Job Description
Summary
This is a temporary seasonal position not to exceed 1560 hours worked in a service year with Yukon-Charley Rivers and Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in the Integrated Resources Management Division.
This is also an open continuous announcement with an established initial cut-off date of February 27, 2026.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by the first cut-off date. Please see
Next Steps for additional information.
Learn more about this agency Duties Help
NOTE: OPM has identified this position as eligible for an exception to the typical 1039-hour season. This exception allows up to 1560 hours which may extend the season(s) reflected in this announcement. See the Additional Information section for details.
As a Biological Science Technician (Wildlife) for Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve & Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, this position involves research, conservation, and management of wildlife; the control of wildlife; or the determination, establishment, and application of the biological facts, principles, methods, techniques, and procedures necessary for the conservation, management, and control of wildlife. This position will:
- Assist professional staff in implementing wildlife inventory and monitoring programs for a variety of possible species including seabirds, water birds, passerine birds, amphibians, small mammals, ungulates, bears, raptors, etc. in the front country and the remote backcountry areas of Alaskan National Parks.
- Assist in planning, logistical arrangements, field work, data entry and result summarization. This includes monitoring, collecting, and organizing field data and ecological impacts at backcountry campsites and other sites and develop field reports and providing recommendations for management.
- Use computer software applications (e.g., Microsoft Access, Excel, Word, ArcGIS, Pathfinder Office, etc.) to store, retrieve, manage and analyze data, generate maps, and assist with creating reports and recommendations for natural resources projects.
- Live in primitive, remote backcountry camps in remote portions of the park for up to four weeks at a time, collecting natural resource data. Work includes field surveys to document and assess animal presence, abundance, reproduction, management issues, and population dynamics in various areas of the park using established protocols and standard equipment (including GPS).
- This position requires safely hiking long distances through mountainous terrain (on and off trail) in adverse weather conditions with a heavy backpack; work and communicate closely with team members on extended field trips; and navigate to plots off trail over rugged terrain, snowfields, dense vegetation, and streams.
- Work may be performed in areas frequented by bears. Training on how to handle bear encounters will be given.
Government housing is not available in Fairbanks. Anticipated season beginning and ending dates: April through October
Requirements Help
Conditions of employment - U.S. Citizenship required.
- Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
- Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
- Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
- This position is subject to drug testing based on the collateral duty requiring firearms in the back-country or other locations for non-law enforcement reasons such as protection from animals.
- You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. Important: Please, do not provide a copy of your driver's license at this time. If selected for a position, you will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record.
- You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
- You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 4 weeks per month in the backcountry.
- You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
- Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-04/01/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.
Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a
non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying 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 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.
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.
To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. This experience includes activities such as assisting professional staff in implementing wildlife inventory and monitoring programs for songbirds, raptors, small mammals, mammals, vegetation, and other taxa; assisting with other natural resource monitoring projects; maintaining and repairing field equipment; preparing for field trips; compiling data; and generating maps.
Your resume must include hours worked per week -OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study in a related field of scientific or technical study, such as in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, mathematics, or other directly related subject matter; or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those shown above. At least 6 semester hours must be directly related to the position, such as avian ecology, ornithology, wildlife management, wildlife biology, etc.
You must include transcripts. -OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours, in excess of the first 60 semester hours earned towards your degree, and divide by 60. Take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12. Add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent.
You must include transcripts, and your resume must include hours worked per week. When describing the nature of your duties (e.g., your paid or unpaid work or volunteer experience), please be extremely clear, thorough, and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Make sure your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications and answers to the job questionnaire.
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 To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.
Additional information A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.
This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
Physical Demands: The work is partially sedentary with prolonged standing, walking, and bending often required. Heavy items (e.g., packs and equipment up to 50 pounds) must be lifted and carried on a routine basis.
Working Conditions: The work is performed in an office, laboratory, and in the field. Field work includes exposure to extreme weather conditions and terrain, pesticides, poisonous plants, biting insects, and wild animals. Laboratory work may involve exposure to hazardous chemicals.
The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
Alaska currently does not have a state income tax
In the event of an accident while traveling in a government aircraft, the payable benefits of a private life insurance policy may be affected.
Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1040 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS).
If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1040 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1039 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility.
The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1039 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1039 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM.
NOTE: In support of Executive Order (EO) 14189 "Celebrating America's 250th Birthday" and EO 14314 "Making America Beautiful Again by Improving our National Parks," the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has approved an exception to the 1039-hour time limitation for this position. This approval extends the time limitation up to 1560 hours for this temporary seasonal appointment.
Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations. Expand Hide additional information
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.
Benefits Help
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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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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.
Job Tags
Full time, Temporary work, Part time, Seasonal work, Live in, Work at office, Long distance, Shift work, Night shift, Weekend work, Afternoon shift