*UNITED STATES*
*DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR*
*GEOLOGICAL SURVEY*
TEMPORARY RECRUITMENT BULLETIN
VACANCY NO: SRFS-14-008
POSITION: Biological Science Technician , GG-404-6
DATE OPENED: 02/10/2014
SALARY: $16.89 per
hour
DATE CLOSED: 02/21/2014
TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: Temporary 180 day
appointment STARTING DATE: 05/12/2014
NUMBER OF POSITIONS: up to 2
LENGTH OF POSITION*: *2-3 months, contingent on budget.
TOUR OF DUTY: Full Time, with possible periods of part-time and
intermittent work.
AREA OF CONSIDERATION: All U.S. citizens
LOCATION: Boise, ID
THESE ARE TEMPORARILY EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITIONS for which all qualified
applicants, with or without Federal status may apply and be considered.
Appointment to these positions, however, will not convey permanent status
in the Federal service. Appointment will only be for the duration of the
position, normally 3-6 months. The Social Security Retirement System
covers temporary employees and annual and sick leave will be accrued except
in intermittent status. Employees are ineligible for health and life
insurance coverage.
DUTIES (specific): The work is part of a Joint Fire Science-funded project
that seeks to assess regional fuel loads and species composition in
sagebrush ecosystems across successional and invasion gradient, as well as
the efficacy of restoration treatments in reducing fuel loads. The
biological science technicians will collect data to quantify fuel loads
throughout a wide range of sagebrush conditions, including undisturbed
stands, burned and invaded by non-native plant species (but untreated), and
burned and treated (for post-fire rehabilitation). The project will also
examine ongoing experimental restoration treatments that utilize mowing,
grazing, seeding and herbicide applications. Field work will take place in
the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in southern Idaho.
The GG-06 biological technician will serve as the crew leader for a 2-4
person field team sampling vegetation and fuel characteristics at fire
rehabilitation sites throughout the northern Snake River Birds of Prey
National Conservation Area. The crew leader will be responsible for
ensuring that accurate and credible data is collected by the field crew.
The crew leader will lead efforts to identify site vegetation and will be
responsible for managing crew logistics.
Other major duties of the position include identifying Great Basin plants
to species, collecting vegetation and fuel load sampling data, collection
of GPS and photo points, driving on poor and sometimes muddy roads,
collection of plant and/or soil samples, accurately recording ecological
data, and data entry. The technicians will be stationed at USGS-FRESC in
Boise, ID. Field trips will often require extensive driving.
Field work will involve exposure to extreme temperature and weather
conditions. Crews will work independently and field trips will be single
day excursions out of Boise, but may include extended periods of
backcountry camping. Candidates will be chosen based on their combination
of experience and education. Preferred candidates will have previous
experience leading small field crews in remote locations. The ideal
candidate will also have extensive experience in identifying Great Basin
grasses, forbs, and shrubs to the species level. Travel expenses will be
paid by the project at either standard federal per diem or a camp rate per
diem.
*ADDITIONAL INFORMATION*: The work involves long hours spent standing,
bending, walking, and a great amount of physical exertion. The incumbent
may be required to lift containers weighing up to 35 pounds in the
performance of the assignment. Work could possibly be done in 10 -12 hours
per day; hours can include all times of day and night, and will vary during
the employment term with weather and field conditions. Core hours will
typically be 7 am - 5:30 pm.
QUALIFICATIONS: To qualify for a GG-6 you need 1 year and 9 months of field
experience OR 4 years of sub-professional work experience OR 4 years of
college with courses related to the work of the position to be filled
(equivalent to 120 semester/180 quarter hrs) plus 3 months of lab or field
work experience. Sub-professional experience consists of working as a
technician or aid in the field or in a laboratory or similar environment.
EQUIVALENT COMBINATIONS OF SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
ARE QUALIFYING. *In addition, incumbents must have at least 3 months
experience in sampling plant communities, and preferred candidate will be
familiar with plant species in the Great Basin ecoregion. Candidates
without 3 months experience sampling and identifying plant species will not
be considered.*
BASIS OF EVALUATION: All applicants will be evaluated on the basis of
education and experience (including unpaid or volunteer experience).
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the
closing date of this announcement.
First preference in referral will be given to eligible applicants entitled
to 10 point veteran's preference who have a compensable service-connected
disability of 10 percent or more. All other qualified applicants entitled
to veteran's preference will be given preference over qualified applicants
not entitled to veteran's preference.
ALL APPLICANTS MUST BE UNITED STATES CITIZENS: Under regulations contained
in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, employment in this
position is limited to those persons who are authorized to work in the
United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at
the time of appointment.
As a condition of appointment, all new employees reporting for duty with
the Department of the Interior will be paid through direct deposit to a
financial institution of their choice.
Applicants selected for Federal employment will be required to complete a
Declaration for Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to
determine their suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a
background investigation. Failure to answer all questions truthfully and
completely or providing false statements on the application may be grounds
for not hiring the applicant, or for firing the applicant after he/she
begins work. Also he/she may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S.
Code, Title 18, section 1001).
Prior to or at the time of appointment, male applicants born after December
31, 1959, will have to certify that they have registered with the Selective
Service System in order to be appointed to a position with the United
States Geological Survey, unless legally qualified for an exception.
Employees of the U.S. Geological Survey are subject to the provisions of
Title 43, U.S. Code, Section 31 (a) and may not according to this
legislation and related regulation: (a) have any personal or private
interest, direct or indirect, in lands or mineral wealth of such lands or a
region under survey and whose title is in the U.S.; (b) execute surveys or
examination for private parties or corporations; or (c)have personal or
private interest, direct or indirect, in any private mining or mineral
enterprise doing business in the U.S. except where specifically authorized
by the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey.
*HOW TO APPLY*: Carefully read all information and instructions. It is the
responsibility of the applicant to insure the application is complete. The
personnel office will not be responsible for soliciting additional
information from applicants or from official personnel records, but will
consider individuals based on their applications as submitted. *Applications
must be received in the FRESC, Corvallis Research Group Office by the
closing date on the announcement in order to be considered*. To obtain an
OF 612, contact the U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources
Discipline, Corvallis Research Group (541) 758-8781, or any Federal
Personnel Office.
*1) **Submit one of the following forms of application: (a) résumé or
(b) OF-612, Optional Application for Federal Employment, OR (c) other
written format (Electronic submissions acceptable*)
*-Must include beginning and ending dates and hours worked per week for
each position listed on your resume. Cover letter is optional, but
recommended.*
*2) **Must also submit a copy of you college transcripts (unofficial
acceptable)* *to document all education used for position qualification.*
*To claim 5 point Veteran's Preference, a D D-214 showing character of
discharge is required. If claiming 10 point Veteran's Preference, a SF-15
with proof of claim is required. *
SUBMIT APPLICATIONS TO:
Michelle L. Schatz, AOA - Human Resources/Facilities
USGS - Forest & Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
777 NW 9th Street, Suite 400, Corvallis, Oregon 97330-6169
Phone: (541) 750-1040 Fax: (541) 750-1066
Email: [email protected]
It is against the law to submit applications for employment using
government franked envelopes or mail services (18 U.S.C. 1719). All such
applications will not be considered.
* APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE CLOSING DATE
OF**THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO BE CONSIDERED*
INCOMPLETE APPLICATION FORMS MAY RESULT IN YOUR MISSING CONSIDERATION FOR
THIS VACANCY
The U.S. Geological Survey is an Equal Opportunity Employer
This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with
disability.
The U.S. Geological Survey is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This agency
provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.
Selection for this position will be based solely on merit, fitness, and
qualifications without regard to race, sex, color, religion, age, marital
status, national origin, non-disqualifying handicap conditions, sexual
orientation, or any other non-merit factors
--
Susan McIlroy, Ecologist
USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
Snake River Field Station, 970 Lusk St., Boise, ID 83706
Phone: (208) 426.5218
Fax: (208) 426.5210
