This position is a Fish and Wildlife Biologist, GS- 0401-7/9 working in Trenton, Michigan for the R3-Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge.

Duties

As a Fish and Wildlife Biologist (Private Lands) your duties will include, but are not limited to, the following: Conducts private land habitat restorations including landowner contacts, mapping, surveying, staking, construction monitoring, seeding, etc., and prepares management plans for restored areas. Identify, design, and conduct habitat improvement projects on privately-owned lands with emphasis on stream, wetland, riparian and upland restoration and enhancement. Obtains landowner approval, completes the necessary agreement documents and successfully oversees project construction. Interacts with partners, including government agencies, Tribal entities, conservation organizations, agribusiness organizations, local community groups, and individual farmers, ranchers, and other landowners to develop and/or strengthen working relationships. Provides technical and habitat restoration guidance and assistance to local, state and Federal cooperators in the restoration and protection of habitats utilized by Federal Trust resources on privately owned lands. Serves as a Service contact for the Partners of Fish and Wildlife (PFW) program within the assigned geographic area for all bureaus/agencies and programs associated with Farm Bill implementation. This includes, but is not limited to, the Wetlands Reserve, Conservation Reserve, Wildlife Habitat Incentives, and Environmental Quality Incentives programs; Farm Service Agency conservation easement, fee title transfer, and debt for nature programs; Swampbuster and Sodbuster field checks; serving as a Service representative on local working groups and subcommittees of the State Technical Committee; and serving as the Service team member in development of wetland functional assessment criteria.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Merit promotion applicants must meet time-in-grade requirement as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
• Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation.
• Driver’s License: This position requires the incumbent to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties. Selectee must hold and maintain a valid state driver’s license throughout their employment in this position.
• Uniform: Official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uniform is required.
• Probationary Period: Selectees may be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
• Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.

Qualifications

Only experience and education obtained by 12/18/2024 will be considered. In order to qualify for this position you must possess both the Basic Requirement and Minimum Qualification. Basic Requirement: Possess a degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR Possess a combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in 1 above, PLUS appropriate experience or additional education. Minimum Qualification [GS-07] Possess one year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 level or higher in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience includes: 1) Assisting in the coordination of habitat restoration activities on private lands with other government bureaus/agencies, non-government conservation organizations, agribusiness organizations, citizen groups, and private landowners; 2) Assisting in the implementation of biological methods, procedures, and techniques used to assess habitat restoration and/or construction projects sufficient to select, and recommend strategies and plans, to coordinate habitat restoration, construction, or other natural resources management activities; and 3) Collaborating with senior staff, work with under-served, multi-cultural urban and rural communities to deliver technical assistance and habitat restoration projects on non-federal lands. NOTE: Your resume must contain sufficient information in these areas to be found qualified. OR Possess one full year graduate level education. NOTE: To qualify under this option you must submit transcripts (official or unofficial) to verify your education. OR Possess Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.). S.A.A. is based on (1) Class Standing, (2) Grade-Point Average, or (3) Honor Society Membership. (1) Class Standing: Upper one-third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision based on completed courses. (2) Grade-Point Average: A grade point average of (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (B or better) as recorded on the official transcript or as computed based on four years of education, or computed based on courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum; -or- (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (B+ or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final two years of the curriculum. (3) Election to Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society: Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies. Freshman scholastic honor societies cannot be used to meet the requirements of this position. Superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. NOTE: To qualify under this option you must submit transcripts (official or unofficial) to verify your education. OR Possess a combination of education and experience as described in 1 and 2 above that when combined, equals 100% of the total requirement. NOTE: To qualify under this option you must submit transcripts (official or unofficial) to verify your education. Minimum Qualification [GS-09] Possess one year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 level or higher in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience includes: 1) Coordinating habitat restoration activities on private lands with other government bureaus/agencies, non-government conservation organizations, agribusiness organizations, citizen groups, and private landowners; 2) Communicating habitat restoration efforts with supervisors, private landowners, co-workers, other government employees, representatives of non-government organizations, and the public on pertaining; 3) Applying biological methods, procedures, and techniques to assess habitat restoration and/or construction projects; 4) Recommending strategies and plans, to coordinate habitat restoration, construction, or other natural resources management activities; and 5) Working with under-served, multi-cultural urban and rural communities to deliver technical assistance and habitat restoration projects on non-federal lands. NOTE: Your resume must contain sufficient information in these areas to be found qualified. NOTE: Your resume must contain sufficient information in these areas to be found qualified. OR Possess two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a field directly related to the work of the position. NOTE: To qualify under this option you must submit transcripts (official or unofficial) to verify your education. OR Possess a combination of education and experience as described in 1 and 2 above that when combined, equals 100% of the total requirement. NOTE: To qualify under this option you must submit transcripts (official or unofficial) to verify your 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. Time In Grade Requirement: Applicants must meet both eligibility and qualification requirements for the position of interest by the closing date of the JOA. Specifically, i. Area of Consideration. ii. Time-in-grade (TIG) requirements as specified in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. iii. Time after competitive appointment as specified in 5 CFR 330.502. iv. Qualification requirements outlined in OPM's Qualifications Standards for General Schedule Positions or for Federal Wage System (FWS), wage grade positions, applicants are evaluated using the OPM Job Qualification System for Trades and Labor Occupations and the job element examining method Your SF-50 will be used to confirm you meet all requirements Performance rating of record review: All applicants must provide a copy of their current performance rating dated within the past 18 months verifying their performance is at a fully successful level or higher. Applicants who do not have a current rating of record available must provide a reason and certify that their performance is acceptable, and they have not been advised that their performance is currently at an unacceptable level. Applicants who have an unsuccessful performance rating, or who have certified that their performance is not at an acceptable level will not be eligible for hiring consideration.

Education

PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the 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. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Contacts

• Address
• Name: Human Resources Staffing Division
• Email: [email protected]