Fish & Wildlife Biologist

Summary

You will serve as a Fish & Wildlife Biologist with US Fish and Wildlife Service. This position requires on-site presence. The selected applicant will be expected to report to a Department of the Interior (DOI) Office within the Southeast Region (Region 4). The agency will determine the specific duty station upon selection. Pay will be based on duty location. Atlanta, Georgia Fairhope, Alabama Location Negotiable After Selection in the Southeast Region.

Duties

Duties described are at the full performance grade level, some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Lead or support development, implementation, and review of habitat restoration projects by providing technical assistance and conducting feasibility determinations, planning/design, and compliance. Coordinate with cooperators and/or contractors, providing project oversight and monitoring habitat improvements. Develop project plans covering scope, schedule, budget, risks, and quality requirements. Prepare annual work plans and long-range schedules to maximize efficient use of financial resources leading to accomplishment of approved goals and objectives. Develop financial assistance packages and works with various internal and external partners to manage and/or obligate funding. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/. You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 10/26/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirement AND/OR Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying. Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: A. Degree: Possess a bachelors or higher degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or a similar discipline related to this position. You must submit transcripts. -OR- B.Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. AND you must meet the Specialized Experience Requirements: To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level: Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility equivalent to grade GS-07 in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Examples of qualifying specialized experience includes: 1) Assisting with planning and implementing natural resource or environmental projects. 2) Monitoring and coordinating projects or contracts, tracking progress, and identifying issues. 3) Helping develop or update resource management plans or strategies. 4) Working with Federal, State, Tribal, local, or non-governmental partners on resource-related activities. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- Education: Successful completion of at least 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree in a major such as biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. (Degree must reflect the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.) You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience as listed above. You must include hours per week and transcripts. To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level: Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility equivalent to grade GS-09 in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Examples of qualifying specialized experience includes: 1) Independently planning and implementing natural resource projects. 2) Leading or overseeing projects and/or contracts from planning through evaluation. 3) Developing or updating plans or strategies for implementing habitat restoration 4) Providing technical expertise and coordinating with interdisciplinary teams, contractors, or support staff. 5) Representing the organization with Federal, State, Tribal, local, or non-governmental partners on resource-related activities, and ability to brief leadership on complex issues. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- Education: Successful completion of at least 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. (Degree must reflect the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.) You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience as listed above. You must include hours per week and 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

This position has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment(s) required for this position. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Partnering Planning and Evaluating Project Management Restoration Ecology All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration or your score may be lowered. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position. Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Other Information

This position requires on-site presence. The selected applicant will be expected to report to a Department of the Interior (DOI) Office within the Southeast Region (Region 4). The agency will determine the specific duty station upon selection. Atlanta, Georgia Fairhope, Alabama Location Negotiable After Selection in the Southeast Region. Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate. Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor. If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive. A continued service agreement may be required if it is determined you are eligible for a permanent change in duty station (PCS), recruitment, or relocation incentive. All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior. Physical Demands/Work Environment: Some field work will require periods of physical exertion, carrying light items, and driving a motor vehicle. The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.