Fish and Wildlife Biologist @ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Job Summary

You will serve as a Fish and Wildlife Biologist. This position will be located within a Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Office in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/05/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. To receive credit for experience, 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.

Minimum Qualification

Requirements

• To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirement AND/OR Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying.
• Basic Educational

Requirements

• In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
• You must submit transcripts. -OR- B. Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. -AND- To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level: Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors).

Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

• (1) Conducting moderately complex biological or ecological investigations to determine the impact of various land and water development projects upon endangered species and their habitats;
• (2) planning/coordinating ecological services activities between diverse stake holding organizations (e.g., state agencies, commission, tribal, other Federal agencies, etc.) to maximize benefits for fish and wildlife resources;
• (3) Developing multi-species conservation agreements with stakeholders to provide conservation of endangered and threatened species, or enhance the biological status of at-risk species;
• (4) Preparing species status assessments, biological opinions, or recovery plans under the Endangered Species Act;
• (5) Serving as a technical advisor on the Endangered Species Act for other staff, government agencies, landowners, private interest groups; and
• (6) Implementing Federal environmental laws (such as Endangered Species Act, specifically Sections 4, 6, 7, and 10, Clean Water Act, Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, and National Environmental Policy Act), regulations, and policies involving natural resource issues.

You must include hours per week worked.

• 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

• Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Position works with multiple state and Federal partners to address complex plant and wildlife conservation issues largely in the eastern region of Texas, as well as other projects in the state and beyond.
• Serves as an agency expert on threatened, endangered, and at-risk species occurring in east Texas, including the red-cockaded woodpecker, Louisiana pinesnake, Kisatchie painted crayfish, western chicken turtle, Coryell's false dragonhead, Texas trillium, Texas heelsplitter, Louisiana pigtoe, alligator snapping turtle, and tricolored bat.
• Provides technical assistance to agencies, researchers, and other stakeholders with regard to the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and other wildlife or conservation laws.
• Independently works to administer activities under the Endangered Species Act, including conducting consultations and conferences under section 7, negotiating and developing conservation agreements under section 10, and drafting/reviewing documents associated with section 4 of the Endangered Species Act.
• Coordinates landscape scale conservation and recovery projects with multiple state, Federal, and private entities that target threatened, endangered, or at-risk species with ranges that overlap east Texas.
• Develops work plans and technical reports of findings, conclusions, and recommendations regarding management plans, development projects, or conservation agreements.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit www.dhs.gov/EVerify/. Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probabion during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This probabion period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.