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  • Biological Science Technician (Plants) (summer 2024), National Park Service (Ashland, OR; due Dec. 29)

    Dec 20, 2023 1:45 pm by Jordyn SiglerJobs

    Position Description and Application Information

    Summary

    The Pacific West Region is recruiting for summer seasonal Biological Science Technician (Plants), GS-0404-5/6/7 positions intended to assist permanent staff with Biological Science Technician (Plants) field work.

    Open to the first 125 applicants or until 12/29/2023 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

    Duties

    Multiple positions will be filled at multiple locations. Pay rates, start dates, telework eligibility and amount of travel required will vary based on duty location.

    • Pinnacles National Park: Paicines, CA (GS-06 Only)
    • Klamath Inventory and Monitoring Network: Ashland, OR

    Major Duties may include:

    • Works in a small team to conduct vegetation monitoring or invasive plant early detection surveys.
    • Follows detailed monitoring, data collection, and safety protocols. Navigates to remote work sites on foot or by vehicle using maps and/or GPS devices.
    • Measures plant species diversity, abundance, composition, vegetation community structure, and/or plant phenology.
    • Under direct supervision, leads interns or volunteers, schedules field work, maintains equipment, and implements a safety program for the team.
    • Properly identifies vascular plant species and utilizes dichotomous keys and knowledge of plant families to identify plants. Collects and prepares voucher specimens for the herbarium.
    • Surveys for and maps invasive plants. Utilizes manual, mechanical, and chemical methods to control invasive vegetation.
    • Collects high-quality data to be used as input to vegetation plans, long-term vegetation monitoring, geodatabases, etc. Utilizes both field computers and paper datasheets to collect data, and enters and organizes data in spreadsheets, databases, reports, and using ArcGIS, routinely verifying data accuracy and consistency.
    • Compiles and organizes data needed to document work progress and findings and writes reports.

    Additional duties for the GS-06 level:

    • Temporarily acts as Crew Leader as assigned.
    • Temporarily serves in a leadership role with respect to compiling and organizing data needed to document work progress and findings as assigned.

    Additional duties for the GS-07 level:

    • Serves as Crew Leader and supervises several seasonal Biological Science Technicians in the performance of assigned tasks.
    • Communicates regularly with supervisor to prioritize work and develop work schedule.
    • Serves in a leadership role with respect to compiling and organizing data needed to document work progress and findings and writing reports.

    The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period is April-May but can be variable due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: April 2024 

    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.
    • 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 may 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.
    • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 18 nights per month.
    • Travel, transportation & relocation expenses will not be paid. Relocation expenses will be the employee's responsibility.
    • 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.

    Qualifications

    All qualifications must be met by 11:59 EST when the 'applicant cut-off' is reached (which may be sooner than 12/29/2023).

    Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

    To qualify for this position at the GS-05 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-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: 1) collecting scientific data on vegetation; 2) implementing/assisting with vegetation inventories, studies, and surveys; 3) participating in site rehabilitation through soil preparation, native seed dispersal or collection, live planting and weeding; 4) performing a variety of manual, mechanical, chemical, or bio-control methods in planned management of plants; or 5) nursery work that required the growing and maintenance of plants in a controlled environment; monitoring or controlling vegetation pests or diseases. You must include hours per week worked.
    -OR-
    EDUCATION:     Successful completion of at least four years of progressively higher-level undergraduate coursework leading to a bachelor's degree or equivalent undergraduate degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. You must include transcripts.
    -OR-
    Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours (or equivalent) earned towards a bachelor's degree, in excess of 60 semester hours, and divide by 60 semester hours (or equivalent). 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 worked and transcripts.

    To qualify for this position at the GS-06 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: 1) implementing vegetation inventories, studies, and surveys; 2) participating in site rehabilitation through soil preparation and native seed collection; 3) performing a variety of manual, mechanical, chemical, or bio-control methods in planned management of plants including introduced or noxious weed species or native species; and 4) collecting, organizing and performing quality control of scientific data related to vegetation. You must include hours per week worked.
    -OR-
    EDUCATION:     Successful completion of at least one year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree with a major study in a directly related field such as biology, plant science, ecology, botany, or agriculture. You must include transcripts.
    -OR-
    Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours (or equivalent) earned towards a directly related graduate degree and divide by 18 semester hours (or equivalent). 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 worked and transcripts.

    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-06 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: 1) participating in site rehabilitation through soil preparation, native seed collection, broadcast or drill seeding, native plant salvage, and/or planting of native plants for upland and/or wetland restoration; 2) setting-up and managing environmental monitoring equipment; 3) conducting field surveys and vegetation mapping in remote locations to document and assess plant presence, abundance, reproduction, management issues, and population dynamics using established protocols and use of standard scientific equipment (such as GPS); 4) managing and summarizing, vegetation data using computer software (such as Microsoft Access, Excel, Word, ArcGIS, Pathfinder Office, or comparable); and 5) leading a field crew in vegetation management or control work. You must include hours per week worked.
    -OR-
    EDUCATION:     Successful completion of at least one year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree with a major study in a directly related field such as biology, plant science, ecology, botany, or agriculture. You must include transcripts.
    -OR-
    Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours (or equivalent) earned towards a directly related graduate degree and divide by 18 semester hours (or equivalent). 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 worked 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.

    ICTAP/CTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special prior­ity selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies.

    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

    For additional information about this position, please contact:
    Pinnacles NP:     Amelia Ryan, amelia_ryan@nps.gov
    Klamath Inventory and Monitoring Network: Lauren Neel, lauren_neel@nps.gov

    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.

    A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.

    This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

    Physical Demands: The work requires regular physical exertion such as walking or climbing over wet, rough, uneven and/or rocky surfaces; and bending, crouching, stooping or reaching to observe, collect and/or record field data. Moderately heavy items, such as equipment packs weighing up to 50 pounds, must be lifted and carried on a regular basis. May be required to hike several miles in a day.

    Working Conditions: The work environment varies from office/laboratory settings to field sites. The work performed in the field involves regular and recurring exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, poisonous plants, biting insects and wild animals.

    Telework: The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position MAY be suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

    Government housing MAY be available.

    Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1040 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS).

    If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1040 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1040 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility.

    The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1040 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1040 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM.

    Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations.