Job Description

Summary

Experience Your America and build a fulfilling career by joining the National Park Service (NPS) as we prepare for a second century of Stewardship and Engagement. Become a part of our mission to connect with our past and create important connections to the future by building a rich and lasting legacy for the next generation of park visitors, supporters and advocates. To find out more about the National Park Service visit:

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Duties

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This position is located within the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Alaska Region, Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve, Copper Center, Alaska.

At the full performance level (GS-12) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

• Lead and develop a terrestrial wildlife management program including large mammals and birds in northern ecosystems in Alaska.
• Independently execute and lead complex field biology and ecology studies and protocols in remote Alaska ecosystems.
• Produce written peer-reviewed monitoring protocols and journal publications.
• Deliver oral presentations for scientific audiences and the public.
• Conduct data analyses and synthesis of ecological data using contemporary methods and modelling approaches.
• Oversee junior staff conducting technical field studies and data analyses.

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Requirements

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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 submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.

• This position is subject to drug testing based on the collateral duty requiring firearms in the back-country or other locations for non-law enforcement reasons such as protection from animals.

• 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 work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home a total of three to four weeks per year. Travel will be for meetings and fieldwork.
• You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit .

• Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
• Eligible for conversion to competitive service after two years and upon meeting all requirements.

*Additional Requirements located under qualifications*

Qualifications

Requirements Continued...

• Prior to conversion to competitive service, incumbent must meet the following education requirements:
  • Education: Degree: 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-
• • 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 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This trial 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 trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement 08/13/2026 unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Special knowledge or expertise concerning the park's or preserve's natural and/or cultural resources and the management thereof is required. Local knowledge of the resources and the typical conditions that affect the work to be accomplished will be applied in the performance of duties.

-AND-

To be eligible your application package must clearly show periods of time having lived or worked in or near the area of consideration. The area of consideration can be found in the below paragraph:

Areas considered "near" Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve are Chisana, Chistochina, Chitina, Copper Center, Dot Lake, Gakona, Gakona Junction, Glennallen, Gulkana, Healy Lake, Kenny Lake, Long Lake, Lower & Upper Tonsina, McCarthy, Mendeltna, Mentasta Lake, Nabesna, Nelchina, Northway/Northway Village, Northway Junction, Slana, Tanacross, Tazlina, Tetlin, Tok, Tonsina and Yakutat.

-ALSO-

The following are the competencies identified for this position. Applicants are not required to address these competencies in a separate document but are encouraged to include in their resumes experience related to these competencies:

1. Planning and Evaluating - Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.
2. Wildlife Biology - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of wildlife, including classification, taxonomy, population dynamics, distribution, habitat requirements, life histories, reproduction, behaviors, conservation, and care of wildlife.
3. Ecology - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of the interrelationships among organisms and their environment, including competition and predation, evolution and natural selection, population dynamics, and the impact of natural phenomena or human actions on natural systems, processes, and biota.
4. Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
5. Research - Knowledge of the scientific principles, methods, and processes used to conduct a systematic and objective inquiry; including study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; and the reporting of results.

Education

There is no substitution of education for the required special knowledge or expertise concerning the park's or preserve's natural and/or cultural resources and the management thereof as outlined in this announcement. However, prior to conversion to competitive service you will be required to meet the education requirements outlined in the Requirements section.

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.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

This is an excepted service appointment, that confers competitive status after two years and upon meeting all performance and OPM qualification requirements.

Alaska currently does not have a state income tax.

The duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

Physical Demands: The position may require strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activities will occur in physically dangerous areas or settings. Documentary research and report writing work is sedentary, which entails the ability to concentrate and write for long periods of time.

Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather. Assignments may be performed in potentially hazardous areas including steep slopes, rocky terrain, volcanoes, caves, fire lines, arctic environments, swamps, deserts, and forests. Flying in fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters is possible.

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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

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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.

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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.

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