Supervisory Fish Biologist-Director

Full Job Description

This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC), with one vacancy in Santa Cruz, CA, and one vacancy in San Diego, CA.

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards.

This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/ To qualify for the 0482 series: BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position requires applicants to meet a Basic Education Requirement in addition to at least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience in order to be found minimally qualified.

Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet one of the following basic education requirements. A.

Degree: major in biological science that included: At least 6 semester hours in aquatic subjects such as limnology, ichthyology, fishery biology, aquatic botany, aquatic fauna, oceanography, fish culture, or related courses in the field of fishery biology; and At least 12 semester hours in the animal sciences in such subjects as general zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, entomology, parasitology, ecology, cellular biology, genetics, or research in these fields.

(Excess course work in aquatic subjects may be used to meet this requirement when appropriate.) OR B.

Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours), of which a minimum of 6 semester hours were in aquatic subjects and 12 semester hours were in the animal sciences, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service.

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

This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

To qualify at the ZP-5 or GS-15 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-4 or GS-14 in the Federal service.

Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Planning and executing scientific analysis or research supporting environmental and living marine resource systems; Leading projects or teams, including assigning work, setting priorities, and providing feedback on work assignments; and Communicating scientific findings to stakeholders through briefings, reports, or presentations.

Major Duties:

As a Supervisory Fish Biologist - Director, you will perform the following duties: Serve as a Principal Investigator preparing, coordinating, and directing the implementation of ecosystem research programs involving an assigned area of science.

Define the research area while identifying specific problems which are essential to the investigative objectives or conceptually related studies.

Collaborate in leadership-level discussions with similarly situated Principal Investigators and management regarding implementation of science programs within a broader organization.

Coordinate program matters and subdivide assigned team members and resources to meet objectives.

Plan and distribute work to be accomplished, develop performance standards, design effective organizations, recommend appointments, promotions, or reassignments, and identify and implement training needs.

Identify scientific and technical resource requirements to support assigned projects or programs.

Serve as a recognized authority and consultant to the scientific and technical personnel of other agencies, government contracts, and foreign countries.

Publish results of experimental and theoretical findings in contributions to scientific journals.

Prepare and submit written budget proposals to obtain funding and establish and maintain the project or program budget.

Articulate and direct assignments, projects, problems to be solved, actionable events, milestones, and deadlines and timeframes for completion.