Biological Science Technician (Fish)

Summary

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Iron River National Fish Hatchery located in Iron River, WI. Rate of Pay GS-07 - $50,460 - $65,599 GS-08 - $55,882 - $72,644 Pay may vary based on grade level for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Duties

• At the full performance level (GS-08) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: Work individually or as part of a team in all aspects of the daily care and production of fish eggs, fry, fingerling and adult brood stock at a large cold water fish production facility. Perform assignments and general maintenance required for the upkeep of a fish hatchery including use of simple hand tools and power equipment (mowers, trimmers, hammers, saws) and other tools for minor repairs on hatchery facilities, equipment, and grounds. Operate fish distribution tanker units up to 66,000 pounds GVWR. Compile and summarize biological and water quality data for analysis as part of monthly sampling procedures. Support outreach activities including providing basic information to the public and partners about the fish hatchery and its programs. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Physical Demands: Physical demands will range depending on the project and use of the position. Most locations will be in locations around running water and requiring regular and recurring physical activity such as prolonged standing, walking over wet and/or rocky surfaces, stooping, bending, kneeling, climbing, and carrying heavy items may occur. Work Environment: Most locations will be in locations in and around running water where the incumbent could be exposed to extreme weather conditions, insects/wildlife, and/or other environments that would require the incumbent to use protective clothing or gear such as hard hats, masks, gowns, ear plugs, coats, boots, goggles, gloves, or shields to mitigate risks.

Qualifications

Requirements Continued... 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 probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/13/2026-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 at the GS-07 grade level: Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: assisting with the logistics of feeding and caring for fish; carrying out multi-faceted fish propagation activities (spawning, egg care, sorting, sampling, stocking) at a fish hatchery; collect and organize recurring fisheries data using established procedures; maintaining and using fish culture equipment; and apply specialized culture techniques. You must include hours per week worked in your resume to receive credit for experience. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- Education: Successful completion of at least one year (defined as the number of hours that the school attended determined to represent one full year of full-time study; if unavailable, then 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours will be considered as satisfying the requirement) of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a field of study directly related to the position such as in biological sciences, agriculture, botany, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to this position. You must include transcripts. You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience. For example, an applicant with 6 months of appropriate GS-6 equivalent specialized experience (50% of the specialized experience requirement for the GS-7) and 9 semester hours of appropriate graduate level education (50% of the education requirement for the GS-7) would qualify an applicant for this position. You must submit a copy of your transcripts and provide hours worked per week in your resume. You must include hours per week and transcripts. -AND- To qualify for this position at the GS-08 grade level: Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: planning end-to-end fish culture operations (broodstock selection, scheduling, biosecurity, resource allocation); leading multi-faceted propagation activities (spawning, fertilization, egg care, grading, sampling, tagging, stocking); coordinating with partners to align priorities, resolve conflicts, and meet production targets; diagnosing and mitigating complex culture issues (disease outbreaks, water-quality excursions, equipment/system failures); and train/mentor staff on hatchery data systems to ensure integrity and reproducibility. You must include hours per week worked in your resume to receive credit for experience. 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.

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. Must obtain a Class B Commercial Driver's license within 180 days after entry-on-duty (EOD). Must obtain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Card within 180 days after EOD. Must obtain a Merchant Mariner Document within 180 days after EOD. Pre-employment and random alcohol and drug testing are required. You will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive test is received. You are required to wear a uniform and comply with the uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority. You must be at least 21 years of age or older to operate government vehicles having a gross vehicle weight (GVW) rating of more than 26,000 pounds. 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 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. *Additional Requirements located under qualifications*

Education

If qualifying on education, 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 09/13/2026--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/13049913 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.