Supervisory Fish Biologist.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); Leavenworth (WA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Leavenworth, WA seeks a supervisory leader to coordinate efforts across agencies, tribes, and partners and to direct hatchery evaluations and conservation projects.

The role includes developing budgets and interagency agreements, guiding habitat restoration, mentoring staff, and shaping policy for restoration, protection, and management of fishery resources and aquatic species of conservation interest.

Qualifications

• Leadership and coordination across agencies and cooperators.
• Experience with hatchery production evaluations and field studies in fishery biology.
• Ability to develop interagency agreements and manage cross-sector projects.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and direction within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and with partners.
• Identify, develop, and implement hatchery and habitat projects and management plans.
• Develop and negotiate interagency agreements and budgets and budget justifications.
• Mentor staff and develop scientific skills across the organization.
• Develop policy and guidance for restoration, protection, and management of fishery resources and aquatic species.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting

Policy development

Stakeholder coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in biological science

Job description

Duties

Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

• Providing leadership, coordination, and direction both within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and with other fishery agencies, tribes, and cooperators.
• Identifying, developing/planning, and implementing hatchery production evaluations, investigative projects, field studies examining fishery and aquatic conservation issues, and sub-basin and basin management plans.
• Developing and negotiating interagency agreements.
• Developing and/or prioritizing budgets, budget justifications, and impact statements.
• Identifying, prioritizing, and implementing habitat restoration projects.
• Supervising and mentoring staff, identifying and developing the scientific skills and abilities of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff.
• Developing policy, guidance, or direction necessary for the restoration, protection, enhancement, management, and harvest of fishery resources and aquatic species of conservation interest.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.

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

This is a supervisory position that may require completion of a supervisory probationary period.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 09/08/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, 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.

-AND-

Minimum Qualification Requirements

To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirement AND Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying.

Basic Educational Requirements

In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following:

• Degree: A degree with a major in biological science that included at least 6 semester hours in aquatic subjects such as limnology, ichthyology, fishery biology, aquatic botany, aquatic fauna, oceanography, fish culture, or related courses in the field of fishery biology; AND at least 12 semester hours in the animal sciences in such subjects as general zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, entomology, parasitology, ecology, cellular biology, genetics, or research in these fields. (Excess course work in aquatic subjects may be used to meet this requirement when appropriate). You must submit transcripts.

-OR-

• Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level

Experience

To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) assisting in the development, implementation, and coordination of field and hatchery data collection for evaluation of hatchery operations and management practices, or fishery and/or habitat and aquatic conservation efforts; 2) preparing budgetary recommendations for equipment, material and personnel required to complete projects related to hatchery and fisheries resources; 3) preparing and delivering oral presentations describing research results at a variety of forums including staff meetings, stakeholder meetings, technical workshops, and professional conferences; 4) preparing responses regarding hatchery, fishery, and/or habitat and aquatic conservation issues to other federal agencies, state agencies, Tribal organizations, and other interested parties to provide requested information within established office guidelines and in conformance with agency and departmental policy; and 5) applying professional knowledge of fish biology principles, theories, and practices to investigate the biology, ecology, and habitat requirements of salmonids and large river fish. NOTE: Your resume must contain sufficient information in these areas to be found qualified. You must include hours per week worked.

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.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

This position has a mandatory education requirement.

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education

To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit:

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Required

Entitlements for payment of basic moving expenses, as required and to the extent allowed by the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) 302-3.101, are authorized for eligible applicants changing duty station when the change meets the distance tests as provided in FTR 302-1.1 and 302-2.6. All moving expenses are taxable. For Optional comment (please select one of the following):

• In addition, relocation discretionary entitlements May be authorized for this position excluding contractor-provided home sale.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case‑by‑case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit:

All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here,

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.

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.

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.