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Assistant Unit Leader Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit

Employer
Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit
Location
Missoula, Montana
Salary
$77,488 - $119,787 per year; GS 12 -13
Closing date
Feb 17, 2022

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Sector
Government
Field
Conservation science
Discipline
Adaptive Management, Ecology, Statistics, Biology, Wildlife Biology
Job Level
Entry level
Salary Type
Salary
Employment Type
Permanent

Note: All applications must be submitted via USAJOBS.GOV

USAJOBS - Job Announcement

Duties

 

As a Research Ecologist/Wildlife Biologist (Assistant Unit Leader) within the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Planning, conducting, and directing research related to wildlife, or ecological resources, with application to contemporary science, policy and management needs.
  • Acquiring funding to sustain a program of research.
  • Conducting research that is cooperator driven and provides scientific basis for management and policy decisions.
  • Serving as subject matter expert in wildlife ecology, providing leadership and guidance to government and private agencies and university representatives through participation in meetings, conferences and work groups.
  • Disseminating research results via final reports, peer reviewed print scientific journals, online scientific journals, books, book chapters or other outlets.
  • Making presentations on findings to scientific and conservation organizations.
  • Serving as graduate faculty member, contributing to both the research, graduate student mentorship, and teaching mission of the university.
  • Operating a government owned or leased vehicle as an incidental driver.

Preferred candidates should be a research ecologist interested in working on applied wildlife problems that support wildlife agency decision making. The preferred candidate will have demonstrated experience in providing wildlife agencies with decision support that might include structured decision making for contentious issues with competing interests and is willing to help with agency capacity building on decision support methods.

 

 

Requirements Conditions of Employment

Key Requirements:

  1. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
  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 Qualifications and Other Information.
  5. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

  • Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
  • Financial Disclosure - If selected for this position, you may be required to file one or more financial statements upon reporting and annually, some of which may be subject to public disclosure.
  • 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.
  • 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.

 

Qualifications

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT FOR ECOLOGIST, GS-0408: Applicants must meet the following to satisfy the basic education requirement for Ecologist, all grade levels. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in biology or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours or the equivalent in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours or the equivalent in ecology, and 12 semester hours or the equivalent in physical and mathematical sciences.

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT FOR WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST, GS-0486: Applicants must meet the following to satisfy the basic education requirement for Research Wildlife Biologist, all grade levels. Research positions: Degree with major in wildlife biology, zoology, or botany that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in biological science and 15 semester hours in the physical, mathematical, and earth sciences. This course work must have included:

  • At least 9 semester hours of training applicable to wildlife biology in such subjects as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, wildlife management, principles of population dynamics, or related course work in the field of wildlife biology; and
  • At least 12 semester hours in zoological subjects such as invertebrate zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy of the vertebrates, embryology, animal physiology, entomology, herpetology, parasitology, and genetics; and
  • At least 9 semester hours in the field of botany and related plant science; and
  • At least 15 semester hours of training in any combination of two or more of the following: chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics, soils, and/or geology.

Ph.D RequirementIn addition to meeting the basic education requirements described above, in order to receive consideration for this position, you must also possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in wildlife science or a closely related field of study appropriate for this position.

To verify the Ph.D requirement, transcripts or verification from the university registrar must be submitted that clearly state: Ph.D awarded, major, and date of conferral. Failure to provide this information will result in your application receiving no further consideration.

For GS-12A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a directly related field of study appropriate for this position is qualifying at the GS-12 level.

For GS-13:

In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must have one year of appropriate professional experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience at the GS-12 level may include: conducting applied research pertaining to ecological forecasting of stressors and management actions; teaching graduate-level courses and applying advanced quantitative methods to predict the effects of stressors. The applicant will be required to maintain a graduate faculty appointment with the University of Montana, Missoula, Montana and participate on university and graduate committees, graduate advising, and other tasks that are shared by departmental faculty as appropriate.


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

Education

 

  • 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.
  • 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: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .

 

Additional information

Other Information:

  • Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
  • The full performance level for a Research position is GS-15; however, promotion eligibility is dependent upon the scientific contributions of the incumbent as evaluated by a peer panel.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 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.
  • THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

Agency Benefits:

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