Biological Science Technician
- Employer
- USAJobs
- Location
- Stafford County, Virginia
- Closing date
- Feb 2, 2023
View more
- Industry
- Government and Public Services, Federal
- Function
- Construction and Skilled Trades
- Hours
- Full Time
- Career Level
- Experienced (Non-Manager)
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Duties
The purpose of this position is to perform a wide variety of biological support assignments in the program area of plants. Assignments consist of performing a variety of standardized technical support and technical issues associated with the work.
Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park consists of seven units comprising over 7,000 acres spread over some 145 square miles. At the core of the park are four major battlefields: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. Also included in the park are Salem Church Battlefield (an outlying part of the Chancellorsville Battlefield), Chatham Manor, and Stonewall Jackson Death Site. Historic resources include two 18th century manor houses, a 19th plantation office, a church, and many other lesser buildings, as well as earthworks, roads, and thousands of archival, historic, and archeological objects.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-02/01/2023-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). Specialized experience is experience that equips the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Biological Science Technician related to vegetation management. Examples of qualifying experience may include the following: performing basic vegetation inventories, studies, and surveys; participating in site rehabilitation through soil preparation, native seed dispersal, live planting, and weeding; applying/performing a variety of manual, mechanical, chemical, and/or bio-control methods in planned management of exotics (non-natives), native species, and/or weeds. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least four years of study above high school (120 semester hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours of course work in a related field. Related fields of study include biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. (At least 6 semester hours of this course work must have been in subjects that were directly related to the work of this position, such as botany, plants, or other natural resource topics related to vegetation monitoring.) 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, 6 months of the specialized experience described above (50% of the experience requirement), and 3 years (90 semester hours) of college study from an accredited institution as described above (50% of the qualifying education) which included at least 12 semester hours of related coursework as specified above of which at least 3 semester hours was in plant, botany, or natural resource related subjects (50% of the related coursework required). Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.
You must possess or be able to obtain Herbicide Applicator's License within 60 days of appointment.
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.
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 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.
The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are not suitable for telework.
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 . To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85 or above on the rating criteria for this position. You must submit documentation to support this claim.
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 .
The purpose of this position is to perform a wide variety of biological support assignments in the program area of plants. Assignments consist of performing a variety of standardized technical support and technical issues associated with the work.
- Carries out a wide variety of field activities to control non-native and invasive plant species and enhance native plant populations. Such activities may include inventory and assessment, habitat restoration, and application of herbicides (must possess or obtain Herbicide Applicator's License).
- Makes field observations of plant conditions and provides preliminary determinations on conditions/problems used in park planning, and resource protection activities.
- Conducts routine and recurring resource monitoring programs for evaluating rare, threatened, and endangered species, vegetation communities, cultural landscapes, ecosystem relationships and public health/safety issues.
- Assists in the preparation of reports and plans; uses standard statistical methods and procedures in performing routine and recurring testing of the field data.
- Participates in revegetation activities such as site preparation, transplanting and seeding.
- Utilizes GPS/GIS technology and other software to collect, enter, and organize field data and maps.
Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park consists of seven units comprising over 7,000 acres spread over some 145 square miles. At the core of the park are four major battlefields: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. Also included in the park are Salem Church Battlefield (an outlying part of the Chancellorsville Battlefield), Chatham Manor, and Stonewall Jackson Death Site. Historic resources include two 18th century manor houses, a 19th plantation office, a church, and many other lesser buildings, as well as earthworks, roads, and thousands of archival, historic, and archeological objects.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Must possess or be able to obtain Herbicide Applicator's License within 60 days of appointment.
- 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 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 may be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You may also 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 disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
- You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle.
- Government housing may be 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.
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-02/01/2023-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). Specialized experience is experience that equips the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Biological Science Technician related to vegetation management. Examples of qualifying experience may include the following: performing basic vegetation inventories, studies, and surveys; participating in site rehabilitation through soil preparation, native seed dispersal, live planting, and weeding; applying/performing a variety of manual, mechanical, chemical, and/or bio-control methods in planned management of exotics (non-natives), native species, and/or weeds. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least four years of study above high school (120 semester hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours of course work in a related field. Related fields of study include biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. (At least 6 semester hours of this course work must have been in subjects that were directly related to the work of this position, such as botany, plants, or other natural resource topics related to vegetation monitoring.) 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, 6 months of the specialized experience described above (50% of the experience requirement), and 3 years (90 semester hours) of college study from an accredited institution as described above (50% of the qualifying education) which included at least 12 semester hours of related coursework as specified above of which at least 3 semester hours was in plant, botany, or natural resource related subjects (50% of the related coursework required). Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.
You must possess or be able to obtain Herbicide Applicator's License within 60 days of appointment.
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.
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 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.
The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are not suitable for telework.
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 . To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85 or above on the rating criteria for this position. You must submit documentation to support this claim.
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 .
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