Biological Science Technician

These positions may be filled for a six month seasonal period, but can vary due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: March-July 2025.
Depending on location, government housing may be available. For more park(s) information, select “Learn more about this agency” below:

Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

  12/20/2024 to 01/10/2025

  This job will close when we have received 250 applications which may be sooner than the closing date.

  
  
• Salary
  
  

  $18.96 – $18.96 per hour
  Salary does not include locality pay. For specific wage information, reference the OPM Salaries and Wages link Additional Information.

• Pay scale & grade
  

  GS 5

• Locations

  Many vacancies in the following locations:

• Remote job
  

  No

• Telework eligible
  

  No

• Travel Required
  

  Not required

• Relocation expenses reimbursed
  

  No

• Appointment type

  Temporary – Not to Exceed 1039 hours

  
  
• Work schedule
  

  Full-time

• Service
  

  Competitive

• Promotion potential
  

  None

• Job family (Series)
• Supervisory status
  

  No

• Security clearance
• Drug test
  

  No

• Position sensitivity and risk
• Trust determination process
• Financial disclosure
• Bargaining unit status
• Announcement number

  NPS-IRA-25-12652297-DE

  
  
• Control number
  

  825522600

This job is open to

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Duties

• Performs technician work that is supportive of professionals in resource management (i.e. Ecologists, Botanist, etc.). These positions are primarily concerned with carrying out field studies on plants and plant ecology, inventorying, monitoring, and mapping plant populations; performing invasive plant eradication or revegetation work; conducting grazing and monitoring studies; developing improved methods of controlling invasive plant species and plant diseases; performing nursery work, seed collection, and similar work usually concerned with higher plant life. May also perform some forestry work concerned with monitoring, rehabilitation, reforestation, propagation, and/or thinning; monitoring hazard tree and disease programs; and monitoring and/or controlling disease and insect infestations. Specific duties will vary by park location.
• Implements natural resource management projects following established procedures. Collects and organizes field data, ensuring quality control of data or collected samples. Provides assessment and classification of data.
• Assists in the preparation of reports, plans, and guidelines related to resource management projects. Draft project reports may include literature research, description of methods, preparation of graphs and charts, and summary of findings.
• Provides logistical support for resource management projects as well as advice, assistance, and training to students, volunteers or lower graded technicians.
• Uses a variety of computer programs to compile, reduce, store, retrieve, analyze, and report data and other resource management information. Uses a wide variety of specialized equipment to carry out resource management projects.

Physical Demands: The work requires regular physical exertion such as walking or climbing over wet, rough, uneven and/or rocky surfaces; bending, crouching, stooping, or reaching to observe, collect and/or record field data; or in some situations the work may require physical exertion to handle wild animals, prepare soil for planting, camp overnight in backcountry locations, to scuba dive or operate a boat (varies by location). 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.

Work Environment: The work is performed in an office, laboratory, and in a field environment. The work performed in the field involves regular and recurring exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, poisonous plants, biting insects and wild animals. Some positions require the use of chemicals (for example, pesticides/herbicides to control invasive plants or chemical treatments for invasive aquatic species). The employee is required to follow all safety procedures based on the task being carried out which may require use protective clothing/gear such as gowns, coats, boots, goggles, gloves, etc.

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 may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver’s license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver’s license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to 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 discloses all valid driver’s licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver’s license.
• You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle.
• Occupancy of government quarters is required.
• 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.
• Depending on location, government housing may be available.
• 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 the closing date of this announcement-01/10/2025-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

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-5 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

• SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: assist in conducting established natural resource management projects; following instructions and standardized procedures for natural resources field work; collecting and organizing field data; performing routine and recurring testing of collected biological samples; following established quality control protocols and safety procedures for resource management projects; assisting higher level specialists or technicians in the preparation of portions of reports, plans, or guidelines related to resource management projects. Duties are supportive of professional specialists in resource management; relevant to research, conservation, and management of natural resources such but not limited to wildlife (land or aquatic) monitoring or control; field studies on plant or forest ecology, inventorying, monitoring, and/or control of invasive plants, or making other field observations on the state of natural resource conditions. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

• EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor’s degree in an accredited educational institution (120 semester hour or 180 quarter hours) which included at least 24 semester hours of scientific or technical courses, such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must be directly related to this position. Examples of directly related education are biology, botany, range science, forestry, ecology, environmental science, zoology, fisheries, animal husbandry, natural resource management or other directly related fields. You must include transcripts.

-OR-

• Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. NOTE: only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to one year of specialized experience. For example, I have six months of the specialized experience (50% of the experience requirement), and three years of college study from an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education) which included at least 12 semester hours of related coursework as described above of which at least 3 semester hours of directly related education as described above.

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 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 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

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.

to calculate locality 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.
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.
The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

• Benefits
  

  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. .

  
  
  

  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

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), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated ‘ineligible’, ‘not qualified’, or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran’s preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

• Best Qualified – applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
• Well Qualified – applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
• Qualified – applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

• Botany
• Research
• Technology Application

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

• Benefits
  

  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. .

  
  
  

  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

• Required Documents

  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have – whether you’re a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you’re eligible under their policies.

  
  
  

  The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 01/10/2025:

  1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, dates specified in month and year format, 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. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade.
  2. Complete All Required Assessments.
  3. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as:
     • :
       • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the . If you don’t have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the .
       • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
       • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or , you must submit all additional proof required by the , and if applicable, a completed . You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
       
       
     
     
  4. College transcripts, if qualifying based on education.
  5. Documentation for consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area. You must include: 1) Proof you are a displaced Federal employee, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above 85 on the rating criteria for this position.
  
  

  Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials – you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

  
  
  

  Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency’s staffing offices.

  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

  
  
  

  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from .

  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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