Seasonal Biological Science Technician (Wildlife)

Full Job Description

This is a temporary seasonal position not to exceed 1560 hours worked in a service year with Yukon-Charley Rivers and Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in the Integrated Resources Management Division.

This is also an open continuous announcement with an established initial cut-off date of February 27, 2026. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by the first cut-off date.

Please see Next Steps for additional information. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-04/01/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience.

For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying 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 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.

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.

To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level.

Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies needed to successfully perform the duties of this position.

This experience includes activities such as assisting professional staff in implementing wildlife inventory and monitoring programs for songbirds, raptors, small mammals, mammals, vegetation, and other taxa; assisting with other natural resource monitoring projects; maintaining and repairing field equipment; preparing for field trips; compiling data; and generating maps.

Your resume must include hours worked per week -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study in a related field of scientific or technical study, such as in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, mathematics, or other directly related subject matter; or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those shown above.

At least 6 semester hours must be directly related to the position, such as avian ecology, ornithology, wildlife management, wildlife biology, etc. You must include transcripts.

-OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above.

To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours, in excess of the first 60 semester hours earned towards your degree, and divide by 60.

Take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12. Add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent.

You must include transcripts, and your resume must include hours worked per week.

When describing the nature of your duties (e.g., your paid or unpaid work or volunteer experience), please be extremely clear, thorough, and specific.

We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Make sure your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications and answers to the job questionnaire.

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:

NOTE: OPM has identified this position as eligible for an exception to the typical 1039-hour season.

This exception allows up to 1560 hours which may extend the season(s) reflected in this announcement. See the Additional Information section for details.

As a Biological Science Technician (Wildlife) for Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve & Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, this position involves research, conservation, and management of wildlife; the control of wildlife; or the determination, establishment, and application of the biological facts, principles, methods, techniques, and procedures necessary for the conservation, management, and control of wildlife.

This position will: Assist professional staff in implementing wildlife inventory and monitoring programs for a variety of possible species including seabirds, water birds, passerine birds, amphibians, small mammals, ungulates, bears, raptors, etc.

in the front country and the remote backcountry areas of Alaskan National Parks. Assist in planning, logistical arrangements, field work, data entry and result summarization.

This includes monitoring, collecting, and organizing field data and ecological impacts at backcountry campsites and other sites and develop field reports and providing recommendations for management.

Use computer software applications (e.g., Microsoft Access, Excel, Word, ArcGIS, Pathfinder Office, etc.) to store, retrieve, manage and analyze data, generate maps, and assist with creating reports and recommendations for natural resources projects.

Live in primitive, remote backcountry camps in remote portions of the park for up to four weeks at a time, collecting natural resource data.

Work includes field surveys to document and assess animal presence, abundance, reproduction, management issues, and population dynamics in various areas of the park using established protocols and standard equipment (including GPS).

This position requires safely hiking long distances through mountainous terrain (on and off trail) in adverse weather conditions with a heavy backpack; work and communicate closely with team members on extended field trips; and navigate to plots off trail over rugged terrain, snowfields, dense vegetation, and streams.

Work may be performed in areas frequented by bears. Training on how to handle bear encounters will be given. Government housing is not available in Fairbanks.

Anticipated season beginning and ending dates: April through October