Wildlife Biologist

Summary

You will serve as a Wildlife Biologist in the Science and Resource Management Division.

First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.

GS-09: $61,722 (Step 1) to $ 80,243 (Step 10) per year - Salary Table 2026-RUS

This position is also open to status candidates under announcement CAHN-26-13039536-DE-LLH. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.

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Duties

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• Live trapping nuisance and habituated wildlife, capturing wildlife using approved pharmaceuticals, using approved techniques, and procedures to euthanize wildlife.
• Collaborating on wildlife exclusion, managing rodent lethal trapping, overseeing rodent clean up kit program, protecting commercial and residential buildings from wildlife, and other pest impacts.
• Mitigating and reducing zoonotic disease risks, performing zoonotic disease surveillance, developing zoonotic disease response plan, and providing zoonotic disease training and outreach.
• Pesticide use management, managing annual pesticide use reporting, and pesticide use proposals, tracking, and reducing pesticide use.
• Implement approved techniques and procedures to effectively manage human-wildlife interactions, provide outreach and education to reduce human-wildlife interaction.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• 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 .
• Must have and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• Pre-employment and random drug testing are required. You will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received.
• This position is subject to drug testing based on the collateral duty requiring firearms in the back-country or other locations for non-law enforcement reasons such as protection from animals.
• You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime, and shift work.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home occasionally.
• You are required to wear a uniform and comply with the uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You must be at least (1) 18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.
• Additional Requirements located under Qualifications

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-08/31/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

To receive credit for experience, 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. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected

Basic Educational Requirements : Basic Requirements for the Wildlife Biologist, GS-0486 series, you must meet at least one of the following:

• A. Degree: Successful completion of a biological science degree that included: 1) 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; 2) 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 3) at least 9 semester hours in botany or the related plant sciences. You must submit transcripts. -OR-
• B. Combination of Education and Experience: Includes courses 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.

-AND-

Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

• Specialized Experience Requirement: Possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of at least the GS-07 grade level in the federal service, which has equipped me with the knowledge, skill, and ability to successfully perform the duties of this position. 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. Generally technical work below the GS-08 level is not creditable. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: 1) assisting in the planning and implementation of wildlife censuses and monitoring surveys; 2) working as a field crew leader for a wildlife project or study where field decisions were made independently, and activities included gathering, recording, and analyzing resource information, and preparing summary field reports for inclusion in a final report; or 3) working in a professional or academic position that included working on portions of a research project to include choosing methodology and implementation of data gathering, analysis of wildlife data, and preparation of portions of a final report. You must include hours worked per week. -OR-
• Education: Successful completion of at least 2 years of progressively higher level of graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree in related disciplines appropriate to this position. You must include transcripts. -OR-
• Combination of Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience. For example, an applicant with 6 months of appropriate experience equivalent to GS-7 (50 percent of the experience requirement for GS-9) and 27 semester hours of appropriate graduate education (50 percent of the education requirement for GS-9, in excess of that required for GS-7) would be qualified for a GS-9 position (assuming that there is no evidence that the attended college or university requires more than 18 semester hours as equivalent to a year of graduate study). You must include hours per week and transcripts.

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.

Requirements Continued...

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This 1-year 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 1-year probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education.

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Physical Demands: The position may require strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activities will occur in physically dangerous areas or settings. Documentary research and report writing work is sedentary, which entails the ability to concentrate and write for long periods of time.

Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather. Assignments may be performed in potentially hazardous areas including steep slopes, rocky terrain, firelines, deserts, and forests. Flying in fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters is possible.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, .

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.