INTERDISCIPLINARY - BIOLOGIST/ECOLOGIST

Summary As part of the Natural Resource Challenge, a service-wide, network-based inventory and monitoring program has been developed to address the lack of credible scientific information available to parks on natural resources. If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Kozar at kellykozar@nps.gov. Responsibilities Assists Project Leads and Network Data Manager with meeting data management requirements of the monitoring projects and data quality review and certification to confirm that data are complete and meet standards for distribution and archiving. Manages database systems for the long-term maintenance, analysis and dissemination of natural resource-related data sets produced by past and forthcoming inventory and monitoring efforts. Documents tabular data sets and data management procedures to facilitate data product use and interpretation. Works with appropriate project staff members to document and complete routine quality checks on project data. Works with supervisor on short-range network data management plans to implement standards, guidelines and protocols for the acquisition, dissemination, maintenance, and security of inventory and monitoring datasets collected under the network program Assists data manager in integrating a variety of database management software, and under close supervision, modifies or adapts standard software to meet program needs. Physical Demands: The work is often sedentary; fieldwork may occasionally require some physical exertion such as long periods of standing, walking over uneven terrain. Work Environment: A majority of the work is performed in an office setting with adequate light, heat and ventilation. Occasional field visits may create exposure to a variety of physical settings and may require adequate clothing. For more information, see the parks website: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) 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). 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. 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. 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-10/16/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's Federal General Schedule Qualification Standards. BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: All applicants must meet the basic education requirement for their discipline: GS-0401, GS-0408 AND the experience listed below. Please note: It is your responsibility to show how you satisfy the course requirements for the series(s) you are applying for. If you do not provide information that clearly shows how your completed college course work meets all of the requirements, you will be rated ineligible. Your rating will be based solely on the information you submit with your application. No attempts will be made to verify with you, or the school you attended, whether or not your course work meets all of the requirements. YOU MUST SUBMIT ALL YOUR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS. Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences GS-0401: A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Ecology GS-0408: Degree: biology, or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences. -AND- To qualify for this position at the GS-09 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-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing the following, must include all four elements: (1) managing database systems for the long-term maintenance, analysis and dissemination of natural resource-related data sets produced by inventory and monitoring efforts; (2) performing data quality review and verification to confirm that data are complete and meet standards for distribution and archiving; (3) coordinating data uploads; data manipulations; and assisting staff with special data requests; and (4) implementing standards, guidelines and protocols for the acquisition, dissemination, maintenance, and security of inventory and monitoring datasets collected under the network program. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate level degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of a Biologist/Ecologist. Note: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. 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. 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 Open to the first 101 applicants or until 10/16/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration. 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. 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. A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another. 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 SF50s.