Department: Department of Energy
Location(s): Billings, Montana, Fort Peck, Montana, Bismarck, North Dakota, Huron, South Dakota, Watertown, South Dakota
Salary Range: $74678 - $116362 Per Year
Job Summary: This position is part of the WAPA-UGP-Upper Great Plains, Department of Energy. As a Biologist, you will be supporting Regional environmental planning and compliance activities. Preparing, evaluating and conducting biological analyses of WAPA projects to ensure compliance. Identify impacts and take appropriate action to ensure adverse impacts on plant and wildlife resources are either, avoided, minimized or mitigated.
Major Duties:
Qualifications: BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic requirement for the General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences Series 0401: A. Degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. *OR* B. Combination of education and experience--courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above (24 semester hours or the equivalent in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position), plus appropriate experience and/or additional education for a total of 4 years. The education or combined education and experience must be comparable in type, scope and thoroughness to that acquired through successful completion of a 4-year course of study as described in "A" above. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidates application and 2-pg resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: For the GS-11: Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience equivalent to the GS-9 level in 2 of the 4 items listed below. This experience must be clearly documented in your resume: Evaluating biological resources impacts and taking appropriate action for compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Clean Water Act and other environmental laws, regulations, policies, or procedures. Conducting formal and informal consultations for protected species and developing mitigation requirements to resolve agency and public concern. Communicating and coordinating effectively with internal and external customers, other agencies, and the public. Conducting biological resources surveys/monitoring and preparing reports and mitigation plans. For the GS-12: Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in 3 of the 5 items listed below. This experience must be clearly documented in your resume: Evaluating biological resources impacts and taking appropriate action for compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Clean Water Act and other environmental laws, regulations, policies, or procedures. Conducting formal and informal consultations for protected species and negotiating mitigation requirements to resolve agency and public concern. Communicating and coordinating effectively with internal and external customers, other agencies, and the public. Conducting biological resources surveys/monitoring and preparing reports and mitigation plans. Proposing studies to determine populations status, trends, and adaptive management strategies for plants and wildlife. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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. Time-in-Grade: Current career or career-conditional GS employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional GS employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current career or career-conditional federal employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.
How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/. To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation. You must click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date. You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/ If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots if possible, to aid technical support.
Application Deadline: 2026-03-16