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Fish Biologist, NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center (Juneau, AK)

[MB advising: see link below to full job posting and application details (will expire when position is filled). The following are excerpts from the full position description, do not necessarily include full details, and are provided for the purposes of career exploration.]

full position description/application (link expires when filled)

Summary

This position is located within the Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) with one vacancy located in Juneau, AK.

This position is also announced under vacancy number NMFS AKFSC-23-11834738-ST, which is open to Status Candidates. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

Duties

As a Fish Biologist, you will perform the following duties:

  • Utilize statistical procedures and software to provide quantitative analyses related to fishery-independent survey design, sampling gear efficiency, biological and ecosystem processes.
  • Apply knowledge of marine fisheries to support fishery-independent resource surveys and associated data collection methods.
  • Participate in the dissemination of data, as well as communication efforts.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel Systems (CAPS). This system replaces the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band.

The ZP-2 is equivalent to the GS-07/09.

Key Requirements:

  1. Must be a U.S. Citizen.
  2. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  3. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
  4. More requirements are listed under Qualification and Other Information.
  5. Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
  6. Selectee must provide a valid state driver’s license & safe driving record.

NOTE:

  • Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.
  • This position is not in the bargaining unit.
  • 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.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENT: This position requires regular at-sea participation in fishery-independent and ecosystem research cruises, working on deck of Government-owned or chartered vessels for up to 12 hours per shift. Duties occur over long hours and require an ability to lift and move biological samples and equipment multiple times a day. Sea duties are conducted in a demanding physical marine environment that involves fisheries or oceanographic sampling operations exposed to weather over long, odd hours, lifting and moving heavy equipment or biological samples on an unsteady platform depending on sea state. Incumbent must be able to frequently bend, lift, and stoop to perform field operations. Incumbent must meet NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations health criteria for sea-duty on NOAA vessels.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT: Must be able to obtain and maintain a valid state driver’s license to operate a government vehicle in completion of assigned tasks i.e., site visits, field research, etc.

 

Qualifications

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: Incumbent must have experience aboard ocean-going vessels conducting fishery-independent or ecosystem surveys conducted in the North Pacific Ocean collecting, identifying, and enumerating marine fish and invertebrates.

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management’s website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience OR substitution of education for experience OR combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following requirements:

To qualify at the 0482 series:

A. DEGREE: Major in biological science that included:

  • At least 6 semester hours in aquatic subjects such as limnology, ichthyology, fishery biology, aquatic botany, aquatic fauna, oceanography, fish culture, or related courses in the field of fishery biology; and
  • At least 12 semester hours in the animal sciences in such subjects as general zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, entomology, parasitology, ecology, cellular biology, genetics, or research in these fields. (Excess course work in aquatic subjects may be used to meet this requirement when appropriate.)

-OR-

B. COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Courses equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours), of which a minimum of 6 semester hours were in aquatic subjects and 12 semester hours were in the animal sciences, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

To qualify at the ZP-2 or GS-07 level:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-1 or GS-05 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

  • Participating in biological field monitoring or troubleshooting fish survey equipment;
  • Recording biological data in spreadsheets and databases; and
  • Assisting in analyzing fisheries and habitat data.

-OR-

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: 1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement as demonstrated by a bachelor’s degree in a related field from an accredited college or university with one of the following. NOTE It is your responsibility to ensure your application clearly states how you meet one of the provisions below:

S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.

  1. Class standing — Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.
  2. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) — Applicants must have a grade-point average of:
  • 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B” or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or
  • 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B+” or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.
  1. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society in one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

-OR-

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience as described above.

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: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation

College Transcript: Submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken.

Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work. An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.