Wildlife Refuge Specialist.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); Huron (SD); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) seeks a qualified professional to assist in wildlife conservation, habitat management, and environmental compliance at a Refuge. You will help develop management plans, reports, and NEPA documents, while coordinating facilities maintenance and program activities.

Occasional travel and uniform requirements apply. The role emphasizes collaboration with senior management, adherence to federal procedures, and the ability to work in both office and field

Qualifications

• Basic Educational Requirement including zoology or wildlife biology with required coursework.
• Specialized Experience: planning, coordinating, or implementing wildlife conservation, habitat management, or natural resource management decisions.
• Education options include master’s or PhD substitutions with transcripts required.

Responsibilities

• Assist with long-range plans, annual work plans, budgets and schedules.
• Prepare administrative and narrative reports for wildlife programs.
• Contribute to NEPA documentation and environmental compliance efforts.
• Support outreach and educational program design for the community.
• Travel as needed (up to 10 nights per month) for field and facility operations.

Skills

Analytical skills

Report writing

Coordination

Education

Degree in zoology / wildlife management

4-6 years combined education/experience options

Job description

Duties

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

• Utilizing engineering and construction techniques as applied to Refuge/WMD infrastructure, training and operation of heavy equipment, reporting requirements
• Assisting Wildlife Refuge Manager and other senior management in the development of long-range plans, annual work plans, budgets and work schedules.
• Preparing administrative reports, annual narrative reports, and other documents associated with wildlife management and administrative programs.
• Participating in the design of outreach and educational programs for the community.
• Participating in the development of required National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation (or portions thereof) including Environmental Assessments (EAs), Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7 consultations, archeological clearances, and similar actions.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 10 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.

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.
• You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 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 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 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.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/03/2026-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.

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: zoology, wildlife management, or an appropriate field of biology that included at least nine (9) semester hours in zoology; six (6) semester hours in such wildlife courses as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, or wildlife management; and three (3) semester hours in botany, and three (3) semester hours in conservation biology. You must submit transcripts.

-OR-

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

Specialized Experience

To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level:

To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: assisting with the planning, coordination, or implementation of wildlife conservation, habitat management, or natural resource management decisions; assisting with the development of management plans, project reports, or environmental compliance documents; and assisting with the coordination of facilities maintenance, equipment, or other operational activities associated with wildlife refuges or natural resource management areas. You must include hours per week worked. -OR-

Education

Successful completion of at least 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. You must include transcripts.

-OR-

Combination

of education and experience as listed above.

Specialized Experience

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level:

To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: planning, coordinating, or implementing wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, or natural resource management projects and activities; evaluating biological or environmental data to develop recommendations for wildlife and habitat management; preparing or contributing to resource management plans, environmental assessments, or other environmental compliance documents; and participating in the planning, budgeting, or coordination or facilities maintenance, equipment, and operational resources to support wildlife refuge or natural resource management programs. You must include hours per week worked. -OR-

Education

Successful completion of at least 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. You must include transcripts.

-OR-

Combination

of education and experience as listed above.

Volunteer Experience

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 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.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests

If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the

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,

Physical Demands

The work requires some physical exertion such as walking over wet, rough, uneven, or marshy surfaces; bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, or similar activities; and recurring lifting of moderately heavy items weighing up to 50 pounds. Work requires above average agility and dexterity.

Working Environment

The work is performed both in an office and outdoors. The office is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. You may be subject to large numbers of biting insects and may be required to work in close proximity to large animals. Frequent travel by various means of surface and air transportation is required to attend meetings and to conduct field work.

The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

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.