FISH AND WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST

Summary

You will serve as a Fish and Wildlife Biologist (Private Lands) with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, responsible for independently identifying and engaging key stakeholders; developing and implementing strategic communication; understanding diverse human values and interests in relation to habitat restoration; and carrying out all field level financial and technical assistance and habitat restoration aspects of the Partners for Fish & Wildlife (PFW) program.

Duties

Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Plans, designs, implements, and monitors fish and wildlife habitat restoration and enhancement projects on private lands, including stream, wetland, riparian, grassland, and upland habitats. Develops management plans, project objectives, work plans, schedules, and budgets to support fish and wildlife habitat conservation priorities. Provides technical assistance to private landowners, Federal and State agencies, Tribes, conservation organizations, and other partners on habitat restoration and fish and wildlife conservation activities. Develops and maintains cooperative relationships with private landowners and conservation partners to identify, develop, and implement habitat restoration projects. Prepares project documentation, financial assistance packages, agreements, reports, and other materials necessary to secure funding and implement conservation projects. Coordinates conservation activities with government agencies, agricultural interests, conservation organizations, community groups, and other stakeholders to accomplish fish and wildlife resource objectives. Represents the Service at meetings, working groups, committees, and public outreach events and communicates technical information related to habitat restoration, conservation programs, and fish and wildlife resources. 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/. Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1 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 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: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the 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. To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level: Experience: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience includes 1.) Evaluating biological or ecological conditions and analyzing data to develop recommendations for habitat or natural resource management; 2.) Providing technical assistance related to fish and wildlife conservation or habitat restoration; and 3.) Coordinating conservation projects or activities with landowners, government agencies, Tribes, conservation organizations, or other partners. (Note: This is experience must be clearly documented in your resume.) 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 that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform as a GS-11 Fish and Wildlife Biologist.. You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience as listed above. To combine education and experience, first convert quarter hours to semester hours by multiplying by the fraction 2/3. Then, divide your number of graduate semester hours in excess of the first 36 hours by the number 18 (or the number your school uses to represent one year of graduate education). Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. 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): Conservation Biology Ecology Wildlife Biology To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessment(s), including a structured resume review.These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job. 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

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. 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 is performed in outdoor settings more than 50% of the time oftentimes requires carrying equipment in all weather conditions. The work requires moderate physical exertion such as long periods of standing, walking over rough, muddy, uneven, swampy, or mountainous terrain; recurring periods of bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, or similar activities; and lifting bulky or heavy objects, such as water control structures, weighing up to 50 pounds. Work requires above average physical agility and dexterity. Work Environment: The work requires both office and outdoor work. The office is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. Frequent travel by various means of surface and air transportation is required to attend meetings and to conduct field work. A variety of temperature and weather extremes may be encountered while in the field. The incumbent may be subject to large numbers of biting insects and may be required to work in close proximity to large animals such as deer, elk, bear and moose. The incumbent is expected to conduct duties in a safe and orderly manner so as not to endanger self, fellow workers, or property. The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.