Biologist
Summary
You will serve as a Biologist with the National Park Service at Yellowstone National Park.
Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work for approximately 11.5 months, and you will be in a non-pay status for one pay period in April.
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Duties
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Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:
- Lead the planning and implementation of the Yellowstone Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Prevention Program. Effectively manage and supervise a team of seasonal employees to achieve Prevention Program goals. Procure and maintain supplies and equipment to support the Yellowstone AIS Prevention Program.
- Plan and oversee all operations to inspect watercraft prior to launching in park waters. Decontaminate watercraft as needed. Deny launch of any watercraft fouled with invasive species. Ensure YELL laws as defined in the compendium regarding AIS and watercraft are adhered to by visiting boaters. Staff and maintain watercraft inspection stations.
- Plan and implement early detection monitoring for AIS using environmental DNA, plankton tows, and other methods. Coordinate field sampling with state or federal laboratories that will process the samples.
- Coordinate with private, state, and federal entities in the Yellowstone region to ensure AIS prevention and monitoring protocols are aligned.
- Collect an analyze data and create reports summarizing Yellowstone AIS prevention program activites and achievements.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment
- 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 [click to reveal website link].
- Must have a current or obtain within 14 days of hire a valid state driver's license.
- Pre-employment and random drug testing are required. You will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received.
- You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
- You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month between the months of December and April. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes
- You will be required to live in a remote duty location at Yellowstone Lake from approximately May - November. During this period park housing will be provided.
- You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
- You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
- You are required to obtain and maintain a Motorboat Operator Certification Course (MOCC) within one year of entrance on duty.
- You must possess the ability to lift 50 pounds.
*Additional Requirements located under qualifications*
Qualifications
Requirements Continued...
Probationary Period: 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.
Qualifications:
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/09/2026-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:
1. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
2. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. You must include hours per week and transcripts.
-AND-
To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level:
Specialized Experience: To qualify, you must possess 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). Experience that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) performing aquatic invasive species (AIS) watercraft and equipment inspections and decontaminations, 2) preparing and implementing plans and procedures to prevent or reduce AIS introduction and spread such as those for rapid response/preparedness, containment/prevention, risk assessments and/or law enforcement regulations, 4) sampling and monitoring for early detection of AIS, 5) analyzing and identifying aquatic species, and 6) preparing articles on AIS suitable for peer-reviewed scientific journals or distribution to the public and partners. 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. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Combination of related graduate level education and appropriate specialized experience (as listed above) that together meet the qualification requirements for this position. For example, I have 6 months of the specialized experience described above (50% of the experience requirement) and 1.5 years (27 semester hours or 42 quarter hours) described above that is directly related graduate level college study in an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education). You must include hours per week and 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.
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: [click to reveal website link]
Additional information
Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. ([click to reveal website link])
All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.
Physical Demands/Work Environment: The position may require strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, climbing and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activities will occur in the physically dangerous areas or settings. Documentary research and report writing work is sedentary, which entails the ability to concentrate and write for periods of time. 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, swaps, deserts, and forests. Flying in fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters is possible.
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
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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 windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.