FUL-Biological Science Technician

Department of Interior; Arcata, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

The Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office of the U.S. Department of the Interior is seeking a FUL-Biological Science Technician to support fish and aquatic habitat surveys in Arcata or Yreka, California.

The role emphasizes field data collection, data entry, and coordination with partners to document fish distributions and habitat conditions. This position is eligible for Field Unit Local Hiring and requires residency within 50 miles of duty location.

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience at GS-04 level or equivalent.
• Experience in fish/aquatic surveys and data handling.
• Ability to use databases and reporting systems for data storage and analysis.
• Education options include a 4-year degree with related coursework; transcripts required.

Skills

Fish surveys

Data collection

Data management

Data entry

Technical equipment

GPS & field tools

Team coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree with 24 semester hours in biology or related fields

Tools

Water quality sampling

MS Excel/ databases

GPS units

Microscopes

Job description

You will serve as a FUL-Biological Science Technician working for the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office in Arcata, California or Yreka, California.
This vacancy uses the Field Unit Local Hiring (FUL) Authority. Applicants must reside within 50 miles of the duty location.

Pay will vary based on grade level and/or duty location for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/24/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. All candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements.

To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Minimum Qualifications

GS-05

To qualify for the GS-05, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

• 1. Conducting surveys of fish/aquatic species and their habitat
• 2. Assisting in the collection, recording and summarizing of data collected during fish and aquatic surveys
• 3) Using a variety of databases and reporting systems to store, compile, and analyze data from fish and aquatic studies.

If qualifying on experience for the GS-05 grade level, you MUST meet 2 of the 3 Specialized Experience statements above. NOTE: Your resume must contain sufficient information in these areas to be found qualified.

-OR- Education: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses have been directly related to the position to be filled. NOTE: To qualify under this option you must submit transcripts to verify your education

-OR- Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience as described above which together equals 100% of the requirement; including at least 6-semester hours of coursework directly related to the position being filled (Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours may be used in this calculation).

GS-06

To qualify for the GS-06, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

• 1. Experience using water quality sampling and survey equipment to conduct field surveys to investigate distributions of fish and their habitats
• 2. Collecting, recording and summarizing data collected during fish and aquatic surveys and entering it into a computer based data entry system
• 3. Identifying fish
• 4. Utilizing technical equipment such as GPS Units, microscopes, tag detection equipment, data loggers, and electronic data collectors.

To qualify for the GS-06 grade level, you MUST meet 3 of the 4 Specialized Experience statements above. NOTE: Your resume must contain sufficient information in these areas to be found qualified.

-OR- Education: Successfully completed (1) full year of graduate level education (18 semester/27 quarter hours or the school's equivalent) in an accredited college or university of that included courses directly related to the occupation. NOTE: To qualify under this option you must submit transcripts to verify your education

-OR- Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience as described above which together equals 100% of the requirement; including at least 6-semester hours of coursework directly related to the position being filled (Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours may be used in this calculation).

GS-07

To qualify for the GS-07, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

• 1. Experience in leading field crews conducting field surveys to investigate distributions of fish and their habitats.
• 2. Collecting, recording and summarizing data collected during fish and aquatic surveys and entering it into a computer based data entry system and drafting reports
• 3. Communicating (written or verbal) with internal and external partners the outcomes and results of field studies
• 4. Identifying fish
• 5. Utilizing technical equipment such as GPS Units, microscopes, tag detection equipment, data loggers, and electronic data collectors.

If qualifying on experience for the GS-07 grade level, you MUST meet all of the Specialized Experience statements listed above. NOTE: Your resume must contain sufficient information in these areas to be found qualified.

-OR- Education: Successfully completed (1) full year of graduate level education (18 semester/27 quarter hours or the school's equivalent) in an accredited college or university of that included courses directly related to the occupation. NOTE: To qualify under this option you must submit transcripts to verify your education

-OR- Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience as described above which together equals 100% of the requirement.

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.