Seasonal Physical Science Technician

Summary These positions are temporary and may not exceed 1039 hours (six months) in a service year. Selectees may be moved between duty stations within park boundaries. Positions and grade levels may not be filled at every duty station. Duties The parks and duty stations hiring for these positions are below, as is each park's anticipated seasonal period. The typical seasonal period may vary during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Denali National Park and Preserve (Denali Park): April - November Kenai Fjords National Park (Seward): May - October Southeast Alaska Network (Juneau): May - October Southwest Alaska Network (Anchorage): May - October Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve (Copper Center): April - September The position involves field and office duties including but not limited to the following: Installing, calibrating, and retrieving data from remote environmental monitoring equipment, including weather stations, water quality sondes, stream gauges, acoustic monitoring devices, remote cameras, and other electronic equipment. Taking samples and/or manual measurement of environmental parameters such as stream flow, collecting water samples, and audibility. Navigating to remote backcountry sites and using GPS and topographic maps to map landscape features and record associated data. Additional duties at the GS-06 and GS-07 levels: Preparing draft figures and reports describing and summarizing weather and hydrology data. Writing detailed draft reports on the methods and operating procedures for the physical science portion of an environmental monitoring program. Additional duties at the GS-07 level: Using computer software to statistically analyze physical science based natural resource monitoring data. Managing natural resource data. Physical Demands: The work is partially sedentary with prolonged standing, walking, and bending often required. Heavy items (e.g., equipment and packs up to 50 pounds) must be lifted and carried on a routine basis. Working Conditions: The work is performed in an office, laboratory, and in the field. Field work includes exposure to extreme weather and terrain conditions, poisonous plants, biting insects, and wild animals. Laboratory work may involve exposure to hazardous chemicals. The position requires extended travel in the backcountry, on and off trail, over rough steep terrain under inclement weather conditions. Government housing is available in Denali Park. It may be available in Seward and Copper Center. It is not available in Juneau and Anchorage. Please visit find a park for additional park information. 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 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. You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle. You may 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, and overtime. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 15 nights per month. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-12/24/2025-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 number of hours worked per week, full-time, or part-time. If you indicate part-time, you MUST indicate the number of hours worked per week so that your qualifying experience can be prorated for credit. To qualify for this position, you must meet the following Selective Factor: This position requires experience installing environmental monitoring instrumentation and data collection equipment. This experience must be described in your resume, or you will be rated ineligible. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position. - AND - In addition, to qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level in Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sector) that is directly related to the position to be filled. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: assisting in physical sciences research or natural resource-based studies; preparing natural resource samples for processing; entering scientific data common to the laboratory environment into a database; and performing similar work in support of laboratory record keeping and document control. You must include hours worked per week in your resume. -OR- EDUCATION: At least four years of education above high school (120 semester hours, 180 quarter hours, or equivalent) leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours, 36 quarter hours, or equivalent, in any combination of courses such as physical science, engineering, or any branch of mathematics, except financial and commercial mathematics. You must include a copy of your transcripts and hours worked per week in your resume. -OR- A COMBINATION OF SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: To combine education and experience, first take the number of credit hours in excess of the first 60 semester hours (or 90 quarter hours) earned towards your degree and divide by 60 semester hours (or 90 quarter hours). Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100% to qualify. You must include a copy of your transcripts and hours worked per week in your resume. To qualify for this position at the GS-06 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sector) that is directly related to the position to be filled. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: participating in physical sciences research or natural resource-based studies; collecting environmental monitoring data such as water quality and quantity, atmospheric chemistry or air quality; and setting up remote environmental monitoring equipment such as weather stations, acoustic monitors, or water-quality sondes. You must include hours worked per week in your resume. To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sector) that is directly related to the position to be filled. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: collecting data and drafting reports for physical sciences research or natural resource-based studies; collecting and analyzing environmental monitoring data such as water quality and quantity, atmospheric chemistry or air quality; and setting-up and managing remote environmental monitoring equipment such as weather stations, acoustic monitors, or water-quality sondes. You must include hours worked per week in your resume. -OR- EDUCATION: One full academic year of graduate level education (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours) from an accredited college or university. Education must be in a course of study that is directly related to this position, such as physics. You must include a copy of your transcripts and hours worked per week in your resume. -OR- A COMBINATION OF SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100% to qualify. You must include a copy of your transcripts and hours worked per week in your resume. Volunteer 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. 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. There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-06 grade level of this announcement. 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. Alaska currently does not have a state income tax. Salary and COLA subject to annual review and adjustment. Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. All travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the sole responsibility of those selected. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. 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 1039 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 1039 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1039 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. A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive. A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another. 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.