Job opening: Biological Science Technician (Plants)
Salary: $44 117 - 57 354 per year
Published at: Dec 02 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
This is an open continuous vacancy announcement; applicants will be referred periodically throughout the announcement period. Final application disposition will be completed once all positions have been filled; the announcement reaches the closing date stated in the announcement. The first cut-off date is 16-DECEMBER-2024.
These vacancies are Temporary Seasonal positions Not to Exceed: 1039 Hours in a service year. The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period is APRIL / MAY 2025.
Duties
MAJOR DUTIES MAY INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING:
Conduct field searches and assessments of rare plant populations, nonnative invasive plant infestations, and plant communities.
Control nonnative invasive plants using integrated pest management methods such as manual hand digging/pulling, mowing, and spraying herbicides. Assist with monitoring effectiveness of treatments.
Control invasive insects, such as hemlock woolly adelgid, using chemical and biological control methods. Monitor forest pest population levels and their impacts on forest health.
Assist with restoration efforts of rare plant species and habitats as well as degraded lands.
Collect native seeds for propagation and plant trees, shrubs, and other native plants.
Collect and enter field data, prepare reports, and summarize findings.
Lead volunteers and technicians in fieldwork.
Implements projects to inventory, monitor, restore, and protect the park's plant communities, aquatic ecosystems, wildlife, and other natural resources.
Organizes and maintains project equipment, supplies, schedules, checklists, maps, data, and other records.
Performs data entry, including in spreadsheets, databases, and geodatabases, and carries out quality control checks on data collection and entry performed by others.
Provides logistical support and area orientation for contract or cooperating scientists; provides technical information, ensures quality control, and solves logistical or operational problems.
Installs, operates, and maintains resource management equipment (e.g., tools, traps, and sampling, monitoring, photographic, and laboratory equipment); Inventories equipment, evaluates quality assurance compliance, and calibrates equipment as necessary. Orders replacement parts, new equipment, and supplies.
Provides advice, assistance, and training to students, student conservation assistants, and volunteers involved in resource management projects and field research.
Utilizes a variety of computer programs to compile, reduce, store, retrieve, analyze, and report data and other resource management information, including research and long-term monitoring projects. Maintains and organizes computer databases.
Provides information to other employees and visitors about the natural resource management program. May develop and present related interpretive programs to the public.
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/19/2025-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-06 GRADE LEVEL, YOU MUST POSSESS AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS BY THE CLOSE OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Examples of qualifying specialized experience include work involving biological science support such as: collecting, analyzing and processing samples, performing laboratory work, assisting in the management of field projects, collecting, processing and managing field data, and performing habitat restoration through management of nonnative invasive species and/or native planting. Installs, operates, and maintains resource management equipment (tools, sampling and monitoring, photographic, and laboratory equipment). Prepares graphs, charts, and illustrations for reports and technical publications relating to plant management activities. (YOU MUST INCLUDE HOURS PER WEEK WORKED.)
OR
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate education in an accredited educational institution (18 semester hours) in coursework directly related to the work of this position (such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, natural resource management). You must include transcripts. (YOU MUST INCLUDE TRANSCRIPTS).
OR
COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, 6 months of specialized experience (50% of experience requirement), and 6 months of graduate education as described above (50% of education requirement). 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.
CTAP/ICTAP: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP or 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001).
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 New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
PO Box 246
Glen Jean, WV 25846-0246
US
- Name: Marcia Mims-Washington
- Phone: 267-638-1570
- Email: [email protected]
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