Ecologist

Summary As a Vegetation Ecologist for the Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network, you will serve as the technical lead on the flora and ecology of Great Lakes terrestrial ecosystems, including providing technical assistance to network parks, other Inventory and Monitoring Networks, and/or regional office staff. Responsibilities Coordinating and implementing a terrestrial plant monitoring program in nine network parks Training and supervising field staff on vegetation sampling methods, Great Lakes region plant identification, backcountry safety, and data management/digital data entry procedures Overseeing cooperative agreements and working with partners on vegetation monitoring projects Planning field logistics in remote, backcountry settings including coordinating with park and network staff for transportation (i.e. boat operators), planning communication and emergency procedures, and organizing extended backcountry camping trips Performing data management tasks including applying quality assurance/quality control procedures to ensure data quality, implementing data backup and transfer from field tablets to the network server and database Developing data visualizers, automated summaries, and technical reports/journal articles Utilizing statistical software, such as R, and GIS software, such as ArcGIS online, to import, query, and summarize vegetation monitoring data Presenting information related to Great Lakes vegetation orally to a wide range of audiences including network staff, park superintendents and natural resource managers, the scientific community, and the public Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications In order to be qualified for this position, you must meet both the Basic Requirement and the Minimum Qualifications for this position. Basic Requirement: Possess a Bachelors or higher degree in biology, or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences. You must provide transcripts. Minimum Qualifications: You must possess one of the following to be qualified for this position: A. One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-9 level in the Federal service, assisting in the planning of and implementation of multi-year ecological or biological studies of vegetation/flora; using statistical software programs and standard techniques to analyze a broad range of biological monitoring data; and preparing written documents like reports and presentations to communicate scientific results to a variety of audiences – OR – B. A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in biology, ecology or another closely related field that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position – OR – C. A combination of specialized experience and described in A and graduate level education as described in B that, when combined, equals 100% of the total requirement. (Please note: only graduate education in excess of the first two years – normally 36 semester hours – may be used in this calculation.) 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 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. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. Education ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the 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. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html Additional Information Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will be paid if the person selected for the position is from outside the local commuting area and is otherwise eligible for reimbursement of relocation expenses under the Federal Travel Regulations (such as current permanent Federal employees). 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. Physical Demands: The position may require strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activities will occur in physically dangerous areas or settings. Documentary research and report writing work is sedentary, which entails the ability to concentrate and write for long periods of time. Work Environment: 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, fire lines, arctic environments, swamps, deserts, and forests. Flying in fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters is possible. If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-points veterans preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 (Member Copy 4) or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans preference, you must also submit an SF-15, “Application for 10-Point Veterans Preference” plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans hiring authorities visit the Feds Hire Vets website. Time in Grade: Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ctapguideline.pdf. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85 or above on the rating criteria for this position. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please contact Philadelphia Services Branch at philadelphia@opm.gov or 215-861-3074 This announcement may be used to fill one or more positions.