Biologist - Direct Hire Authority

Summary This position is located in Grand Canyon National Park, in the Science and Resource Management Division. This is a term position (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment expecting to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of 10 years. Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service. Responsibilities The position is located at Grand Canyon National Park in Grand Canyon, AZ. The incumbent will be hired to work on habitat restoration and hazard tree management projects. Projects will include Provide TCWL Revegetation/Nat Resource Compliance and DSC Project Management/Logistics Support (FY23-28); Rehabilitate the North Rim and Roaring Springs Utility Systems; Replace Wastewater Plant at South Rim Village; LTEMP Experimental Vegetation Treatments; and Increasing Visitor Safety, Access, and Enjoyment by Evaluating and Mitigating Hazardous Trees. Major Duties: Develops, plans and coordinates habitat restoration, invasive plant management, and hazard tree management actions. Collaborates with other agencies, groups, landowners, and entities using cooperation, contracts, and agreements. Leads term biologists, temporary biological science technicians, youth conservation corps, interns, and volunteers. Develops and manages vegetation program budgets and accomplishments with program leads and budget representatives. Incumbent identifies invasive plants and determines how best to treat or manage infestations. Incumbent develops habitat restoration plans for complex projects. Incumbent prepares and manages Pesticide Use Proposals. Incumbent manages vegetation management data using GPS, ArcGIS Pro, and other electronic tools and software programs. Incumbent conducts vegetation monitoring to determine success of habitat restoration actions. Incumbent participates in and leads interdisciplinary teams for production of NEPA documents and management decisions. Incumbent is responsible for the day-to-day guidance and training of term and temporary staff as they implement vegetation management actions. This is a term position (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment expecting to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of 10 years, or more based on any changes to regulations governing the number of years term appointments may last, without further competition. Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service. The National Park Service retains the right to extend the duration of this appointment after selection and/or appointment, based on changes to the regulation governing the number of years term appointments may last. This change, which may be made at the agency's sole discretion and without further competition, shall not be construed or interpreted as the granting of a right to a selectee or employee to such an extension. No extension to a term appointment shall be granted to a selectee/employee to an amount of time that exceeds the maximum number of years authorized under any present or current regulation, unless such regulation expressly allows such action. Area Information: This position is stationed at South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park located in Northern Arizona. The South Rim is approximately 60 miles north of Williams and 82 miles Northwest of Flagstaff, at an elevation of 7,000 feet. Temperatures range from approximately 90 degrees in the summer to 0 degrees in the winter. Annual precipitation averages around 13 inches. Grand Canyon Village has schools K-12, a daycare center, post office, general store, churches, a recreation center with gym, a public library, a clinic with resident physicians, and several restaurants. The park community consists of some 2,500 people, including employees of the NPS and concessioners and their family members. There are often employment opportunities for family members in the park and surrounding areas. The park community is small enough that many employees choose to walk or bike from their homes to work. Complete shopping, educational, medical, and professional services are available in Williams and Flagstaff. Flagstaff has a population of about 75,000 and has multiple K-12 public and private schools, Northern Arizona University, and diverse community, medical and other support services. Recreational opportunities include hiking, backpacking, fishing, cross-country and downhill skiing, and golfing in nearby communities. South Rim Housing: Permanent and Term employees with a Full Performance Level (FPL) of a GS-09 or WG-8 and above will be provided the option of accepting assigned housing, participating in the normal bid system, or accepting shared housing. Permanent and Term employees with an FPL of GS-08 or WG-7 and below may be provided the option of participating in the normal bid system or accepting shared housing. Any employee assigned to shared housing may continue to bid into non-shared housing. 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 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. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You must obtain an Arizona Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator license within 6 months of your entry on duty. You must obtain an Agreements Technical Representative (ATR) certification within 18 months of your entry on duty. You must obtain a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) certification within 24 months of your entry on duty. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. You will be required to complete a one-year trial period. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5 nights per month. 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. 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-11/18/2024-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 qualified specialized experience. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has basic requirements required by the Office of Personnel Management. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position. It is recommended to upload any and all transcripts you have to justify this requirement (under grad, grad, etc.). Applicants must meet one of the following before the close of the announcement. EDUCATION: Successfully completed a course of study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study in biology, ecology, environmental science, natural resource management, botany, chemistry, agriculture, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. -OR- COMBINATION: A combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major described above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Note: The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation. AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess 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-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities related to natural resources related to plants/vegetation, such as: Independently planning and conducting comprehensive vegetation studies; modifying and adapting standard techniques, processes, and procedures; serving as a technical resource/expert on vegetation management issues; developing and preparing portions of resources management plan and specific action plans; developing and maintaining liaisons/working relations; following established protocols, coordinating natural resources strategies/programs to achieve broad ecosystem protection strategies; assisting in negotiating cooperative/interagency agreements; testing and implementing scientific monitoring protocols to identify, evaluate, and do long-term monitoring; conducting inventories to determine statistically valid plot; conducting scientifically credible protection, mitigation, and restoration projects to prevent resource damage, to restore and/or maintain the integrity of critical habitats, native plant and animal communities, managed landscapes, and physical resources, and to minimize human activities that impact resources; conducting analysis of standard data; preparing management and scientific reports; preparing environmental assessments (EAs) for projects; leading/supervising and training others. You must include hours worked per week. -OR- EDUCATION: Successfully completed three years (54 semester hours or 81 quarter hours) of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a PhD or equivalent graduate degree in an accredited educational institution concentrated in a field that is directly related to the work of this position, such as, in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to this position. You must include transcripts. -OR- COMBINATION: A combination of specialized experience and graduate-level coursework. To determine if you qualify under this combination, first determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the specialized experience required; then determine your education as a percentage of the graduate education required. Only graduate education in excess of the first two years (36 semester hours or equivalent) is creditable for this combination. Then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent. 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. You must include hours worked per week. 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 This notice is being issued to recruit personnel to occupations for which a severe shortage of candidates exists and/or a critical hiring need has been identified. To assist in filling these positions, OPM has granted agencies "Direct Hire Authority". Salary Range: 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. Additional Selections: This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Physical Demands: The position may require strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activities will occur in physically dangerous areas or settings. Documentary research and report writing work is sedentary, which entails the ability to concentrate and write for long periods of time. Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather. Assignments may be performed in potentially hazardous areas including steep slopes, rocky terrain, volcanoes, caves, firelines, arctic environments, swamps, deserts, and forests. Flying in fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters is possible. Telework: 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. CTAP/ICTAP: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is considered by the organization as well qualified. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001).