Fish and Wildlife Biologist

Summary

You will serve as a Fish and Wildlife Biologist, GS-0401-12 with US Fish and Wildlife Service working for Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office. This recruitment is intended fulfil one vacancy on the Bend Field Office team and one vacancy on the Cascades Field Office team. Pay will vary based on duty location for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Duties

Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Serve as a senior biologist for multiple ESA-listed species analyses across the Oregon Cascades with an emphasis on northern spotted owl and bull trout; or serve as senior biologist for multiple species analyses across central Oregon with an emphasis on Oregon spotted frog. Primary Service representative to coordinate, advise and implement Endangered Species Act activities, including complex Section 7 consultations, and/or implementation of Section 10 permits and species status surveys. Coordinate and provide technical leadership to Field Office ESA Section 7 consultation teams focused on terrestrial forest and aquatic species habitats in the Oregon Cascades or Central Oregon. Contribute to priority consultations across the broader Oregon Fish & Wildlife Office. Lead ecological investigations and reviews of complex projects on Federal lands and waters or projects with a Federal nexus; develops mitigation measures and prepares technical reports and recommendations. Lead interagency coordination, monitoring and strategic prioritization of recovery action implementation for listed species within the field office boundary. Engage in extensive interagency coordination, outreach, negotiations, and communication to support Service goals and ensure compliance with policies, regulations, and conservation objectives.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/23/2026-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: Basic Educational Requirement AND/OR 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- Specialized Experience: 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) Independently conducting Endangered Species Act (ESA) activities such as Section 7 consultations and drafting Biological Opinions and/or implementing ESA Section 10 permits; 2) Leading complex ecological investigations and evaluating impacts of projects on Federal lands and/or waters or projects with a federal nexus; 3) Coordinating with agencies and stakeholders, negotiating conservation measures, and preparing scientific reports and presentations; 4) Guiding, prioritizing and collaboratively implementing recovery actions for listed species under one or more sections of the Endangered Species Act. You must include hours per week worked. 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 does not allow substituting education for experience. 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