Seasonal Biological Science Technician (Plants)

Full Job Description

The purpose of these positions is to perform standardized biological science technical support functions related to plants. On-the-job training will be provided.

Open to the first 60 applicants or until 01/27/2026 whichever comes first.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-01/27/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience.

To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time).

If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

To qualify for this position at the GS-04 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: Six (6) months general experience and six (6) months of specialized experience for a total of one year of experience.

In making this claim, I understand that General Experience is (1) Any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation; and that Specialized Experience is experience which demonstrates that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Research activity or control program work, assisting in conducting field studies and surveys on plants and plant ecology and assembling the information; Follow standardized procedures to collect data on the condition of range, grazing or forage; Assist in vegetation and soils mapping; Nursery work that required the growing and maintenance of plants in a controlled environment; Develop improved methods of controlling weeds and plant diseases or other related work etc.

(I understand that excess specialized experience can substitute for general experience; but excess general experience cannot be substituted for required specialized experience).

You must list hours per week worked.

-OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two (2) years of education above high school in an accredited educational institution (60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours) which included at least twelve (12) semester hours of scientific or technical courses, such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics.

At least six (6) semester hours are directly related to the position such as botany, forest ecology, silviculture, plant ecology, etc.

IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: If you are using education to qualify you must document your course work and/or degree completed in your resume or other application materials you submit.

You must submit a copy of your transcripts that identifies for each course the college or university, semester or quarter hours earned, grade received, and date completed.

If you are qualifying based on education and you do not submit specific course work information as described previously, your application will be rated not qualified for consideration.

-OR- COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of specialized experience as described above and education as described above which total 100 percent.

For example, I have six (6) months of specialized experience (50% of the experience requirements for this position and grade level) combined with one (1) year of education as outlined above (50% of the education required to qualify), which included at least six (6) semester hours of scientific or technical courses, such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics.

At least three (3) semester hours of courses must be directly related to this position. Examples of directly related courses are botany, forest ecology, silviculture, plant ecology, etc.

You must include transcripts and 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. Major Duties:

Major Duties may include but are not limited to the following: Assisting in implementing established natural resource management projects including: monitoring and controlling exotic plants conducting natural resource monitoring programs for rare plants Identifying plants and surveying for target invasive plants.

Collecting data and recording into established or new databases. Controlling invasive plants using hand-pulling, hand tools, power tools, and chemical herbicides.

Badlands National Park Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore GOVERNMENT HOUSING MAY BE AVAILABLE.