Biological Science Technician, US Geological Survey

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United States Department of the Interior
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

180 DAYTEMPORARY RECRUITMENT BULLETIN

Announcement Number	74-23-01	Who May Apply	United States Citizens
Position Title	Biological Science Technician / Field Assistant	Hiring Agency	DOI/USGS/WERC
Open Period	12/05/22 – 12/09/22	# of Positions/Duty Locations	Few/Boulder City, NV
Series/Grade	GG-0404-05	Apply via email / for more info contact:	Name: Jayde Preciado Email: [email protected] Phone#: 279-202-7340 Fax#: 916-278-9475
Salary	$ 36,756	Promotion Potential	Position does not have any further promotion potential; grade level is set at the grade announced.

Duration of Appointment: This is a temporary excepted service position not-to-exceed 180 days. Employment may not exceed 180 working days in a service year. All qualified applicants, with or without Federal status may apply and be considered. Appointment to this position, however, will not convey permanent status in the Federal service.
The work of this position will not exceed 1039 hours and 179 days of work in a service year.
Work Schedule:Full-Time / Maxi Flex

Travel Required: Overnight travel of 0-15 nights per month may be required.

Relocation: Relocation expenses will not be paid.

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

This vacancy is will close at 4 PM Pacific Time on the closing date listed above. Any application received between 8AM Pacific Time and 4PM Pacific Time of the day the announcement closes, will be accepted and considered. You are strongly encouraged to submit all required supporting documents at the time of application. Supporting documents will not be accepted once the vacancy announcement closes.

Salary (Hourly): $ 17.61
NOTE: This type of position will only be hired at the step 1 level, there is no promotion or within grade increase for these types of positions.

Key Requirements

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• A valid state driver's license and safe driving record are required.
• Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.
• Housing will not be provided.
• More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.

Major Duties

As a Biological Science Technician/Field Assistant with the U.S. Geological Survey, some of your specific duties will include:
Technical work in a laboratory or field environment in support of professional or technical employees engaged in data collection activities or analysis of biological data collection activities or analysis of biological samples. Performs one or more of the following duties:

• Collects biological, botany, fisheries, or wildlife data from study files or monitoring stations.
• Performs laboratory analysis of biological samples to determine specific chemical, biological, or physical characteristics.
• Operates a government motor vehicle or a boat as an incidental driver.

Physical Demands: Work is physically demanding and includes walking, bending, climbing, and lifting of equipment up to 44 pounds when in the field, sometimes during adverse conditions.

Work Environment:The work is performed in a laboratory or field environment. Field work involves moderate or sometimes extreme exposure to the discomforts of rain, cold/hot weather, and rapidly running or icy streams and rivers. Special safety precautions are required in many cases, and the employee may typically wear life jackets, special safety boots, waders, and special handling gear. If selected, you will be required to complete a pre-employment physical, at Federal expense.

Special Requirements For This Position:

• If selected you may be asked to provide information regarding your COVID-19 vaccination status for the purposes of implementing workplace safety protocols, such as those related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
• 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.

• Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements: (1) possession of a valid State driver's license, and (2) possess a safe driving record. If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid State License and a copy of your driving record.

Basis of Rating:
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.
Qualifications:
To qualify for a GG-5 you need 9 months of field experience OR 3 years of sub-professional work experience OR 3 years of college with courses related to the work of the position to be filled (equivalent to 90 semester/135 quarter hours) 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. Definitions of Experience:

Field Survey Party – Experience with a field survey party includes activity associated with making and recording geologic, hydrologic, biologic, or topographic field observations; collecting geologic, biological, or water samples for laboratory analysis; applying accepted data collection techniques and methods in the performance of field work in support of scientific investigations; and using a variety of surveying instruments and electronic or mechanical instrumentation in the making and recording of field measurements and observations designed to collect data for physical/ biological science investigations. Only time actually spent in the field can be credited when qualifying individuals under the field party experience option.

Sub-professional Experience – Sub-professional experience is defined as technical work performed in support of field or laboratory investigations relating to the biological sciences, physical sciences, or closely related disciplines which provided basic knowledge or skills in gathering, recording, and assembling scientific or engineering data; using scientific instruments to measure angles, degrees, weights, strengths, intensities, etc.; setting up and operating test apparatus, and manipulating quantitative data. Experience may include assisting professional employees with such duties as calibrating and operating measuring instruments mixing solutions, making chemical analyses, setting up and operating test apparatus, and compiling and processing scientific data. Experience as a laboratory mechanic or in a trade or craft may be credited as experience when the work was performed in close association with physical or biological scientists or other technical personnel and provided a good working knowledge of appropriate scientific principles, methods, and techniques. Professional Experience – Professional work experience in the physical and biological sciences may be credited in lieu of or in conjunction with sub-professional experience as defined above.

Please note that if qualifying based on education; unofficial transcripts MUST be submitted as part of the application in order to receive consideration.

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


Required Documents

If you are claiming veterans' preference you must submit a copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, by the closing date of this announcement. If you are currently on active military duty, you must provide documentation (e.g., campaign document, award citation, etc.), that verifies entitlement to veterans preference and that your character of military service is honorable. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the DD-214, you must submit documentation that supports your claim (e.g., an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability; or receipt of a Purple Heart). If you fail to submit any of the required documentation, you will not be granted veterans preference. Additional information on veterans' preference can be found in the VetGuide.

If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or if you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate and graduate) course work, which includes semester hours earned and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration.

Resume: You must show how your skills and experiences meet the qualification and requirements listed in the recruitment bulletin to be considered for the position.

Required documents may be emailed to the point of contact listed above.

Education

If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) or list of course work, which includes semester hours earned and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. This proof may be faxed or emailed to the point of contact listed in this bulletin. Please ensure that all documentation is legible.

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: http://www.usgs.gov/ohr/oars/quals/foreign.html.


How to Apply

An email with your correctly formatted resume, and full unofficial transcripts must be emailed to [email protected] after 8 am PST on opening day, and before 4 pm PST on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete application, you will not be considered for this position. Requests for extensions will not be granted.

Benefits

Temporary appointees expected to work at least 130 hours per month for at least 90 days will be eligible to enroll in a Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) plan. Individuals eligible under this rule receive the full government contribution to their premiums regardless of work schedule and will also be eligible to participate in the Flexible Spending Accounts and Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program. Temporary appointees are not covered by the Federal Employee Retirement System and are ineligible for Federal life, dental, or vision insurance.

Other Information 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.

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 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.

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.

Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
If you misrepresent your experience or education or provide false or fraudulent information in or with your application, it may be grounds for not hiring you or for firing you after you begin work. Making false or fraudulent statements also may be punishable by fine or imprisonment.
If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service Law.
Note:

• Please list the WERC announcement number 74-23-01 on your application
• Please list on your resume the number of hours worked per week, in addition to the exact start and end dates (Month, Day, Year) for each position listed, including volunteer work

If you fail to note hours per week, or if you fail to note the day of the month per position, this could significantly reduce your listed experience, and could disqualify you.

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If you enjoy working/camping outdoors year-round, are pursuing work in a botany or plant ecology research profession, and desire to be part of a research group providing science for conservation and land management in a rapidly changing ecoregion, please apply!
The US Geological Survey is seeking seasonal Biological Science Technicians (GG05) to assist with ongoing research that helps guide resource managers when and where to use local plant materials for promoting restoration success on desert lands under current and future climates.

Core duties:
· Travel and work at multiple research gardens across a diversity of front-county and remote field locations throughout the Mojave Desert (southern California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and northwestern Arizona)

· Collect stem cuttings and seeds of native species across the Mojave Desert for propagating research plants in a greenhouse setting

· Maintain and catalogue seed collections for long-term storage in a laboratory and conduct viability tests

· Transfer research plants from greenhouse to experimental gardens and collect detailed monthly measurements on a range of native species to determine how to restore habitats damaged by wildfires, solar development, and recreation under a changing climate

· Maintain garden infrastructure including mending fences to exclude small mammals, controlling weeds, and driving 4WD vehicles while operating a water trailer for irrigating plants after initial planting

· Assist with a diversity of related research projects including habitat restoration, development of propagation practices, and rare plant species conservation

Project Background:
Re-vegetation treatments aim to mitigate the degradation of Mojave Desert shrublands impacted by invasive annual grass-fed wildfires. USGS is actively monitoring the effectiveness of ecological restoration so that successful practices can be scaled up to create fuel breaks and re-establish habitat islands burned by large-scale fires. Availability of locally-sourced native seed, however, is limited due to low seed production characteristic of many desert plants. Seeds are traditionally collected from distant or unknown sources and used for re-vegetating disturbances in the Mojave Desert, yet the consequences of re-introducing non-local versus local plant sources is largely unknown. To address these seed sourcing issues, BLM and USGS developed a focused strategy for understanding the genetic variability of native species and the potential for their commercial development. Research occurs at multiple common gardens distributed across the Mojave Desert, and in combination with genetic testing, is guiding resource managers when and where to use local plant materials for promoting restoration success on desert lands under current and future climates. USGS is seeking to hire additional Biological Science Technicians whose core duties will support the common garden research in particular, with additional duties that support the Mojave Desert ecological restoration research in general.

How to apply:

This position will be based out of Boulder City, NV.

This is an entry-level position, but previous experience conducting field data collection on plants is preferred.

Individuals need to send application documents to [email protected], between 8am PST 12/05/22 and 4pm PST 12/09/22.
Application materials MUST include announcement number 74-23-01 GG-0404-05.

· Cover letter describing interest and qualifications
· Resume including your complete and up to date contact information with related experience, including full start and finish dates (i.e., xx/xx/xx, hours worked per week) per position. For further information on how to format your resume please go to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/app...at-to-include/
· Unofficial Transcripts

Applicants must be a US citizen and possess a valid US driver's license.