Summary You will serve as a Biological Science Technician within the USDA, APHIS, WS and performs duties relating to wildlife management and use of techniques aimed at controlling damage caused by wildlife to help protect agriculture, natural resources, property, and threats to human health and safety. Duties Help • The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity. • The duties may include, but are not limited to: • Responsible for organizing and conducting direct control operations to reduce wildlife damage within a geographical area or technical/subject area of program involvement. • Inspects and surveys areas and, as necessary, will revise existing WDM programs in close consultation with higher-level management. • Uses WDM tools/devices which may include some or all of the following depending on need in assigned area: firearms; foothold, body-grip, cage traps; foot snares; neck snares • Utilizes working knowledge of WDM methods and strategies to independently recommend appropriate WDM strategies which alleviate wildlife damage for cooperators • Assists Wildlife Biologists by correctly identifying current, and forecasting future damage, problems and relating them to the damage-causing species. • May be required to use chemical immobilization and euthanasia drugs to capture and handle wildlife. • Provides extensive and appropriate technical assistance recommendations on a variety of wildlife and WDM issues. • Recommends and facilitates the request and/or issuance of State-specific depredation permits for the general public. • Complies with restrictions and mitigation measures established through consultation with relevant Federal and State agencies. Requirements Help Conditions of employment • You must be a US Citizen or US National. • Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt. • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. • Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at • Successful completion of one-year trial period. • Testing Designated Position: Selectee must submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and random testing thereafter. Final appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results for illegal drug use. • Must possess and maintain a valid State-issued driver's license is required at the time of application in order to operate a Government-owned or leased vehicle. • All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions. • May need to operate 4X4 vehicles (including all-terrain and/or utility task vehicles), boats, snow mobiles, or ride horseback over rough terrain and in other off-road environments. • Other physical demands include walking over wet, rough, uneven or rocky surfaces, bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, or similar activities. • Legal and physical ability to possess and discharge firearms appropriately and safely is required. • Incumbents must be able to comply with both Federal and State statutory requirements to possess and use firearms in the performance of their duties and must maintain state-mandated firearm use certification requirements. • To fulfill field or laboratory requirements in this position, proof of specific vaccinations and boosters, may be required as a condition of employment to prevent contracting preventable diseases. • The incumbent of this position must maintain the required background investigation or security clearance level and any applicable secure access credentials sufficient to perform the essential functions of the position. • Night shifts may be required for this position. • Travel requirement for occasional training and working away from duty location. Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. FOR THE GS-05 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-04 grade level) that demonstrates: • Dealing with human-wildlife conflicts and principles of wildlife damage management. • Experience recognizing and accurately identifying damage caused by various wildlife species and selecting appropriate species-selective management actions. • Experience using capture devices, tools, firearms and related equipment utilized in wildlife damage management operations. OR Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study, or at least 24 semester hours, in any combination of scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics, with at least 6 semester hours in wildlife. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level. TRANSCRIPTS are required if: • This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. • You are qualifying for the position based on education. • You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education. • This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-04 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. 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 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 Please see above for education qualification requirement information. Additional information • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. • First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected. • Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee. • Locality pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection. • This is a term appointment not to exceed 13 Months. (Appointment may be extended up to 4 years without reannouncing). For more details click: Term Appointments • Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed. • This position involves Mobile Work: Mobile work is characterized by routine and regular travel to conduct work in customer or other worksites as opposed to a single authorized alternative worksite. Examples of mobile work include site audits, site inspections, investigations, property management, and work performed while commuting, traveling between worksites, or on Temporary Duty (TDY). • Worksite Information: This position is located at the duty station(s) listed in this vacancy announcement and is not eligible for telework or remote work. Expand Hide additional information 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 Help 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. 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. Apply tot his job