Biological Science Technician (Plants) (Seasonal)

Summary

Biological Science Technicians perform field and technical work to monitor, manage, and protect natural resources, including plants, wildlife, aquatic resources, and their habitats. The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period for Seasonal Staffing Office-Intermountain Region is March-September, but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: March, 2027.

Duties

Some of the Biological Science Technician (Plants) Standard Duties include but are not limited to: Monitor native or nonnative plant communities including identifying plants to species, identifying phenological stage, canopy cover, and collecting site characteristic data. Select site locations, restoration techniques, sampling techniques, and appropriate equipment for native plant restoration projects. Determine selection of species, locations, and/or methods for collection. Provide instruction and/or oversight in ecological restoration, exotic plant management, or vegetation studies principles and techniques. Instruction may have been in plant identification, proper seed collection, soil stabilization, planting, manual or chemical control techniques, and/or mulching and site protection. Navigate off-trail using maps and Global Positioning System (GPS), hiking through rough terrain, to locate field sites.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/13/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your 2 page 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. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. To qualify for this position at the GS-08 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-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as overseeing nursery work that required the growing and maintenance of native plants in a controlled environment; leading a revegetation crew, planning and executing vegetation research or monitoring, including quality control/assessment, data summary and reporting on a project; leading vegetation inventory or monitoring requiring identification to sub-species of native vegetation; leading an invasive plant management crew. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. You must include hours per week worked. Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sectors. The OPM Qualification Standards Handbook is available for review at: OPM Qualification Standards. 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

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level of this announcement.