Seasonal Biological Science Technician (Wildlife)

Summary These positions may be filled for a six month seasonal period, but can vary due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: March-April 2026 For more park(s) information, please visit find a park. Duties This is a position with the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery at Padre Island National Seashore. Serves as a Biological Science Technician (Wildlife) assisting with a variety of sea turtle science and recovery projects, which include collection of sea turtle data and gathering information related to sea turtle stranding projects and sea turtle nesting projects. The position will include both administrative functions conducted in an office setting along with field work conducted in difficult and varied environmental conditions, including high temperatures, cold temperatures, wind, and humidity in a sandy and rough beach terrain. Patrols beaches on utility-transport vehicles and 4-wheel drive vehicles to detect nesting turtles, live and dead stranded sea turtles in varied weather conditions such as strong winds, rain, and unstable beach terrain. Documents and transports nesting turtles, nests, stranded live and dead sea turtles. Safely lift, carry, drag, bury, and move live and dead sea turtles, sea turtle eggs and camping gear. May primitive camp overnight in shared, backcountry remote cabin or tent for 3-5 nights per week. Performs daily vehicle safety inspections which include checking fluids, check/repair tires, inspect safety gear, wash/refuel, and secure vehicles and communication radios after daily use. Requirements Conditions of employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and/or shift work. You may be required to travel overnight away from home. You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle. You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-12/12/2025-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-4 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: 6 months of general experience and 6 months of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-3 level in the Federal service for a total of 1 year of experience. General experience is any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. Examples of general experience include but are not limited to, performing field work, performing data collection, using scientific equipment or instruments, or other general experience that meets the definition above. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to: assisting higher-level employees with the collection and organization of biological science field data; performing field tasks associated with the management, protection, restoration, and improvement of natural resources; performing routine laboratory operations such as preparation, sorting, and preservation of collected specimens; assisting higher-level employees with installation, operation , and maintenance of equipment used for resource management projects; using a variety of computer programs to maintain field data records, perform data entry, and prepare simple summary reports. Duties are supportive of professional specialists in resource management; relevant to research, conservation and management of natural resources such as but not limited to wildlife (land or aquatic) monitoring or control; field studies on plant or forest ecology, inventorying, monitoring, and/or control of invasive plants, or making other field observations on the state of natural resource conditions. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 2 years of education above high school in an accredited educational institution (60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours) which included at least 12 semester hours of scientific or technical courses, such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must be directly related to this position. Examples of directly related education are biology, botany, range science, forestry, ecology, environmental science, zoology, fisheries, animal husbandry, natural resource management or other directly related fields. You must include transcripts.-OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, I have 6 months experience (50% of the experience requirements for this position and grade level) combined with 1 year of education as outlined above (50% of the education required to qualify), which include at least 6 semester hours of scientific or technical courses as outlined above and at least 3 semester hours of directly related courses as outlined above. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts. 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. ICTAP/CTAP Statement: 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. Education To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Additional information A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. Click here for the OPM Salaries and Wages to calculate locality pay. This job opportunity announcement will be used to fill one or more additional selections at any time without notification. Positions will be filled at one grade level and have no promotion potential. Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1040 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS). If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1040 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1040 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility. The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1040 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1040 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM. Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations. Physical Demands: The work requires physical exertion such as regular and recurring walking, hiking, or climbing over wet, rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces; bending; crouching, stooping, lifting or reaching to observe, collect, or record field data. Heavy items (e.g., equipment and packs up to 50 pounds) must be lifted and carried on a routine basis. Work Environment: The work is performed in an office and in the field. Field work involves regular and recurring exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, poisonous plants, biting insects, and wild animals. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.