Fish and Wildlife Biologist

Summary

You will serve as a Fish and Wildlife Biologist with US Fish and Wildlife Service as a Senior Fish and Wildlife Biologist and technical advisor in at least one of the following specialty areas: Endangered Species; Federal Activities; Environmental Contaminants; and/or Partners for Fish and Wildlife. GS-11: $84,579 to $109,959 per annum GS-12: $101,375 to $131,790 per annum

Duties

Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Coordinates and facilitates compliance work for federal environmental statutes and regulations (e.g. Endangered Species Act (sections 4,6,7, and 10)). Works under deadlines to plan and conduct reviews and ecological investigations of a wide variety of complex and diverse land and water resource development proposals to determine their effects on fish and wildlife resources, with special emphasis on rare, candidate, proposed, and federally listed species habitat and designated critical habitat; migratory species including anadromous fish, aquatic connectivity; and habitats of concern in the affected area. Participates in diverse, complex, and multi-disciplinary planning efforts with public and private groups and state, local, and federal agencies to achieve Service policies, objectives, and goals. Prepares objective and complete written biological reports, decision documents such as biological opinions, letters conveying biological and regulatory technical assistance, and other documents. Delivers oral presentations to Service staff, other agency and organization professionals, and public groups based on investigations conducted and analysis of present and future impacts of various complex project alternatives on fish, wildlife, and habitat resources. Acts as technical advisor to other Field Office staff on species' needs and ecology, statutory and regulatory topics, current agency policies, and problem solving. Provides guidance to, and directs the work of, lower-graded biologists in matters pertinent to areas of special expertise. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/12/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized 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 periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. 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. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirement AND/OR Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying. Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. You must submit transcripts. -OR- B. Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. To qualify for the GS-11: Specialized Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) Assisting in conducting investigations to determine the impact of land and water development projects on fish and wildlife resources, under the guidance of a supervisor or senior biologist. 2) Reviewing and providing input on permit or license applications (e.g., Section 10 recovery permits, US Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, FERC licensing, or state permit programs) related to fish and wildlife resources. 3) Gathering, organizing, and summarizing biological or habitat data to support regulatory decision documents, written technical recommendations, or fish and wildlife management plans. 4) Assisting in writing biological opinions or other regulatory decision documents, agency recommendations, species status assessments, environmental assessments, or resource planning reports evaluating effects on fish and wildlife resources. 4) Partnering with federal, state, municipal, or non-governmental organizations including communicating agency recommendations, positions, goals, etc. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- Education: Successful completion of at least 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent degree -OR- have earned a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or closely related field which provided me with the knowledge skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience as listed above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of progressively higher-level graduate education you have completed and then divide it by 54. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week and transcripts. To qualify for the GS-12: Specialized Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:1) Planning, conducting, and reviewing ecological evaluations and investigations of land and water resource development proposals to determine effects on fish and wildlife resources. 2) Independently leading standard consultations under the Endangered Species Act and/or participation in FERC licensing and exemption activities. This includes using best available data to independently draft biological opinions, agency recommendations, prescriptions, and other documents stating agency positions and decisions. 3) Serving as technical advisor to other field office staff and external partners on the natural history and conservation of species and habitats, relevant statutes and regulations, and agency and field office policy and practice. 4) Independently leading meetings and otherwise effectively communicating with federal, state, and local agencies; non-governmental organizations; and the public using written, verbal, and digital/video formats. You must include hours per week worked. 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

This position has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.