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Wildlife Biologist

Bureau of Land Management
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Summary

Positions are located in the BLM Oregon/Washington State Office, with duty stations in North Bend and Medford, Oregon.

The Wildlife Biologist, GS-0486-09, is involved in the management of the surrounding ecology for the conservation of wild animals as well as coordinating wildlife management programs with other natural resources activities, such as land use planning, forest and range management programs.

Duties

In this position, the Wildlife Biologist will perform the following duties:

  • Collaborates with other wildlife team members to ensure surveys, evaluations, and projects are completed as needed.
  • Designs surveys of threatened and endangered species in project areas to ensure project areas have adequate survey coverage.
  • Manages surveys to ensure that protocols are followed, performs quality checks in the field and of data submissions, ensures data is entered accurately in a timely fashion.
  • Organizes data using agreed-upon file structure.
  • Surveys for other ISSSSP species in line with BLM priorities.
  • Coordinates field reviews (timber/planning area reviews) with other employees, especially forestry field staff.
  • Ensures timber units are adequately reviewed in the field
  • Completes wildlife assessments for projects such as DNA reviews and contract reviews as requested.
  • As requested, serves on timber interdisciplinary teams (planning, NEPA, Consultation, etc.)
  • Maintain Resource Management Plan (RMP) direction, including production of a sustainable supply of timber and other forest products (through sales, salvaging damaged timber and other forest products following wildfire, insect and disease outbreak and other natural events).
  • Comply with Endangered Species Act/Bureau Manual 6840 requirements and incorporate recommendations for maintaining stable and/or increasing populations of wildlife species consistent with applicable management plans, permitting requirements, and other land use documents (i.e. ROW and tailhold requests).
  • Ensure GIS/GPS data and maps are accurate and in accordance with District standards.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship requiredMay be required to complete background investigationMeet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for malesMust provide resume and supporting documents (See required documents).You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.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 occasionally travel overnight away from home. You must be eligible to obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application.

You must meet the BASIC Requirement *AND* the ADDITIONAL Requirement in order to qualify for this position.

BASIC Requirement for the 0486 series:

A. Degree in 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.
  • NOTE: Your submitted transcripts must show required coursework.
OR
B. 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. NOTE: Your submitted transcripts must show required coursework.

*AND*

ADDITIONAL Requirement: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying:

GS-09:
A. Specialized Experience: Have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service performing duties in a developmental capacity such as: (1) preparing, evaluating, or conducting biological analyses of land and water resource projects; (2) assisting with the coordination of wildlife and wildlife habitat protection and conservation with local Tribal, State, or other federal agencies; (3) reporting any habitat status changes/issues to management by participating in the monitoring of sensitive species and their habitats; and (4) participating in providing input to the agency's wildlife annual work plan.
OR
B. Have 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university in a directly related field. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.
OR
C. Have successfully completed a combination of education and experience as described above that, when converted to percentages, equal at least 100% of the total requirement. To calculate your combined amount, first determine the amount of your specialized experience as a percentage of the requirement listed in A above. Then determine the amount of your graduate education in excess of one full year (18 semester hours) as a percentage of the requirement listed in B above; then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

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.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

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.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

Additional information

Physical Demands: Some of the work is performed in an office setting. However, in order to gather samples and complete monitoring activities, much of the work requires the individual to walk, ride horseback, or ride vehicles over rough terrain, and perform duties that require recurring bending, crouching, stooping, reaching or lifting. Work may also include lifting of moderately heavy items, such as equipment and samples.

Working Conditions: Some of the work is performed in an office setting, however, considerable field work is required to complete projects. This may include camping or relatively long-term exposure to inclement weather. The employee may be exposed to discomfort from harsh weather, insects, or vegetation. The incumbent may also be subjected to hostile wildlife, chemicals and other physical hazards.

Telework: The Bureau of Land Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

BLM may use certain incentives, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract high quality applicants.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ctap_guideline.pdf. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 90 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application
  • Benefits

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may affect your rating.

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.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a subject matter expert resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed below that are required to successfully perform the job.

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:
  • Administration and Management
  • Manages and Organizes Information
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Wildlife Biology

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 02/02/2023.
  1. Résumé which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year format, and indicate hours worked per week. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade.
  2. A complete Occupational Questionnaire
  3. College transcripts, if qualifying based on education.
  4. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as:
  • Veterans Preference Documentation:
  • 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 SF15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
  • 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 Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
  • 5. Documentation for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan 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 90 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 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.

How to Apply

To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 02/02/2023. WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES.
  1. Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account.
  2. Prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application."
  1. Select or add the resume you want to use for this application. Click here on how to build a resume in USAJOBS.
  2. Select documents you want included in this application.
  3. Review package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed.
  4. Select if you want to include your demographic information.
  5. After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
  6. Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
  7. Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown.
  • Upload any missing required documents or optional documents.
  1. Review and Submit Application.
  2. While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
  3. You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement.
  • To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job.
  • Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. So it is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.
Due to COVID-19, the Bureau of Land Management is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement in accordance with the Department's reentry procedures provided by your Servicing Human Resources Office. At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework one or more days per pay period depending upon the terms of the Department of the Interior's telework policy.

Agency contact information

 San Antonio Services Branch

Phone
Email
Address
BLM Oregon State Office
BLM Oregon State Office, OR-953
1220 SW Third
Portland, OR 97204
US

Next steps

Once the Occupational Questionnaire is received you will receive acknowledgement that your submission was successful. If you are among the most qualified candidates and your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.

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

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.