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Posted: February 12, 2026 (9 days ago)

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Wildlife Biologist

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Department of the Army

Recent

Location

Salary

$74,678 - $97,087

per year

Closes

February 23, 2026More Army jobs →

GS-9 Pay Grade

Base salary range: $51,332 - $66,732

Typical requirements: 1 year specialized experience at GS-8. Master's degree or 2 years graduate study.

Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).

Job Description

Summary

This job involves leading wildlife monitoring and habitat evaluations at a large hydropower project in Idaho, focusing on managing forested lands for species like elk to offset environmental impacts from the reservoir.

The role requires working in remote, rugged areas and making decisions on complex wildlife issues.

It's a good fit for someone with a biology background who enjoys outdoor fieldwork and has experience in wildlife conservation.

Key Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in biological science with at least 9 semester hours in wildlife subjects (e.g., mammalogy, ornithology, wildlife management), 12 semester hours in zoology, and 9 semester hours in botany or plant sciences
  • One year of specialized experience planning and administering wildlife resource studies in forested, mountainous terrain, or equivalent graduate education (Ph.D. or 3 years toward a doctorate in wildlife biology)
  • Ability to conduct independent research and monitoring on wildlife and habitats
  • Experience preparing wildlife management plans and making decisions on sensitive wildlife issues
  • Comfort working in remote, steep, heavily forested locations, including occasional overnight stays
  • U.S. citizenship required

Full Job Description

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Competitive Service Positions to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

About the Position: This position is located at Dworshak Project, Ahsahka, ID, a multi-purpose hydropower project.

Serves as lead project Wildlife Biologist conducting specific wildlife and habitat evaluations and monitoring related to wildlife mitigation programs.

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below.

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).

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.

Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Wildlife Biologist (0486): A.

Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in biological science that included at least 9 semester hours in such wildlife subjects as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, wildlife management, or research courses in the field of wildlife biology; AND at least 12 semester hours in zoology in such subjects as general zoology, invertebrate zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, genetics, ecology, cellular biology, parasitology, entomology, or research courses in such subjects (excess courses in wildlife biology may be used to meet the zoology requirements where appropriate.); AND at least 9 semester hours in botany or the related plant sciences.

OR B.

Combination of Education and Experience: Equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours), with at least 9 semester hours in wildlife subjects, 12 semester hours in zoology, and 9 semester hours in botany or related plant science, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes experience planning and administering wildlife resource studies involving forested, mountainous terrain and assisting in preparing wildlife management plans.

This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09). OR Education: Ph.D.

or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Wildlife Biology.

OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%.

To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12.

Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. Major Duties:

  • Responsible for a complex wildlife program on 30K acres of steep heavily forested land surrounding Dworshak Reservoir.
  • Responsible for 9k Acres specifically managed for elk winter-range habitat to mitigate the impacts of the reservoir.
  • Make decisions regarding sensitive and complex wildlife issues affecting management of project lands.
  • Performs many duties in very remote locations which occasionally require overnight stays at a remote work center.
  • Conducts independent research on game and non-game wildlife determining relationships between them and the habitat.
  • Represents the Project and District on various wildlife and natural resource issues to other agencies and the public.
  • Works in conjunction with Project Forester and Forestry tech to plan and lay out timber sales for Forest health, fuels reduction, wildlife habitat and recreation developments.
  • Assists in the review of Master Plans prepared by others for the project and for submission of revisions for updating of the Master Plan.

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Posted on USAJOBS: 2/12/2026 | Added to FreshGovJobs: 2/12/2026

Source: USAJOBS | ID: CEDE-26-12885163-DHA-R