Duties

The primary purpose of these positions is to assist with the implementation of fish population monitoring throughout the park. These positions will serve on a field crew conducting backpacking electrofishing surveys in mountain stream habitats. During monitoring surveys, fish will be captured, identified, measured, weighed, and released. Additional duties include assisting with all aspects of the monitoring protocol including netting fish, fish identification, measuring stream habitat, and collecting information on water quality and quantity. Standardized software is used for data entry and summaries.

The GS-06 position will serve as assistant crew lead on the field crew conducting backpacking electrofishing surveys within mountain stream habitats. Additional duties include leading and assisting with all aspects of the monitoring protocol including netting fish, fish identification, measuring stream habitat, and collecting information on water quality and quantity. The assistant crew lead will be responsible for maintaining and repairing equipment.

The GS-06 and one of the GS-05's will also assist with aquatic macroinvertebrate monitoring. These two positions will work in the park from mid-April through early September. Three GS-05 positions for fisheries monitoring will work in the park from the end of May through early September.

THESE POSITIONS INVOLVE LONG DISTANCE HIKING, UP TO 5 MILES A DAY IN STEEP, MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN IN ALL TYPES OF WEATHER. THERE MAY BE FREQUENT EXPOSURE TO HIGH HEAT & HUMIDITY, COLD, WIND, RAIN, STINGING INSECTS, AND TICKS (INCLUDING TICKS THAT CARRY LYME DISEASE). SELECTEE MUST BE CAPABLE OF LIFTING, CARRYING AND PACKING OBJECTS AND LOADS OF 40-50 POUNDS. THE POSITIONS REQUIRE FREQUENT STRENUOUS ACTIVITY.

These positions are covered by the RUS Salary Table.
GS-05 salary is $18.06 PH.
GS-06 salary is $20.14 PH.

POSITION LOCATION: These positions will be with the Division of Natural and Cultural Resources, Shenandoah National Park, Headquarters Complex. Headquarters is located approximately 4 miles from Luray, Virginia; a small rural community in the Shenandoah Valley with all the usual facilities and services including schools, and a population of about 4900. Nearby local towns include Harrisonburg, 33 miles; Winchester, 44 miles; and Charlottesville, 66 miles. Shenandoah National Park contains 197,000 acres along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia. The Park's backcountry consists of more than 500 miles of trails, including 95 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, and nearly 80,000 acres of federally designed wilderness. Skyline Drive, the famous scenic tour road through the Park, follows the ridge crest for 105 miles from Front Royal to the Blue Ridge Parkway near Waynesboro. Over a million people visit the Park each year to enjoy views from the Skyline Drive, hike trails, fish for trout, camp in campgrounds or in the backcountry, or stay overnight in one of the Park's rustic lodges or backcountry cabins. Park forests support a variety of wildlife, including deer, black bear and bobcats, and the mountain streams are inhabited by numerous species of fishes, including brook trout.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: For additional information regarding this announcement or how to apply, please contact the HR Office at the number or email provided under the "agency contact information" section. For specific questions pertaining to the position being advertised, please contact Evan Childress (Evan_Childress@nps.gov). When inquiring by email please include the job announcement number NE-1612-SHEN-23-11796905-DE in the subject line.

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.
• Government housing is not available.
• You will 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.
• 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-06/23/2023-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-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: conducting fisheries, animal or plant inventory and monitoring work, and that demonstrates knowledge of fisheries, animal or plant inventory and monitoring techniques and included performing duties such as conducting environmental monitoring and management activities related to fishery and/or wildlife by making field observations, conducting surveys, and recording and entering data into databases (such as Microsoft Access and ESRI ArcMap, or comparable software). You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 4 years of education above high school leading to a bachelor's degree in an accredited institution, with major study or 24 semester hours in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours must be in fisheries study, such as ichthyology, aquatic ecology, aquatic entomology, biology, ecology, environmental science or natural resource management. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. (Note..Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study {30 semester hours} beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience.) For example, 6 months of specialized experience as described above (50% of the experience requirement), and 3 years of college study from an accredited institution as described above (50% of the education requirement). The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include 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 must have been in the Biological Technician field in the specialization of fisheries and included activities such as: assisting with project management of resource management projects; assisting in the development of resource management project reports, including literature research, descriptions of methods, summary of results; entering and modifying biological data in a computer database; performing a variety of behavioral or measured data collection activities such as monitoring and managing tasks related to breeding species, etc.; or utilizing various techniques to gather biological samples. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate education in an accredited educational institution (18 semester hours) of fisheries coursework directly related to the work of the position (such as ichthyology, aquatic ecology, aquatic entomology, biology, environmental science, or natural resource management). You must include transcripts.
-OR-
COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, I have 6 months of specialized experience (50% of the experience requirements) combined with 6 months of directly related graduate education (50% of the graduate education requirements). The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include 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.

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

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 selections at any time without notification.

Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. All travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the sole responsibility of the selected employee.

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.

Physical Demands: The work is partially sedentary with prolonged standing, walking, and bending often required. Heavy items (e.g., packs and equipment up to 50 pounds) must be lifted and carried on a routine basis.

Working Conditions: The work is performed in an office, laboratory, and in the field. Field work includes exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, pesticides, poisonous plants, biting insects, and wild animals. Laboratory work may involve exposure to hazardous chemicals.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information .