Wildlife Biologist
You will serve as a Wildlife Biologist with National Park Service. This position is located within the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Alaska Region, Glacier Bay National Park preserve, in Bartlett Cove, Alaska.
Major duties
This is an Internal Merit Promotion announcement for a Career Seasonal position. Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work for approximately 22 pay periods and you will be in a non-pay status for 4 pay periods during the fiscal year. This position will cover all terrestrial wildlife duties for Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. That includes dealing with human/bear interactions; dealing with sick animals or birds; long-term studies on wolves, bears, marmots, sea otters, and ungulates; collecting carcasses and arranging for autopsies; and excluding bats from buildings. Much of the work requires overnight kayaking in cool and rainy weather. The team member advises the superintendent on wildlife issues and may lead wildlife work for neighboring parks who do not have a wildlife biologist. They participate in NPS regional wildlife efforts such as commenting on changes to state wildlife hunting and subsistence regulations. They will be instrumental in sounds monitoring program and may deal with wilderness issues. Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Lead and develop a terrestrial wildlife management program including large mammals and birds in northern ecosystems in Alaska. Independently execute and lead complex biology and ecology studies and protocols in remote Alaska ecosystems. Produce written peer-reviewed monitoring protocols and journal publications; deliver oral presentations for scientific audiences and the public. Conducts data analyses and synthesis of ecological data using contemporary methods and modelling approaches. Lead junior staff conducting technical field studies and data analyses. Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will be placed in a non-pay status from approximately January 1st to April 1st, unless other work exists that can be assigned to you during this period.
Qualifications
Qualifications: All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 09/05/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. 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 periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. 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. Minimum Qualifications Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the (1) Basic Educational Requirements AND (2) Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying.
- Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, applicants must meet the Education Requirements described below:
A. Degree: biological science that included: At least 9 semester hours in such wildlife subjects as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, wildlife management, or research courses in the field of wildlife biology; and At least 12 semester hours in zoology in such subjects as general zoology, invertebrate zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, genetics, ecology, cellular biology, parasitology, entomology, or research courses in such subjects (Excess courses in wildlife biology may be used to meet the zoology requirements where appropriate.); and At least 9 semester hours in botany or the related plant sciences.
-OR-
B. Combination of education and experience equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours), with at least 9 semester hours in wildlife subjects, 12 semester hours in zoology, and 9 semester hours in botany or related plant science, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
2.Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-12, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies needed to successfully perform the duties the position. Examples of specialized experience include duties such as: designing and implementing research and/or monitoring projects for the conservation and management of wildlife; conducting field studies on wildlife; gathering scientific data; performing data analyses with common statistical software; preparing reports, publications for peer-review, and presentations; and making recommendations to management.
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
This position has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.
Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications
Requirements
Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment. You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority. You will be required to work on weekends and may be on-call, evenings, holidays, overtime and shift work. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. *Additional Requirements located under qualifications*