Fish Habitat Biologist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

This position is a FISH AND WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST, GS- 0401-11/12 working in Bloomington, Indiana for the R3-Bloomington Ecological Services Field Office.

Pay will vary based on grade level for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.
Salary Range:
GS-11 Step 1: $75,374 - Step 10: $97,991
GS-12 Step 1: $90,341 - Step 10: $117,446

Qualifications:Qualifications:
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 09/01/2026-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.

Basic Education and 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: Possess 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.
- AND -

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level:
A. Experience: 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 conducting investigations to determine the impact of land and water development projects on fish and wildlife resources, under the guidance of a senior biologist. 2) Reviewing and providing input on permit applications (e.g., Section 10 recovery permits, Corps of Engineers, EPA, or state permit programs) related to fish and wildlife resources. 3) Participating in status surveys or field investigations for listed, proposed, or candidate species in coordination with other agency staff or contractors. 4) Assisting in the preparation of biological opinions, species status assessments, environmental assessments, impact statements, or resource planning reports evaluating effects on fish and wildlife resources. 5) Gathering, organizing, and summarizing biological or habitat data to support Section 7 consultation documents or fish and wildlife management plans. You must include hours per week worked. -OR-
B. Education: Successful completion of at least 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent degree -OR- have earned a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or closely related field which provided me with the knowledge skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position.. You must include transcripts. -OR-
C. Combination of education and experience as listed above. You must include hours per week and transcripts.
To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level:
A. Experience: 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) Independently conducting Section 7 consultations under the Endangered Species Act and preparing draft Biological Opinions, including reasonable and prudent measures and conservation recommendations, for supervisory or Regional Director signature. 2) Planning and conducting status surveys for listed and candidate species in cooperation with Federal and state agency personnel, private organizations, or contractors, including negotiating survey agreements with cooperating parties. 3) Serving as technical advisor to other field office staff on the habitat needs of rare, candidate, proposed, and federally listed species, including consultation on Section 7 matters with other Federal agencies and non-Federal representatives or coordination on Section 10 matters with private entities. 4) Planning, conducting, and reviewing ecological evaluations and investigations of complex Federal land and water resource development proposals to determine effects on fish and wildlife resources, with emphasis on listed species habitat, riparian habitat, and wetland ecology. 5) Preparing written reports, correspondence, and recommendations analyzing the impacts of actions or development projects on threatened, endangered, or candidate species and their habitats, for use by Service staff, other agencies, or the public. You must include hours per week worked.

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