Biological Science Technician (Fisheries - Diver)

Summary This position is located in Channel Islands National Park, in the Division of Resource Management. Learn more about this agency Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. 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. You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. 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 may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. If you are a new employee in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. During the kelp forest monitoring field season (typically May-Oct), you will be required to travel up to a total of 55 days on a vessel for this appointment (50% of the time or more) that requires living in cramped shared quarters, in potentially rough marine conditions, for at least five consecutive days at a time (additional travel may be required at other times of the year, not to exceed 50% total). You may be required to fly in small aircraft over open ocean. You must be determined to be physically fit (able to perform strenuous/physically demanding duties); and pass a medical examination by a government authorized physician. Government housing is not available. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-12/10/2024-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 of qualified specialized experience. SELECTIVE FACTOR: You mustpossess a current SCUBA diving certification from a recognized organization such as (1) Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) OR (2) National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI); AND a scientific diving certification from an organization such as American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS); AND I have a minimum of 100 cold water open ocean kelp forests dives logged; AND I am able to meet all Department of the Interior, National Park Service diving standards within 30 days of entrance on duty. Experience and Certification MUST be notated in resume or application packet. - AND - To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes conducting various aspects of a sub-tidal biological marine monitoring program using SCUBA techniques such as band transects, quadrats, random point contacts, video transects, fish transects, fish sizing, roving diver fish counts, size frequency measurements, artificial recruitment modules, video/photo documentation and use of remote temperature loggers. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least four (4) years of education above high school (120 semester or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or 24 semester hours of course work in a related field of scientific or technical study, such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must be directly related to this position. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, 6 months of the specialized experience (50% of the experience requirement), and 3 years of college study from an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education) which included at least 12 semester hours of related coursework as specified above (50% of the related coursework required), and at least 3 semester hours of courses directly related to this position. You must include transcripts and hours per week worked. To qualify for this position at the GS-06 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes conducting and leading various aspects of a sub-tidal biological marine monitoring program using SCUBA techniques such as band transects, quadrats, random point contacts, video transects, fish transects, fish sizing, roving diver fish counts, size frequency measurements, artificial recruitment modules, video/photo documentation and use of remote temperature loggers. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of one year of graduate education (18 semester hours) leading to a master's degree with major study in a directly related field of scientific or technical study, such as marine biology, ecology, zoology, biology, or fisheries biology. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of completed graduate education by 18 (or 27 for quarter hours). Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts and hours per week worked. 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. ICTAP/CTAP Statement: 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 rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. 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 For additional information, please contact: Ken Convery, [email protected], (805) 451-1620 Scott Gabara, [email protected], (805) 658-5773 A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR 575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive. A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another. Promotion Potential: Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor. Physical Demands: The work requires physical exertion such as regular SCUBA diving and snorkeling in cold water and rough ocean condition, in addition to recurring walking, hiking, or climbing over wet, rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces; bending; crouching, stooping, lifting or reaching to observe, collect, or record field data; or in some situations the work may require physical exertion to scuba dive or operate a boat. Heavy items (e.g., equipment, packs, and SCUBA equipment up to 100 pounds) must be lifted or carried on a routine basis. Working Conditions: The work is performed in an office and outdoors. The work performed involves regular and recurring exposure to extreme oceanic and terrestrial weather conditions and terrain, poisonous plants, biting insects, spiny invertebrates such as sea urchins, and wild animals. Work is often performed off vessels that are not stationary due to ocean conditions. 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 here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire Read more Benefits 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. Review our benefits 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.