Summary
This is a fish biologist position located in the mountains of beautiful White Sulphur Springs, WV working with rainbow trout at a National Broodstock Facility of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The hatchery provides 3-8 million eggs annually to federal, state and tribal partners across the nation. The primary responsibilities will be to provide support for hatchery operations, outreach and a variety of issues relating to the management and conservation of fish and aquatic species.
Duties
This position is located within the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 5 , White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. At the full performance level (GS-11) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: Develop and review comprehensive hatchery management plans and coordinate with other fishery programs that affect biological resources such as fish culture, hatchery quality control, fishery management assistance, and assessing fish populations. Plan and conduct a wide variety of complex investigations, including data design, collection and analysis of biological data to evaluate fish culture techniques, land and water impacts and assist with implementing hatchery reform initiatives. Plan and conduct a wide variety of complex investigations, including the design, collection and analysis of biological data pertaining to species reared and released from National Fish Hatcheries. Plan and conduct inspections and evaluations of existing projects to ensure legal standards and other requirements are met. Communicate and coordinate with the public, partners, agencies and Tribes; present project results at meetings and respond to inquiries consistent with Service policies. The White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster. Salary Information GS-07: Step 1: $50,460 - Step 10: $65,599 per annum. GS-09: $61,722 - Step 10: $80,243 per annum. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lower salary range of the grade level. This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.
Requirements
You must be a U.S. Citizen. You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination. You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit. You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/. Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment. Uniform: Official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uniform is required. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and/or shift work. Government housing may be available but is not guaranteed 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 period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Education
Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements. Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4
How you will be evaluated
Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. 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 online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension Reasoning Teamwork 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 an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. The best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. DUE WEIGHT Due Weight Consideration is a review process used to provide consideration to performance appraisals and awards submitted with each application on a used merit promotion certificate and factoring the results into the merit promotion selection process. Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level. It is your responsibility to obtain and upload your performance appraisal/evaluation and/or list of awards prior to the closing of the vacancy announcement. To preview the application click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13078404