Fish and Wildlife Biologist

Summary

This position is a Fish and Wildlife Biologist GS-0401-11 at the US Fish and Wildlife Service R4-Tennessee Ecological Services Field Office in Knoxville, TN. This is a term position (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment expecting to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of four years based on any changes to regulations governing the number of years term appointments may last, without further competition at management's discretion.

Duties

• Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Participates in all aspects of habitat restoration projects including providing technical assistance, conducting landowner contacts and feasibility determinations, planning and design, securing permits and may include funding, developing and submitting Private Landowner Agreements (PLAs), interacting with contractors, providing construction oversight, and monitoring habitat improvements. Participates and promotes the various NRCS programs and conservation practices for private landowners. This includes providing technical assistance and review of potential projects and compilation of data and information from lower graded and volunteer personnel and cooperating organization staff working in the incumbent's geographic area of responsibility. Participates and assists with development of strategic planning documents and efforts to identify focal areas and species within geographic areas of responsibility. Utilizes socioeconomic information to identify and understand social and economic aspects of geographic area to better target landowners and to develop new landowner relationships and projects. Develops annual and long-range goals, objectives, plans, and budgets for watersheds, focus areas, and ecosystem priorities within the assigned geographic area. Prepares annual work plans and program schedules to maximize efficient use of financial resources leading to accomplishment of approved goals and objectives. Develops complete financial assistance packages and works with the state coordinator and various internal and external partners to manage and/or obligate funding. Compiles data and information for, and assists in the preparation of, reports and other documents required by the PFW program and for input in state and national tracking systems. This includes providing assistance and review of potential PFW projects and compilation of data and information from lower graded and volunteer personnel and cooperating organization staff working in the incumbent's geographic area of responsibility. Prepares management plans adequate to ensure preservation, protection, and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat on project sites. This requires coordination with other experts and review of plans that may encompass any and all programs that affect fishery and wildlife resources. These include, but are not limited to, fire management, moist soil management, grazing management, wetland restoration and management, water quality and quantity concerns, forest management, or grassland restoration and management.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/18/2026-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. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the Basic Education requirement AND the minimum qualifications: 1. Basic Education Requirement 0401 Series: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: A. Degree: 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- Minimum Qualification GS-0401-11: A. Specialized Experience Requirement: To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) developing and maintaining effective working relationships and liaison with private landowners, tribes, other federal, state, and local agencies, and the public regarding habitat restoration; 2) participating in the development of annual and long-range goals, objectives, plans, and budgets for watersheds, focus areas, and ecosystem priorities within an assigned geographic area; and 3) identifying, design, and conduct habitat improvement projects on privately-owned lands with emphasis on stream, wetland, riparian and upland restoration and enhancement. NOTE: Your resume must contain sufficient information proving you have this experience.. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- B. Education: Successful completion of at least three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree, or a Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree in a related discipline that clearly demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. This education is clearly supported by my transcripts provided in my application packet. -OR- C. Combination of education and experience: To combine education and experience, first take completed graduate education above a graduate degree and divide by total number of credits needed to complete PhD. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. 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

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 www.dhs.gov/EVerify/. Must have and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year trial period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This trial 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 trial 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. See "Basic Education Requirement 0401 Series" in the qualifications section. 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. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the 09/18/2026--unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. To PREVIEW the application questionnaire, select the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13052944 Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status, visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.