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Duties
Serves as a Fishery Operations and Restoration Branch Chief within the Science Division of the Bay-Delta Office (BDO), supervising a program of scientific work to determine daily and monthly impacts of the Central Valley Project (CVP) on endangered fish species and other aquatic organisms and to implement activities to mitigate deleterious environmental effects, increase fish populations, and restore damaged and disturbed fish habitat.

• Formulates policies, programs, standards, and procedures related to scientific resources, particularly water quality, fisheries, and aquatic biology.
• Establishes program objectives and defines requirements for scientific resources investigations in relation to the needs of BDO and the Region and is directly responsible for ensuring that the appropriate studies are carried out.
• Oversees complex data gathering and coordination efforts in the areas of water quality and biological resources assessment and correlates efforts with a wide variety of other Federal, State, and local interests.
• Oversees the preparation and review of comments on water quality and biological aspects of technical and management reports dealing with a broad array of resources development and management prepared by numerous other Federal, State, and local agencies, particularly related to the Sacramento, American, and San Joaquin rivers and the Bay-Delta.
• Oversees the preparation of highly technical and programmatic input into complex environmental evaluations, including environmental compliance documents, environmental chapters in planning reports, and related appendices as requested by the BDO and Regional and Area Offices.
• Provides expert testimony at trials and formal hearings as a senior fish biologist representing BDO and the Region. Provides consultation to the BDO Manager, Regional Director, Solicitor's Office, Regional Safety Office, and other program managers.
• Represents BDO and Regional interests in obtaining the widest possible participation and assistance for BDO's and the Region's scientific resources work.
• Relates BDO and Reclamation's priorities and programs to programs being considered or conducted by other agencies, including BDO, Reclamationwide, and regional policies and objectives.
• Allocates work assignments based on priorities, considering the difficulty and requirements of assignments versus the capabilities of the staff. Gives advice, counsel, or instruction to employees on both work and administrative matters.
• Establishes performance standards, accomplishes appraisals, and initiates employee recognition and training actions.
• Ensures equal opportunity for subordinate employees in the selection of participants for training, promotions, awards and recognition, and other career development opportunities.
• Provides mentorship and directs efforts to enhance job performance and career development for section members.

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RequirementsConditions of Employment
You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
You must be suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
You must meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications).
You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements (see Qualifications/Education).
You must maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times as the position requires operation of government vehicles on government and public roads. Failure to maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times will result in removal from the position.
You will be required to complete a Financial Disclosure Form.
Travel is required approximately 10% of the time.
QualificationsTo be eligible for consideration, you must first meet the Basic Education Requirement for this position, having the following -

• Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) 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, or excess course work (beyond the required 6 semester hours) in aquatic subjects.

OR

• Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours), of which a minimum of 6 semester hours were in aquatic subjects and 12 semester hours were in the animal sciences, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

In Addition To Meeting The Basic Requirement Above, To Qualify For This Position You Must Also Meet The Qualification Requirements Listed Below:
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, the HR Office must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - this information must be clearly supported in the resume.
To qualify at the GS-13, you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-12 level in federal service having demonstrated experience performing professional Fishery Biology work in support of complex and difficult restoration programs/projects involving conserving, enhancing and protecting fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitants. Work experience should demonstrate most of the following: project/program development, planning, and budgeting; formulation and execution of comprehensive plans covering natural resource activities; maintaining contact and collaborative working relationships with state, federal, local agencies, and Water Districts in implementing natural resources management projects; providing counsel to higher organizational levels concerning sustainable resource management issues. These examples are not all inclusive.
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.
You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors if applicable, by 07/10/2024.
Education
This position does not allow substituting education for experience.
This position has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. Non-submission will result in being rated not-qualified for the position.
You will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications, if selected. An official transcript must be sent directly from the University's Registrar's office and must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. Academic transcripts certified by notary publics are NOT official. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to reporting to work as a condition of employment. Failure to submit official transcripts may be grounds for dismissal or rescission of the job offer.
Accreditation: Only education from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education is acceptable to meet education requirements or to substitute for experience, if applicable. For additional info, refer to the Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Department of Education.
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 additional info, refer to the U.S. Network for Education Information.
Additional information
You may be required to serve an initial probationary period. Current, permanent Federal employees who are selected from this announcement may be required to serve a probationary period.
You may be required to serve an initial supervisory probation period.
Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.
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: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS) expenses are authorized with the exception of the Guaranteed Home Sale Provision or first-post-of-duty relocation expenses are authorized, as applicable. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law December 2017, suspends the moving expense deduction and the exclusion from income of qualified employer reimbursements of moving expenses that was allowed under previous tax laws. Employer reimbursements for moving costs are now generally taxed at the same rate as ordinary income.
If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a Student Loan Repayment Benefit (SLRB). The decision to offer an SLRB will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information, visit: SLRB Program.
If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may request consideration for a Superior Qualifications Appointment. For information, visit: OPM Fact Sheet.
Related non-Federal experience or related experience as retired members of the uniformed services may be credited towards computing entitlement to leave accrual, at managerial discretion, providing that experience meets certain criteria. This provision allows new employees to earn annual leave at a higher rate than would otherwise be allowed. (5 Code of Federal Regulations, 630). For information, visit: Creditable Service for Annual Leave
DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/
This position is designated as a LOW RISK position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated SF85 Background Investigation (T1 or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment.
Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov
This is a non-bargaining unit position.
Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.
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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.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and the responses you provide to the application questionnaire. The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12429366
You will be assessed on the following Competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Fishery Biology
• Managing Human Resources
• Organizational Awareness
• Project Management
• Reasoning
• Technical Competence

Your answers will be verified against information provided in your resume. Your resume must clearly support the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position. You must make a fair and accurate assessment of your qualifications. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than what is apparent in the description of your experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training (or that your resume/application is incomplete), you could be rated ineligible or your score could be lowered.
Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. You may choose to opt in of having your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate you are on, you will be notified.