These positions are located in Dry Tortugas National Park, in the Resource Management Division. These are term positions (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of 10-years. Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service. Open to the first 100 applicants or until 11/20/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Duties

Assists with natural resource monitoring efforts of threatened and endangered (T&E) species at Dry Tortugas National Park. Collect morphologic data on nesting sea turtles, migratory birds, Nassau groupers, queen conch, and other T&E species providing resource status information to park managers, regional staff, and the public. Coordinates logistics and supports working relationships with scientists from academic institutions, territorial and federal agencies and others performing resource efforts in the parks to improve management at Dry Tortugas National Park. Maintains vessels and vehicles, SCUBA equipment, sea turtle program equipment, and other scientific supplies used for wildlife monitoring work. Data entry, research, and report writing in office setting. Park Description/Area Information: This position is stationed at Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO) which is located 70 miles west of Key West, Florida in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. The park is 101 square miles of mostly ocean with a sub-tropical coral reef system. There are currently 7 small keys that make up less than 0.2% of the park area. These keys are home to a variety of nesting seabirds including: sooty terns, brown noddys, magnificent frigatebirds, and masked boobies. They keys are also hosts for several hundred loggerhead and green sea turtle nests each year. Work will be a mixture of terrestrial and marine focused duties. These will include helping determine direction for monitoring studies for seabirds and sea turtles, invasives species management, marine surveys, and restoration projects. Work priorities can shift rapidly due to remote nature of the park, weather patterns, and logistical difficulties, so being flexible is vital to these positions. While duties will be shared, the park is looking for three biologists; one who will focus predominantly on terrestrial areas, one with a focus on marine areas, and one with a focus on equipment and instrumentation including dive equipment and boats. While on duty employees typically stay at Garden Key, a remote 16-acre island with few services. The island does have employee housing, a small recreation room, and limited Starlink internet. Employee housing at Garden Key is in small or shared apartments with other employees. Housing units have running water, air-conditioning, and small kitchens. There are no grocery stores, banks, etc... available on the island. Employees must travel to Key West to access most services. Creating a work-life balance while living at a worksite for up to two weeks, with limited to no services can be challenging. Available recreational activities include: snorkeling, diving, paddleboarding, fishing, sailing, birding, and other outdoor pursuits. For more information about Dry Tortugas National Park please visit Dry Tortugas National Park (U.S. National Park Service). Information about the city of Key West can be found at Key West, FL | Official Website.

Requirements

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/20/2024-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. SELECTIVE FACTOR: SCUBA Certification and 50 logged scientific and/or commercial dives. These positions perform SCUBA diving work, and an Open Water SCUBA certification with a minimum of 50 logged scientific and/or commercial dives is required. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for these positions. You must provide documentation, such a copy of your SCUBA certification and complete dive logs for at least 50 scientific and/or commercial dives, to receive further consideration for these positions. - AND - SELECTIVE FACTOR: Motorboat Operator Certification Course (MOCC) certificate, or equivalent boating certification. These positions operate small vessels in open water marine environments. Applicants must provide documentation of holding a current Department of the Interior Motorboat Operator Certification Course certificate, or equivalent boating certification, as well documentation of substantial experience operating small vessels in open water marine environments. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for these positions. You must provide documentation, such a copy of your MOCC or equivalent certification and a description of your experience, to receive further consideration for these positions. - AND - To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess one of the following basic requirements by the close of the announcement: Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. You must provide transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position, plus appropriate experience or additional education. You must provide transcripts. -AND- To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess at least 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-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: conducting biological/ecological/fishery/wildlife inventory and monitoring activities for a variety of biological/ecological/fishery/wildlife species is critical. Research activity or control program work; nursery work that required the growing and maintenance of plants in a controlled environment; work comparable to that with a large dairy farm where production records, animal environment, and sanitary conditions were kept in accordance with modern dairy practice. NOTE: Farming experience that was not performed in a controlled environment, or experience as a laborer who was not responsible for planning and scheduling his/her own work, but only performed assigned tasks, would not qualify as specialized experience. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of experience and education as described above. To combine education and experience, first determine the percentage of experience held by dividing the number of months of qualifying full-time experience possessed by 12 and then multiplying by 100. Then determine the percentage of qualifying graduate level education completed by dividing the number of credits completed beyond 18 by 18, then multiply by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. 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.

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 Dry Tortugas National Park 33 East Quay Rd Key West, FL 33041 US
• Name: Erin Lamm
• Phone: 000-000-0000
• Email: [email protected]