Fish and Wildlife Biologist

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 5, New York Field Office, Cortland, New York. At the full performance level (GS-13) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: Provides statewide leadership and promotion of the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program with local, state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, other Service programs, and media. Coordinates with state natural resource agencies and represents the Service in matters involving Service fish and wildlife management activities on private lands in order to grow and leverage these partnerships to further conservation objectives. Develops partnerships with private landowners and other external partners that result inhabitat restoration projects at a local and landscape scale. Works with other Service programs to guide and coordinate activities on private lands that will benefit threatened and endangered species and migratory birds. Works with Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices and other local, State and Federal organizations to guide and coordinate activities on private lands that will benefit inter-jurisdictional fish species Works with National, State and local conservation organizations to develop partnerships that leverage Service resources for habitat work. Evaluates the distribution of work areas for assigned Service staff within the state and recommends changes where necessary to increase work efficiency and resource prioritization. Prepares budget allocation recommendations to the supervisor for all field stations with PFW or collateral duty staff to ensure that funding is being allocated where needed to most effectively meet Service priorities for the state. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement • 10/05/2026-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 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: Degree: Biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. You must submit transcripts. • OR- Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. GS-12 Experience Requirement: 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: coordinating with state natural resource agencies and representing the Service in matters involving Service fish and wildlife management activities developing MOUs or Cooperative Agreements with partner organizations for approval by the appropriate Service official applying the theory, principles, and methods of fish and wildlife biology and a working familiarity with related disciplines such as forestry, range, agriculture, etc., in order to act as an expert and central point of contact for conservation projects and partnerships design and construction of wetland, riverine, and/or upland habitat restoration for fish and wildlife species All of this experience must be clearly reflected in your resume. You must include hours per week worked on your resume. GS-13 Experience Requirement: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: serving as the principal representative for a conservation program that involves agricultural communities, private stakeholders, local/state/federal agencies, and Tribal governments leading the development, design, and implementation of customized voluntary habitat restoration projects directly with private landowners project management including managing short- and long-term project timelines, tracking milestones, and administering program budgets and allocation of financial resources developing and maintaining strategic partnerships that lead to species and habitat conservation developing and implementing strategic plans that guide conservation actions for species or habitat All of this experience must be clearly reflected in your resume. You must include hours per week worked on your resume. 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. 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 https://www.e-verify.gov/. Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment. You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1 year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest. 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. 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 your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. 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