Seasonal Biological Science Technician (Plants)

Full Job Description

The position is located in Denali National Park and Preserve, Denali Park, AK.

The typical seasonal period for these positions is April through October but can be variable during these months 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-02/06/2026-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-9 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-8 level in federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors).

Experience MUST HAVE BEEN in the Biological Technician field with specialization of botany, forestry, ecology, or plant pathology.

This experience includes activities such as: overseeing vegetation monitoring and management initiatives that prioritize the control of invasive exotic species and the long-term stewardship of native plant populations.

This experience also includes methods to plan and execute exotic plant eradication, collect native plant seeds for restoration projects, management actions to ensure the weed-free status of equipment and materials, leading field surveys to document and assess plant presence and abundance (identifying to the species level), to document management issues, and plant population dynamics using established protocols and standard scientific equipment (including GPS and mobile data collection devices); and managing, summarizing, and reporting vegetation data using computer software (such as IRMA, NPSpecies, NPS Data Store, ArcGIS, RStudio, Microsoft Access, Excel, and Word) -OR- EDUCATION: Successfully completed at least two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree in a field that is directly related to the work of this position, such as botany, horticulture, ecology, restoration ecology, fire ecology, rangeland ecology, or other directly related subject matter to this position.

You must include transcripts. -OR- COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above.

To calculate your percentage of qualifying graduate education, divide your number of semester hours in excess of 18 semester hours by 18 or the number your school uses to represent one year of full time graduate academic study.

To calculate your percentage of experience, divide your months of qualifying specialized experience by 12. Add the two percentages. They must equal 100% to qualify using this option.

You must include transcripts and hours worked per week 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.

CTAP/ICTAP: 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.

Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP or 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP.

This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location.

Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible.

If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work.

Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001). Major Duties:

Major Duties: Execute standardized vegetation management and restoration frameworks according to established regional guidelines; independently monitor program performance and recommend novel protocol updates to improve operational efficiency and data integrity.

Responsbile for leading field teams, including volunteers, youth corps (SCA), and other visiting groups, in the implementation of management actions; oversee daily logistics, safety protocols, and technical training for exotic plant eradication, native seed collection, and native plant revegetation efforts.

Execute complex botanical diagnostics to identify species and prescribe site-specific IPM treatments; implement specialized protocols for native plant material collection, seed processing, and long-term storage.

Manage and manipulate complex biological datasets to evaluate resource trends and interrelationships; utilize ArcGIS and other geospatial technologies to synthesize field data into technical maps and visualizations that support scientific reporting and long-term program monitoring.

Ensure all vegetation management activities comply with NPS policies, as well as state and federal regulations, including NEPA, the Wilderness Act, and the Endangered Species Act; prepare comprehensive technical reports and cost estimates to inform planning and contracting specifications.