FISH BIOLOGIST- DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY

Summary

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is ranked within the top 5 mid-size agencies as a "Best Place to Work" in the Federal government! This FISH BIOLOGIST- DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY position is located in the Office of Energy Projects. For more information visit: OEP

Duties

As a FISH BIOLOGIST- DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY some of your typical work assignments include: Analyzing information on fish and aquatic resources, water quality, and physical habitat issues as they relate to the construction, modification, operation, and maintenance of hydropower projects; and making recommendations to avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts that are technically sound and thoroughly researched. Preparing National Environmental Policy Act documents (e.g., environmental assessments and environmental impact statements) and license orders that analyze a range issues related to fish and aquatic resources, water quality, and physical habitat. Leading and supporting multidisciplinary teams by fostering effective collaboration, communication, and decision making. Planning, executing, moderating, and making presentations at public meetings, federal/state/local government meetings, stakeholder meetings, and conferences. Qualifications

You must meet the qualification (experience and/or education) requirements by the closing date of this announcement. To view the eligibility and qualification requirements of a FISH BIOLOGIST- DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY, GS-0482, please visit: Fish Biologist In addition to the education required for this position, you must have one full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 level. Specialized experience is defined as: preparing environmental documents and developing, conducting, and reviewing studies that analyze impacts to fish and aquatic resources, water quality, and physical habitat. In addition to the education required for this position, you must have one full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-12 level. Specialized experience is defined as: preparing National Environmental Policy Act documents (e.g., environmental assessments and environmental impact statements) that analyze the effects of existing or proposed infrastructure on fish and aquatic resources, water quality, and physical habitat; and developing, conducting, and reviewing studies of fish and aquatic resources, water quality, and physical habitat. 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 any volunteer experience. Please do not cut and paste the "Duties" section, specialized experience statement, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Education

This position has an education requirement and therefore, transcripts are required. Failure to submit a copy of your transcripts at the time of application will result in your application being marked incomplete and you will not receive further consideration. 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 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. How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13081920 Other Information

The duty location of this position is Washington, DC When promotion potential is shown, future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval. If selected for this position, you will be required to: Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for Federal employment. Have your Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choice. Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. FERC also participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). For more information about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify. Attend a mandatory ethics training. We are governed by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Standards of Conduct, the criminal conflict of interest statutes, and FERC's supplemental ethics regulation, which specifically prohibits FERC employees from holding certain energy-related securities. To comply with these regulations and statutes, divestiture of at least some energy securities is likely to be required after you begin employment. See 5 C.F.R. 2634-41; 18 U.S.C. 201-208; 5 C.F.R. 3401. If selected, you may also be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of appointment. Receive authorization from OPM on any job offer you receive, if you are or were (within the last 5 years) a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may 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. 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.