Seasonal Biological Science Technician (Plants)

Full Job Description

This temporary, summer seasonal GS-0404-09 Biological Science Technician (Plants) position is located at Zion National Park in Springdale, UT.

This position may be filled for a seasonal period, up to 1560 hours, but can vary due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: April 2026.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-03/02/2026-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-09 grade level, you must possess one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-08 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors).

You must include hours per week worked.

This experience includes activities such as: Led field crews in habitat restoration tasks (i.e., plant salvage, native seed collection, site preparation, seeding, planting, mulching, irrigating, invasive plant control); Identified native and non-native plant species; Collected and managed field data according to standard protocols; Surveyed, mapped and documented plant populations using GPS handheld devices; and/or Handled and applied herbicides.

-OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of two full years (36 semester/54 quarter hours) of successfully completed graduate level education or master's degree and the coursework is directly related to the work of the position (such as: biology, botany, range science, forestry, ecology, environmental science, zoology, fisheries, animal husbandry, natural resource management or other directly related fields).

You must include a copy of your transcripts with your application.

-OR- COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of graduate level education that is directly related to the position (in excess of 18 semester/27 quarter hours) and specialized experience as described above.

For example: 6 months of specialized experience such as above, (50% of the required specialized experience) and 27 semester credits of appropriate graduate study (50% of graduate credits towards 2nd year of graduate school) equal 100 percent.

The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. You must include a copy of your transcripts with your application.

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.

ICTAP/CTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special prior­ity selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection.

Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies.

Major Duties:

Ability to safely lead field crews conducting invasive plant control, habitat restoration, and plant propagation projects using a variety of methods in accessible and remote natural settings.

Knowledge of safe handling and application of herbicides to target invasive plants. Collect, review, and utilize Global Positioning System (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) data.

Collect, analyze, and summarize data from vegetation surveys.

Physical Demands: The work requires regular physical exertion such as walking or climbing over wet, rough, uneven and/or rocky surfaces; bending, crouching, stooping, or reaching to observe, collect and/or record field data; or in some situations the work may require physical exertion to handle wild animals, prepare soil for planting, to scuba dive or operate a boat.

Moderately heavy items, such as equipment packs weighing up to 50 pounds, must be lifted and carried on a regular basis. May be required to hike several miles in a day.

In other situations, there may be special requirements for agility or dexterity such as exceptional hand/eye coordination.

Work Environment: The work environment varies from office/laboratory settings to field sites.

The work performed in the field involves regular and recurring exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, poisonous plants, biting insects and wild animals.

The employee is required to use protective clothing such as gowns, coats, boots, goggles, gloves.