What are the responsibilities and job description for the Biological Science Technician (Seasonal) position at National Park Service?
Summary
The purpose of the position is to perform routine and uncomplicated biological science tasks common to natural resource management. Technician work is typically associated with and supportive of a professional field; work may involve substantial elements of the work of the professional field, but requires less than full knowledge of the field involved. This position is intended to report to a specialist or resources manager in the same or a related field.
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Duties
This Open-Continuous announcement for temporary seasonal positions has been re-opened due to an exemption to the 2025 Civilian Hiring Freeze. If you previously applied to this announcement, you do not need to re-apply.
This is an open continuous vacancy announcement. Applicants will be referred periodically throughout the announcement period. Final application disposition will be completed once all positions have been filled or the announcement reaches the end of the open period stated in the announcement. The first cut-off date is 11:59 pm (EST), Thursday, December 19, 2024.
Duties:
The Biological Science Technician will work primarily with plants within the park's Resource Management Division (headquartered near Berlin, MD).
Government Housing may be available. Please contact the hiring manager(s) for availability.
Hiring Managers Contact Information:
Lindsay Ries | Lindsay_Ries@nps.gov | 410-629-6071
Bill Hulslander | Bill_Hulslader@nps.gov | 410-629-6061
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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/19/2025-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.
Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40 hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.
To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: conducting plant censuses and surveys and assembling the information. Following standardized procedures to collect data on the condition of range, grazing or forage. Use statistical methods and procedures to perform testing of field data collected. Install, operate, and maintain resource management equipment (tools, sampling and monitoring, photographic, and laboratory equipment) prepare graphs, charts, and illustrations for reports and technical publications relating to plant management activities. Research activity or control program work, nursery work that required the growing and maintenance of plants in a controlled environment. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a full four (4) year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least twenty-four (24) semester hours in any combination of scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least six (6) semester hours are directly related to the position such as botany, forest ecology, silviculture, plant ecology, etc. IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: If you are using education to qualify you must document your course work and/or degree completed in your resume or other application materials you submit. You must submit a copy of your transcripts that identifies for each course the college or university, semester or quarter hours earned, grade received, and date completed. If you are qualifying based on education and you do not submit specific course work information as described previously, your application will be rated not qualified for consideration. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of specialized experience as described above and education as described above which total 100 percent. Only education beyond the sixty (60) semester hours above high school is considered qualifying when combined with specialized experience. Thirty (30) semester hours beyond the first sixty (60) is equivalent to six (6) months of specialized experience. For example, six (6) month of specialized experience (50% of the specialized experience requirement) and 90 semester hours with at least twelve (12) semester hours related to the position and three (3) hours directly related to the position (50% of the education requirement) would be considered qualifying. NOTE: If you are qualifying based in part, upon education, you must include hours per week worked and transcripts.
Volunteer Experience: 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
To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your 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.
Additional information
A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected.
ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS: This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1040 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS).
If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1040 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1040 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility.
The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1040 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1040 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM.
Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations.
Physical Demands: The work is partially sedentary with prolonged standing, walking, and bending often required. Heavy items (e.g., packs and equipment up to 50 pounds) must be lifted and carried on a routine
basis.
Work Environment: The work is performed in an office, laboratory, and in the field. Field work includes exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, pesticides, poisonous plants, biting insects, and wild animals. Laboratory work may involve exposure to hazardous chemicals.
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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.
The purpose of the position is to perform routine and uncomplicated biological science tasks common to natural resource management. Technician work is typically associated with and supportive of a professional field; work may involve substantial elements of the work of the professional field, but requires less than full knowledge of the field involved. This position is intended to report to a specialist or resources manager in the same or a related field.
Help
Duties
This Open-Continuous announcement for temporary seasonal positions has been re-opened due to an exemption to the 2025 Civilian Hiring Freeze. If you previously applied to this announcement, you do not need to re-apply.
This is an open continuous vacancy announcement. Applicants will be referred periodically throughout the announcement period. Final application disposition will be completed once all positions have been filled or the announcement reaches the end of the open period stated in the announcement. The first cut-off date is 11:59 pm (EST), Thursday, December 19, 2024.
Duties:
The Biological Science Technician will work primarily with plants within the park's Resource Management Division (headquartered near Berlin, MD).
- Surveys and treats invasive plant infestations using manual methods and herbicides, assisting park staff with vegetation surveys and resource management activities.
- Works independently and as part of a field team to complete daily field activities efficiently.
- Prepares and applies herbicide chemicals while maintaining application equipment and keeping detailed records of field activities.
- Utilizes GPS equipment to record spatial and attribute data, processes collected data and produces summary maps and reports.
- Trained in QA/QC and metadata requirements for data collection and work output.
Government Housing may be available. Please contact the hiring manager(s) for availability.
Hiring Managers Contact Information:
Lindsay Ries | Lindsay_Ries@nps.gov | 410-629-6071
Bill Hulslander | Bill_Hulslader@nps.gov | 410-629-6061
Help
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- U.S. Citizenship required.
- Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
- Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
- Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
- You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license
- You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
- Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/19/2025-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.
Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40 hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.
To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: conducting plant censuses and surveys and assembling the information. Following standardized procedures to collect data on the condition of range, grazing or forage. Use statistical methods and procedures to perform testing of field data collected. Install, operate, and maintain resource management equipment (tools, sampling and monitoring, photographic, and laboratory equipment) prepare graphs, charts, and illustrations for reports and technical publications relating to plant management activities. Research activity or control program work, nursery work that required the growing and maintenance of plants in a controlled environment. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a full four (4) year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least twenty-four (24) semester hours in any combination of scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least six (6) semester hours are directly related to the position such as botany, forest ecology, silviculture, plant ecology, etc. IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: If you are using education to qualify you must document your course work and/or degree completed in your resume or other application materials you submit. You must submit a copy of your transcripts that identifies for each course the college or university, semester or quarter hours earned, grade received, and date completed. If you are qualifying based on education and you do not submit specific course work information as described previously, your application will be rated not qualified for consideration. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of specialized experience as described above and education as described above which total 100 percent. Only education beyond the sixty (60) semester hours above high school is considered qualifying when combined with specialized experience. Thirty (30) semester hours beyond the first sixty (60) is equivalent to six (6) months of specialized experience. For example, six (6) month of specialized experience (50% of the specialized experience requirement) and 90 semester hours with at least twelve (12) semester hours related to the position and three (3) hours directly related to the position (50% of the education requirement) would be considered qualifying. NOTE: If you are qualifying based in part, upon education, you must include hours per week worked and transcripts.
Volunteer Experience: 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
To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your 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.
Additional information
A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected.
ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS: This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1040 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS).
If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1040 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1040 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility.
The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1040 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1040 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM.
Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations.
Physical Demands: The work is partially sedentary with prolonged standing, walking, and bending often required. Heavy items (e.g., packs and equipment up to 50 pounds) must be lifted and carried on a routine
basis.
Work Environment: The work is performed in an office, laboratory, and in the field. Field work includes exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, pesticides, poisonous plants, biting insects, and wild animals. Laboratory work may involve exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Read more
- 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.
