• Open & closing dates

     06/20/2019 to 06/26/2019

  • Service

    Competitive

  • Pay scale & grade

    GS 11

  • Salary

    $66,250 to $86,131 per year

  • Appointment type

    Term – This is a term appointment not to exceed 13 months with possible extensions up to a total of 4 years without further competition. Appointment to this position will not convey permanent status in the Federal service.

  • Work schedule

    Full-Time

Locations

FEW vacancies in the following location:

  • Cook, WA
Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

Telework eligible

Yes as determined by agency policy

  • Duties

    Summary

    What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position? 

    Salary: $67,574 (Step 01) to $87,851 (Step 10); NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01. 

    There is one vacancy; however, this announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies if they become available.

    Responsibilities

    As a Fish Biologist within the Western Fisheries Research Center, some of your specific duties will include:

    -Serve as a principal investigator responsible for planning, developing, and executing field and laboratory research projects on salmonids and other fishes, and is responsible for final collation and editing of scientific reports and manuscripts for submission to the funding and/or scientific journals.

    -Develop data collection protocols and standards for data collection and post-processing. Monitor and validate data collection and accuracy to ensure that standards are met in accordance with Good Laboratory Practices.

    -Adapt, modify, and innovate new protocols and technologies for collecting data on juvenile salmon and other fish to achieve study objectives.

    -Oversee the monitoring of radio or acoustic-tagged juvenile salmonids with data logging telemetry receivers from boats or at hydroelectric dams.

    -Plan and direct the setup, maintenance, and monitoring of fixed-location radio or acoustic telemetry receiving equipment and materials for work assignments and perform basic troubleshooting when needed.

    -Coordinate the post-processing and integration of data collected with radio or acoustic-telemetry systems and conduct complex data analyses and use appropriate statistical test to make valid inferences from the data.

    -Develop, integrate, and oversee database management and statistical analysis procedures; prepare graphs, charts, tables and other accomplished reports. Develop computer programs and subroutines to analyze a variety of physical and biological data.

    Physical Demands and Work Environment:
    Office and laboratory work is primarily sedentary. Field work frequently involves strenuous exertion including prolonged walking over wet, rough, uneven, and rocky surfaces, and wading in rivers and lakes intermittent to prolonged climbing, lifting, pushing, balancing, crouching, stooping, bending, and other related activities. The position may require long hours in the field.

    Temperature and weather extremes may be encountered while performing outdoor work. Field and laboratory duties may require use of special protective gear.

    Travel Required

    25% or less – Overnight travel of 1-5 nights per month may be required.

    Supervisory status

    No

    Promotion Potential

    11

  • Job family (Series)

    0482 Fish Biology

  • Requirements

    Conditions Of Employment

    • Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
    • Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
    • Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year trial period.
    • More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
    • Selectee must provide a valid state driver’s license & safe driving record.
    • Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.

    Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

    You will be required to operate a government-owned or -leased vehicle in the performance of your official duties.  Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements:  (1) possess a valid State license, and (2) possess a safe driving record.  If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid State license & a copy of your driving record.

    Taking and passing a pre-employment medical examination at Federal expense is required due to the physical demands of this job.

    Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment.  Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.

    A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant’s successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.

    Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.

    Qualifications

    For information on basic qualifications, which includes information on whether you may substitute education for specialized experience, please click on the following:https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/fishery-biologist-gs-0482.

    In addition to the basic education requirements, you must have 1-year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal service. Examples include: 1) Participating in the planning and execution of fishery biological studies with limited number of variables; 2) performing established, standardized tests and analyses on a broad range of biological samples; 3) conducting fishery biological studies using established fact-finding procedures. For examples 1-3, assignments were made with the objectives, priorities, and deadlines defined. The work was planned and carried out independently in accordance with proven techniques, methods, and practices. Controversial use of approaches or modifications of standard procedures were typically discussed with a designated person before being carried out.

    You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

    Education

    • 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 completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs.

    Additional information

    • Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
    • Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
    • USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
    • The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
    • DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
    • THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

    How You Will Be Evaluated

    –Vacancy Related Questions: As part of the online application process, you will need to respond to a series of questions designed to assess your possession of the following knowledge skills, abilities and/or competencies:

    1. Interpersonal Communication; 2.) Leadership & Supervision; 3.) Program/Project Management; 4.) Disseminate Data; 5.) Scientific Knowledge; 6.) Laboratory Techniques; 7.) Scientific Instrumentation: 8.) Collect Scientific Data; 9.) Compute/Analyze Data; 10.) Information Management; 11.) Pressure/Deadlines.

    –Basis of rating:  Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are Best Qualified, Well Qualified, and Qualified. You will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. If you are eligible, your on-line responses to the application questions will determine your placement in the appropriate quality category described above. Your responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible. Veterans’ preference rules for category rating will be applied.

    –NOTE: If it is determined that you have rated yourself higher than is supported in your description of experience and/or education as described in your resume/application, or that your resume or application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible, not qualified, or your score may be lowered.

    To preview questions please click here.

    Background checks and security clearance

    Security clearance

    Not Required

    Drug test required

    No

  • Required Documents

    –This position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) or list of course work, which includes semester hours earned and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. This proof may be faxed, document uploaded, or hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office (see “Required Documents” and/or “Contact Information”). Please ensure that all documentation is legible.

    –If you are claiming veterans’ preference you must provide a legible copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, member 4 copy or any official documentation or statement from the Armed Forces that confirms your dates of service and that your separation, discharge, or release from active duty was under honorable conditions (i.e., Honorable or General Discharge).  Note:  If you have more than one DD-214 for multiple periods of active duty, submit a copy for each period of service.

    –If you are currently on active military duty, you must provide documentation (e.g., campaign document, award citation, etc.), that verifies entitlement to veterans’ preference and that your character of military service is honorable.

    –If you are claiming 10-point veterans’ preference, in addition to the documents specified above, you must also submit documentation that supports your claim, e.g., an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (dated 1991 or later) or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability, or the award of the Purple Heart, etc.  The overall rating must be identified on your certification letter or separation orders.

    –Documentation must be received by the closing date shown in this vacancy announcement.  If you fail to submit any of the required documentation, you will not be granted veterans’ preference.  Additional information on veterans’ preference can be found in the VetGuide.

    –If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, the Servicing Human Resources Office must receive proof by the closing date of this announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330 Subpart F for CTAP and 5 CFR 330 Subpart G for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. This includes a copy of the agency notice, your most recent Performance Rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Required documents may be faxed, uploaded, or hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office (see “Contact Information”). If you are a CTAP or ICTAP eligible, you will be considered well qualified if you earn a minimum score of 85 (prior to the assignment of veteran’s preference points). For more information on CTAP/ICTAP please click here.

    –Required documents may be: 1)faxed to the Agency Contact (see “Contact Information”) 2)uploaded directly from your desktop 3)uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments 4)hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office (see ‘Contact Information’).

    Auto-Requested Fax: allows you to submit required documentation that will be electronically displayed along with your resume.

    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 schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

    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.

  • 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.

    USGS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement.  The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis.

    For additional information on our internal telework policy, please reference the Department of the Interior Telework Handbook at:  https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/telework_handbook_october_2012_rev_march_2013.pdf.

    Working for the U.S. Geological Survey offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid vacation, sick leave, and holidayshealth, life, dental, vision, and long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

    https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/helpful-links

    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 to Apply

    –Applications (resume and application questions) for this vacancy must be received on-line via USAJOBS BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, D.C. time) on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online resume, you will not be considered for this position. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Most libraries, employment offices, and all USGS personnel offices can provide access to the Internet. If applying online poses a hardship for you, you must speak to someone in the Servicing Human Resources Office listed on this announcement PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE for assistance.

    –Instructions for Applying Online for this Vacancy Announcement: 1)Click the blue “Apply Online” button. 2)If you are not a registered USAJOBS user, please create a new accountand follow the instructions to complete your application process. If you are a registered user, login to access your existing USAJOBS profile. 3)As a registered user, select a stored resume and select one or more of your stored documents to attach to your application. 4)Check the “Certification” box and click the “Apply for this position now!” button located at the bottom of the screen. 5)Address the eligibility questions as well as the questionnaire containing questions and/or task statements that address the knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies for this vacancy. 6)Submit required documents using one of the available methods listed below. 7) If you experience technical difficulties during the online application process, please contact the USAJOBS helpdesk.

    Agency contact information

     Earl Emerson

    Phone

    916 278-9399

    Fax

    916-278-9406

    Email

    pacsac1@usgs.gov

    Address
    INTERIOR, Geological Survey
    3020 State University Dr. East, Suite 2001
    Sacramento, California 95819
    United States

    Learn more about this agency

    Visit our careers page

    Learn more about what it’s like to work at Geological Survey, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

    https://www.usgs.gov/about/about-us/