and habitat conditions; compiling occurrence and distribution data, cover maps, and herbarium study mounts; and compiling data obtained through soil inventory and assembling data into logical sequence for review. -OR- Education: Successful completion of a full year course of study leading to a Master's degree with major study or at least 18 semester hours in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. Courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education. 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. You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Physical/Environmental Demands: Work performed in an off ice environment is adequately lighted and ventilated. Much of the time is spent in the field requiring a considerable amount of walking, riding, stooping, bending and lifting with exposure to extremes of heat and cold, rough terrain, insects, wildlife, and other hazards are common. Adherence to all safety procedures is required.

Education

Applicants may qualify for these positions based on experience, education, or an equivalent combination as described in the Qualifications section of this announcement.

Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-7.

If using education to qualify, you must submit copies of all transcripts or a list of college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. See Required Documents section for more information.

Contacts

• Address BLM Montana State Office BLM Montana State Office, MT-933 Branch of Human Resources 5001 Southgate Drive Billings, MT 59101 US
• Name: Linda Roberts
• Phone: (406) 896-5251
• Email: [email protected]