[PCA] JOB: US Fish & Wildlife Service Botanist (Grand Junction, CO)

[Olivia Kwong]

The full job listing is available at http://www.usajobs.gov/ under job 
announcement number R6-08-200444-D (open to all US citizens) and 
R6-08-200442-M (status candidates)

SALARY RANGE: 45,040.00 - 70,843.00 USD per year
OPEN PERIOD: Monday, July 21, 2008 to Monday, August 11, 2008
SERIES & GRADE: GS-0430-09/11
POSITION INFORMATION: Full Time Career/Career Conditional
PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 11
DUTY LOCATIONS: 1 vacancy - Grand Junction, CO

Botanist

Additional Duty Location Info:  1 vacancy - Grand Junction, CO

MAJOR DUTIES:

Collects and reviews taxonomic and biological information for status 
reviews of plants being considered for protection under the Endangered 
Species Act.

Designs and conducts botanical field investigations in diverse habitats; 
completes botanical surveys; baseline vegetation mapping; assessments of 
vegetation/wetlands and monitor restoration projects.

Prepares and/or reviews reports on ecological investigations of proposed 
land and water resource and energy development projects and/or Federal 
permitting actions to determine project impacts on fish, wildlife, and 
habitat resources with special emphasis on botanical resources and 
threatened and endangered plant species listed under the Endangered 
Species Act.

Conducts Section 7 consultations as needed, identifying data gaps and 
issues and conflicts of projects with plants; prepares biological opinions 
dealing with plants, fish, and wildlife, recommends modifications as 
alternatives to the proposed activity or program for the benefit of the 
species being affected.

Develops and implements management plans and mitigation plans as necessary 
to alleviate identified impacts to fish, wildlife and habitat resources 
from proposed land and water resource and energy development projects and 
Federal permitting actions.

Prepares comments, evaluations, and recommendations for projects submitted 
for review under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, NEPA, and Fish and 
Wildlife Coordination Act.

Prepares correspondence with lists of candidate, threatened, and 
endangered species for Federal agencies and others, as appropriate.

Develops and implements recovery plans for listed plant species.

Physical Demands and Work Environment
The work requires some physical exertion such as walking on wet, rough, 
uneven, or rocky surfaces, bending, crawling, stooping, stretching, 
reaching, lifting, or similar activities. The work requires, average 
agility and dexterity.

The work requires both indoor and outdoor activity. Some work is performed 
under conditions of high risk and exposure to potentially dangerous 
situations or unusual environmental stress such as working outdoors at 
remote sites in extreme weather conditions.

The assignment may require the wearing of the official U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service uniform in a manner prescribed in the Fish and Wildlife 
Service Manual. The incumbent will be provided the proper uniform 
components within Class B and C.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

Qualification requirements may be condensed. The OPM Qualification 
Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions will be used to 
determine qualifications. This handbook can be viewed at 
http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/index.asp. You must submit sufficient 
information regarding previous work experience to evaluate against 
qualification requirements. You must meet qualification requirements by 
the closing date of this announcement.

In addition to meeting the "Specialized Experience" requirements listed 
below, applicants must meet the education requirements as described under 
"Basic Requirements".

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
GS-09:  One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade 
level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include 
participation in the planning and execution of plant studies with limited 
number of variables; performing established, standardized tests and 
analyses on a broad range of plant samples; and conducting plant studies 
using established fact finding procedures.

GS-11:  One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade 
level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include 
planning and executing botanical investigations under the Endangered 
Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act rules and regulations; 
recommending course of action to solve botanical issues; working within 
the scientific community to identify botanical issues.

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:
GS-09: Two years of progressively higher level graduate education at an 
accredited college or university leading to a master's degree or master's 
or equivalent graduate degree in a field directly related to this 
position.

GS-11: Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education 
at an accredited college or university leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. 
or equivalent doctoral degree in a field directly related to this 
position.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for 
both the GS-09 and GS-11 grade levels, which when combined meets 100% of 
the qualification requirements.

The position requires completion of a specific course of study as 
reflected below. You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts (official or 
unofficial photocopy) to document that you have met these education 
requirements. Official transcripts will be required if you are selected to 
fill the position. College transcripts are also required if you currently 
occupy or previously occupied the series for which you are applying. If 
you have attended more than one university/college or have completed more 
than one degree, you must submit documentation from each 
university/college. (Most colleges and universities offer unofficial 
transcripts online.) Failure to submit this documentation by the closing 
date will result in disqualification from further consideration.

Foreign Education: Education completed outside the United States must have 
been evaluated by a private U.S. organization that specializes in 
interpretation of foreign educational credentials, commonly called a 
credential evaluation service or education that is recognized by the 
Secretary of Education from an accredited body.

BASIC REQUIREMENT:

A.  A bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited college or university 
in botany.
-OR-
B.  A bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited college or university 
in basic plant science that included at least 24 semester hours in botany. 
Note: If courses in botany or basic plant science are not clearly 
identified on transcript and knowledge of such subjects was obtained in 
other coursework, include a description of such courses, to include 
syllabus as provided in official college catalog.
-OR-
C.  Combination of education and experience .- courses equivalent to a 
major in botany or basic plant science from an accredited college or 
university that included at least 24 semester hours in botany, plus 
appropriate experience or additional education. Note: If courses in botany 
or basic plant science are not clearly identified on transcript and 
knowledge of such subjects was obtained in other coursework, include a 
description of such courses, to include syllabus as provided in official 
college catalog.

NOTE: It is the responsibility of the applicant to show how he/she 
satisfies the course requirements. If you do not provide information that 
clearly shows how your completed college course work meets the specific 
course requirements above, you will be rated ineligible.

Applicants must meet qualification requirements and time-in-grade as of 
the closing date of the announcement in order to be considered.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Your rating will be based on both your responses to the occupational 
questionnaire and the information stated in your resume. The occupational 
questionnaire relates to the following knowledge, skills and abilities 
required to do the work of this position:

     * Knowledge of theory, principles, and methods of plant ecology and 
conservation biology in applying the ESA and NEPA.
     * Skill in interpersonal communication.
     * Skill in written communication.
     * Ability to coordinate imperiled plant species work.

Please ensure that your responses to the questionnaire are supported in 
your resume. Also, follow all instructions carefully as errors and 
omissions may affect your score.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience regardless 
of whether compensation was received or whether the experience was gained 
in a part-time or full-time occupation. Full-time work is generally 
considered to be 35 to 40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience 
will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in qualifying 
activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must 
indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each 
position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Note: If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than 
is apparent in your description of experience and/or education OR that 
your application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible, not 
qualified, or your score may be lowered.

Once the application process is complete, a review of your application 
will be made to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you 
are qualified for this job, a review of your resume and supporting 
documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the 
occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on 
your responses to the questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree 
to which your background matches the knowledge, skills and abilities 
required of this position. If, after reviewing your resume and or 
supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated 
your qualifications and or experience your score can and will be adjusted 
to more accurately reflect your abilities. Please follow all instructions 
carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.