Demo

Fish and Wildlife Biologist

US Department of the Interior
Lafayette, LA Full Time | Part Time
POSTED ON 10/24/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 11/22/2026
You will serve as a Fish and Wildlife Biologist within the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 4, Louisiana Ecological Service Field Office, located in one of the below duty stations:

Lafayette, LA
Lacombe, LA
Bell City, LA

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.

GS-11: $74,678 - $97,087
GS-12: $89,508 - $116,362

Qualifications:All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/05/2026-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:
A. Degree: in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. You must submit transcripts.
-OR-
B. 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-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: (1)Assisting in planning and conducting investigations to assess the impact of land or water development projects on fish and wildlife resources, including data collection and reporting findings; (2) Participating in habitat restoration activities, such as landowner contacts, mapping, surveying, construction monitoring, or seeding, and contributed to management plans for restored areas; (3) Assisting in reviewing project plans or permit applications under federal or state programs, conducting inspections for compliance, and documented findings or recommendations; (4) Drafting technical reports, correspondence, or presentations related to the effects of development projects on fish and wildlife resources, and communicating findings to agency staff or partners; and (5) Working collaboratively with other biologists or staff. 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 in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or closely related field which provided the knowledge skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position. You must include transcripts. -OR-
Combination of education and experience as listed above. To combine education and experience, first determine the total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week and transcripts.


Specialized Experience: To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level:
To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: (1) Conducting complex ecological investigations and analyses to determine the effects of federal land and water development projects on fish and wildlife resources, including preparation of technical reports and recommendations; (2) Leading or coordinating habitat restoration and enhancement projects, including planning, implementation, monitoring, and development of management plans for restored areas, in collaboration with federal, state, tribal, or private partners; (3) Facilitating and negotiating cooperative agreements or mitigation measures with multiple agencies and stakeholders; (4) Reviewing and advising on permit applications and project plans under federal or state programs, conducting compliance inspections; (5) providing technical guidance and training to lower-graded biologists or staff, and (6) communicating complex biological information effectively through written reports, presentations, and interagency forums.

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 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: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualificationsEmployment Type: OTHER

Salary : $74,678 - $97,087

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