Summary This announcement is for multiple seasonal Biological Science Technician (Plants) positions for Montana Dakotas. This is an open continuous vacancy announcement. Applicants will be referred monthly throughout the announcement period. Final application disposition will be completed once all positions have been filled or the announcement reaches the end of the open period stated in the announcement. See "Additional Information" for information. Responsibilities Performs inventories of public lands to document occurrence and distribution of a variety of plant species. Makes recommendations on plant habitat protection, enhancement, or "critical" habitat designation to supervisor. Assists in performing field studies to document environmental factors affecting plant species and habitat. Duty Enters and retrieves data from automated databases. Photographs and collects plant specimens to facilitate field identification. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. GS-04: You must possess six months of general experience and six months of specialized experience. General experience is any working in professional, technical, or other responsible field that provided a familiarity of soils or techniques of collecting scientific data. Specialized experience must be at or equivalent to the GS-03 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: following specific instructions to check data relating to the survey/study area; assisting in collecting biological samples; or observing and recording specific information (i.e., vegetative cover, water quality samples, flora, or fauna). -OR- Education: Successful completion of two years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least six semester hours of courses must be directly related to the position to be filled. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate undergraduate education. GS-05: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-04 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: include basic plant ID; knowledge of monitoring methodologies; inventorying plant species habitat based on guidelines; taking soil samples by layer; and taking root samples. -OR- Education: Successful completion of a full four-year course of study leading to a Bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least six semester hours of courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate undergraduate education. GS-6: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-05 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: include basic plant ID; experience with monitoring methodologies; surveying, mapping and documenting a variety of plant species and habitat conditions; compiling occurrence and distribution data, cover maps, and herbarium study mounts; and compiling data obtained through soil inventory and assembling data into logical sequence for review. -OR- Education: Successful completion of a full year course of study leading to a Master's degree with major study or at least 18 semester hours in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. Courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education. GS-7: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-06 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: include intermediate plant ID; experience with leading crews of 3-5 people; experience with applying principles, methods or tools for scheduling and coordinating projects and resources; experience with monitoring methodologies; surveying, mapping and documenting a variety of plant species and habitat conditions; compiling occurrence and distribution data, cover maps, and herbarium study mounts; and compiling data obtained through soil inventory and assembling data into logical sequence for review. -OR- Education: Successful completion of a full year course of study leading to a Master's degree with major study or at least 18 semester hours in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. Courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education. 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. You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Physical/Environmental Demands: Work performed in an off ice environment is adequately lighted and ventilated. Much of the time is spent in the field requiring a considerable amount of walking, riding, stooping, bending and lifting with exposure to extremes of heat and cold, rough terrain, insects, wildlife, and other hazards are common. Adherence to all safety procedures is required. Education Applicants may qualify for these positions based on experience, education, or an equivalent combination as described in the Qualifications section of this announcement. Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-7. If using education to qualify, you must submit copies of all transcripts or a list of college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. See Required Documents section for more information. Additional Information This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until May 30, 2025. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be October 15, 2024, 11:59 PM (EST) and then every month, until positions are filled or announcement closes. If the position(s) are no longer needed prior to the closing date, this announcement may be closed early. Eligible applications received prior to each cut-off date will be referred to offices requesting certificates during that period. Applicants will be notified after selections are made so if needed they can update their application for consideration at the next cut-off. Applications are good for 3 months (90 days). In order to remain in consideration, applicants must resubmit their application when it expires. Cut-Off dates will occur every month, 10/15/24, 11/12/24, 12/10/24, 01/14/25, 02/11/25, 03/12/25, 04/15/25, 05/13/25, 06/17/25. There are various locations throughout the Montana/Dakotas Bureau of Land Management offices filling vacancies and if needed, other locations within the Montana/Dakotas State, District or Field offices may be considered based on need and management discretion. DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit E-Verify. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well qualified for the position with a score of 90 or above; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information: CTAP or ICTAP Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee. This position is not eligible for Telework. All positions may not be filled or they may be filled at different times depending on budget, hiring needs, and requirements. These positions are temporary and are expected to last for up to 6 months. These positions have no promotion potential, if you want to be considered for a higher grade you must apply for the higher grade. If selected from this announcement you may be rehired for identical positions without further competition based on work needs, funding, or any other condition of employment. If selected from this or a similar competitive, seasonal announcement, your appointment may be creditable for consideration under PL-114-47, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA)?. The Act allows certain individuals, who have or had time-limited appointments at land management agencies, to compete for any permanent position in the competitive service under "internal" merit promotion procedures. For more information, see the section under Eligibility, which starts with Question #15 (Q15. Who is eligible for appointment under these provisions?).