Biologist Trainee Jobs (NOW HIRING)

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Capital Region, Antietam National Battlefield, located in SHARPSBURG,MARYLAND.

Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work from approximately late January - December, and you will be in a non-pay status first three weeks of January.

Qualifications:

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/14/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience.

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: This position has basic requirements required by the Office of Personnel Management. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position. It is recommended to upload any and all transcripts you have to justify this requirement (under grad, grad, etc). Applicants must meet one of the following before the close of the announcement:
EDUCATION: Successfully completed a bachelor's or higher in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
COMBINATION: A combination of education and experience in courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. You must include hours per week worked. You must include transcripts.
AND
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
EXPERIENCE: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level, or higher, in the Federal service. Specialized experience demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully perform the duties of a Biologist. Examples of specialized experience include: working with threatened and endangered plant species of the eastern United States and implementing actions to conserve their habitat; planning and managing biological science technicians, interns, and cooperators in invasive plant removal, ecological restoration as well as planning and implementing vegetation monitoring protocols; collecting field data or natural resources inventory of a park or monitoring program; disseminating information about natural resources to park staff, visitors, and the scientific community; or assisting with developing, testing and implementing scientific monitoring protocols to identify and evaluate long-term monitoring of natural resources. Experience equivalent to the GS-05 may be professional work at the developmental or trainee level. Lower graded technician/assistant work alone at the GS-05 grade level is not qualifying for this series. You must include hours per week worked and GS level for federal positions.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successfully completed one year of progressively higher-level graduate education from an accredited educational institution concentrated in a field that is directly related to the work of the position to be filled, such as in ecology, biology, botany, natural resource management; or other directly related subject matter. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester (27 quarter) hours should be considered an academic year of graduate study. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. You must provide transcripts that demonstrate graduate level coursework. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
S.A.A.: Requirements for Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.). I have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and meet the requirements for S.A.A. based on (1) I am in the upper third of my graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision based on completed courses; OR (2) I have a GPA 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum, or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (B+ or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in my major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; OR (3) I am a member in one of the national scholastic honor societies. Degree must be in a field that is directly related to the work of this position, such as in ecology, biology, botany, natural resource management, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. You must provide transcripts.

-OR-
COMBINATION: Equivalent combination of direct related graduate level education and specialized experience. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience. For example, I have six months of the specialized experience (50% of the experience requirement), and 9 semester hours or 14 quarter hours of appropriate directly related graduate education (50 percent of the education requirement). The total percentage must equal at least 100%.

Time in Grade: Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b).
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.

Requirements Continued...
Probationary Period: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
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.

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. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualificationEmployment Type: OTHER