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Summary

What General Information Do I Need to Know About This Position?

Salary : First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

GS-12: $86,962 (Step 01) to $113,047 (Step 10)

GS-13: $103,409 (Step 01) to $134,435 (Step 10)

Learn more about this agency

This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL) Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
• Individuals with disabilities
• Military spouses
• National Guard & reserves Current members, those who want to join or transitioning military members.
• Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
• Special authorities Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.
• The public U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• Veterans
  
  

Clarification from the agency

Open to all qualified U.S. citizens as well as individuals eligible for noncompetitive hiring authorities such as those that apply to veterans, individuals with disabilities, military spouses, Peace Corp volunteers, etc.

Duties

As an Assistant Unit Leader of the Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit, some of your specific duties will include:

• Plans, conducts, and directs research related to quantitative analysis of wildlife ecology, fisheries ecology, or human ecological interactions.
• Conducts research that is cooperator driven and provides scientific basis for management and policy decisions.
• Serves as subject matter expert in fish and wildlife ecology, providing leadership and guidance to government and private agencies and university representatives through participation in meetings, conferences and work groups.
• Disseminate research results via final reports, peer reviewed print scientific journals, online scientific journals, books, book chapters or other outlets. Make presentations on findings to scientific and conservation organizations.
• Serves as graduate faculty member, contributing to both the research, graduate student mentorship, and teaching mission of the university.
• Operating a government vehicle as an incidental driver.
  
  

Requirements Conditions of Employment

Key Requirements

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
• More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
• Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
  
  

Are There Any Special Requirements for This Position?

• You will be required to operate a government-owned or leased vehicle in the performance of your official duties. Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements: (1) possess a valid State license, and (2) possess a safe driving record. If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid State license & a copy of your driving record.
• Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
• The selectee will be required to maintain a graduate faculty appointment in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University, participate on university and graduate committees, and perform other tasks that are shared by departmental faculty as appropriate.
• If selected for this position, you may be required to file one or more financial statements upon reporting and annually, some of which may be subject to public disclosure.
• A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
  
  

Definitions

Qualifications

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION : A year of undergraduate education is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of college study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite.

GRADUATE EDUCATION : In the absence of specific graduate program information, a year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of graduate level college course work, or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.

EXPERIENCE : One year of work experience is twelve months working full-time (at least 35-40 hours per week). Part-time experience can be pro-rated (i.e., a year at 20 hours per week is credited as 6 months of experience). If your position consisted of mixed duties, experience credit is given for the percentage of time that you spent on qualifying duties (i.e., if you held a position for 2 years, full-time, consisting of 25% personnel work and 75% budget work, and then applied for a budget position you could calculate your experience as follows: 2 years = 24 months. 24 months x 75% [percentage of time spent on budget duties] = 18 months of qualifying experience.)

This position is interdisciplinary and may be filled in any of the occupational job series listed. You must meet the educational requirements of at least one of these occupational series, in additional to the Minimum Requirement listed below, in order to be found qualified and referred for consideration.

Basic Education Requirement

Basic Education for Research Ecologist, GS-0408:

Applicants must meet the following to satisfy the basic education requirement for Ecologist, all grade levels. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in biology or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours or the equivalent in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours or the equivalent in ecology, and 12 semester hours or the equivalent in physical and mathematical sciences; OR

Basic Education For Research Fish Biologist, GS-0482

Applicants must meet the following to satisfy the basic education requirement for Research Fish Biologist, all grade levels. Research Positions: Applicants must show that they have a degree with major study in biology, zoology, or biological oceanography that included at least 30 semester hours in biological and aquatic science and 15 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences. This course work must have included:

• At least 15 semester hours of preparatory training in zoology beyond introductory biology or zoology in such courses as invertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, histology, physiology, embryology, advanced vertebrate zoology, genetics, entomology, and parasitology; and
• At least 6 semester hours of training applicable to fishery biology in such subjects as fishery biology, ichthyology, limnology, oceanography, algology, planktonology, marine or fresh water ecology, invertebrate ecology, principles of fishery population dynamics, or related course work in the field of fishery biology; and
• At least 15 semester hours of training in any combination of two or more of the following: chemistry, physics, mathematics, or statistics; OR
  
  

Basic Education For Research Wildlife Biologist, GS-0486

Applicants must meet the following to satisfy the basic education requirement for Research Wildlife Biologist, all grade levels. Research positions: Degree with major in wildlife biology, zoology, or botany that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in biological science and 15 semester hours in the physical, mathematical, and earth sciences. This course work must have included:

• At least 9 semester hours of training applicable to wildlife biology in such subjects as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, wildlife management, principles of population dynamics, or related course work in the field of wildlife biology; and
• At least 12 semester hours in zoological subjects such as invertebrate zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy of the vertebrates, embryology, animal physiology, entomology, herpetology, parasitology, and genetics; and
• At least 9 semester hours in the field of botany and related plant science; and
• At least 15 semester hours of training in any combination of two or more of the following: chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics, soils, and/or geology.
  
  

For GS-12

Ph.D. Requirement : In addition to meeting the basic education requirements described above, in order to receive consideration for this position, you must also possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in wildlife or fisheries science or a closely related field of study appropriate for this position.

To verify the Ph.D. requirement, transcripts or verification from the university registrar must be submitted that clearly state: Ph.D. awarded, major, and date of conferral. Failure to provide this information will result in your application receiving no further consideration.

For GS-13

In addition to meeting the Basic Education Requirement(s) and the Ph.D. requirement stated above, applicants must possess at least one year of appropriate professional experience that is in or directly related to the duties of the position to be filled and is equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in Federal service. This experience must have equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of such experience may include: has an established record of obtaining funding and managing an applied, field-based research program focused on ecology of invasions, and is relevant to wildlife conservation agencies and stakeholders locally, nationally, and internationally; conducts research that provides a scientific basis for decisions on management of

ecological invasions; serves as subject matter expert in ecology or human dimensions wildlife or fisheries, providing leadership and guidance to agencies, organizations, and university representatives through participation in meetings, conferences, and work groups; teach and apply modern quantitative analyses; effectively communicates scientific information to a diverse audience of managers, policy makers, students, and the public through final reports, peer reviewed scientific journals, book chapters, presentations, and other outlets; serves as a graduate faculty member, contributing to the research, student advising (graduate and post-doctorate), mentorship, and the teaching mission of the university.

All candidates should include a research statement, and a statement of commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Preferred candidates will have demonstrated ability to: develop and implement innovative approaches to assess the factors influencing the ecology and management of fish and wildlife populations which may include public use, attitudes, and beliefs.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

• 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.
• Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. 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: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .
  
  

Additional Information

Other Information:

• Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
• The full performance level for a Research position is GS-15; however, promotion eligibility is dependent upon the scientific contributions of the incumbent as evaluated by a peer panel.
• Number of Vacancies - There is currently only one vacancy to be filled; however, this announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies if they become available.
• Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
• USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
• The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
• DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify .
• The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.
• THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
  
  

Agency Benefits:

• USGS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework in accordance with the DOI Telework policy and with supervisor approval. The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis.
• For additional information on our internal telework policy, please reference the Department of the Interior Telework Handbook at: https://www.doi.gov/telework/policies .
• Working for the U.S. Geological Survey offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid vacation, sick leave , and holidays ; health, life, dental, vision, and long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts , and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System .
  
  

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits .

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