Wildlife Biologist
National Park Service     Ajo, AZ 85321
 Posted 7 days    

Summary This position is located in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, in the Resource Management Division. This vacancy is also open concurrently via delegated examining procedures under job announcement number IM-1541-ORPI-25-12622879-DE. Responsibilities Major Duties: Implements conservation measures to manage rare and endangered wildlife species. Conducts wildlife surveys including collecting detailed records of field data. Assists with the management of critical habitat for endangered species. Assists the wildlife program manager and lead ecologist with data management, quality review, and certification. Provides data and guidance for environmental compliance related to ecology and wildlife conservation. Utilizes a variety of computer programs to compile, store, retrieve, analyze wildlife survey and resource management data. Assists with ongoing wildlife management activities including capture, handling, marking, and relocation. Serves as the park integrated pest manager. Maintains state pesticide applicator license, submits proposals about pesticide use, and addresses issues with rodents, insects, and other non-native species. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Area Information: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is located in the Sonoran desert in Southwestern Arizona. Park headquarters is located 34 miles from Ajo, Arizona and 5 miles north of the international boundary with Mexico. Organ Pipe is a winter paradise and a surprisingly lush and green environment. Daytime temperatures typically range from the 60's in the winter to over 100 in the summer, with dramatic monsoons later in the summer. The local towns and communities provide multiple amenities and a thriving Art's community that allow families and individuals to easily adjust to living in the desert. In Ajo (population 3,500) you will find a few local restaurants and coffee shops, a grocery and hardware store, a medical clinic, multiple churches, a public library, a county park with playground, swimming pool, ball parks and community center, and an active Park and Recreation Department, a K-12 school system, and several active community organizations who sponsor events and festivals on a regular basis, including a weekly Farmers Market. Phoenix, Arizona is a one-and-a-half-hour drive north from Ajo; Tucson is a two-hour drive east from Ajo. Both cities offer a greater selection of amenities. Most employees plan trips to Phoenix or Tucson once or twice a month. More information is available from the Ajo Chamber of Commerce, http://www.ajochamber.com/. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments and must be met by the closing date of this announcement. You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-12/09/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying 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 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. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. This position has a basic requirement that must be met by the close of the announcement Wildlife Biology Series 0486 (opm.gov). Applicants must have one of the following and submit documentation in their application on how they meet this requirement: Degree: biological science that included: At least 9 semester hours in such wildlife subjects as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, wildlife management, or research courses in the field of wildlife biology; and At least 12 semester hours in zoology in such subjects as general zoology, invertebrate zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, genetics, ecology, cellular biology, parasitology, entomology, or research courses in such subjects (Excess courses in wildlife biology may be used to meet the zoology requirements where appropriate.); and At least 9 semester hours in botany or the related plant sciences. or Combination of education and experience: equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours), with at least 9 semester hours in wildlife subjects, 12 semester hours in zoology, and 9 semester hours in botany or related plant science, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. You must provide transcripts in your application. - AND - To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: 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). This experience includes activities such as: Implementing conservation measures to manage rare and endangered wildlife species; conducting wildlife surveys including collecting detailed records of field data; assisting with the management of critical habitat for endangered species; providing data and guidance for environmental compliance related to ecology and wildlife conservation; utilizing a variety of computer programs to compile, store, retrieve, and wildlife survey data; assisting with wildlife management actives including capture, handling, marking, and relocation; serving as an integrated pest manager and maintaining state pesticide applicator license, submitting proposals about pesticide use, and addressing issues with rodents, insects, and other non-native species. Experience equivalent to the GS-5 may be professional work at the developmental or trainee level. Generally technical work below the GS-6 level is not creditable. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successfully completed one full year of graduate-level education (18 semester hours) above high school leading to a master's degree with major study or equivalent graduate degree in a field of study directly related to the position, (e.g., zoology, mammalogy, or wildlife biology). You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of at least a Bachelor's degree in a directly-related field (as described in above) AND I meet one of the criteria of Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.): (1) Class standing - Must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed course; OR (2) Grade-point average (G.P.A) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on four years of education, or as 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 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; OR (3) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society. For a detailed description of Superior Academic Achievement, please visit the Superior Academic Achievement website. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, I have an equivalent combination of education and experience (i.e., 6 months of specialized experience and 9 graduate semester credits directly related to the work of this position.). 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. 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. Additional Information Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program. A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. 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. Physical Demands: The work requires some physical exertion such as long periods of standing; walking over rough, uneven or rocky surfaces; recurring bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching or similar activities; and recurring lifting of moderately heavy items. Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and occasionally outdoors with moderate risks. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility, You must submit ALL SF-50s and performance information for each period of temporary/term employment that qualifies for LMWFA. Performance documentation can be obtained by contacting the supervisors for the positions you served in during your 24 months. If they did not complete performance appraisals ask them to provide a statement of performance for each period of service. The statement must specify the dates for each employment period and your level of performance consistent with your SF-50s.

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Job Details


Employment Type

Full Time

Number of openings

N/A


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