Fish and Wildlife Biologist

Summary

You will serve as a Fish and Wildlife Biologist with US Fish and Wildlife Service, Kentucky Ecological Services Field Office.

Duties

Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Manage complex private land conservation projects from initiation through completion, including developing timelines, coordinating activities, collaborating with partners, documenting progress, and ensuring deliverables meet scientific, regulatory, and program standards. Plan, lead, and conduct ecological investigations on diverse and complex private lands across Kentucky, assessing impacts and opportunities for fish and wildlife conservation- particularly for threatened, endangered, candidate, and State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) species and habitats. Develop, evaluate, and implement statewide private lands conservation initiatives and step-down strategic plans, including recommending workload distribution, funding priorities, and program direction to advance habitat restoration and species recovery. Maintain, strengthen, and expand collaborative partnerships with private landowners and conservation partners, effectively communicating Service priorities, program goals, and scientific findings through clear written and oral communication to diverse audiences. Inspect private land conservation projects for compliance with policies, guidelines, agreements, and conservation plans, prepare recommendations to ensure adherence and improve conservation outcomes. Coordinate budgets, strategic planning, cooperative agreements, and reporting requirements to support efficient program operations and the implementation of private land conservation actions. Provide technical assistance, guidance, and mentorship to staff and partners engaged in private land conservation, strengthening statewide capacity to implement habitat restoration and species recovery actions.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 10/29/2026-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 Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirement AND Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying. Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: A. Degree: Possess a degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. You must submit transcripts. OR B. Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. -AND- To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: (1) coordinating and facilitating activities pursuant to sections of the Endangered Species Act; (2) coordinating wide-ranging initiatives to fully implement Endangered Species Act programs; (3) building strong partnerships with Federal, State, and private entities to support conservation outcomes; (4) analyzing proposed projects for potential impacts to trust resources, applying ecological knowledge, regulatory understanding, and science-based evaluation methods; (5) managing complex projects by developing timelines, collaborating and negotiating with internal and external partners, and reviewing and monitoring deliverables to ensure timely completion and required quality to support conservation and recovery actions for trust species. 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