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Ecologist

$74,678

Grand Lake, ColoradoFull-timePosted Oct 19, 2026

Against the United States typical range

Job description

You will serve as a Ecologist in the Resource Stewardship Division. 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 for approximately 11 1/2 months and you will be in a non-pay status during the first 2 weeks of February.

Serve as project manager for stream and wetland restoration projects that incorporate ecological and hydrological knowledge of stream and wetland ecosystems. Work collaboratively with external partners and NPS colleagues on project fundraising, community outreach, technical design, environmental compliance, implementation, and monitoring.

Coordinate and conduct environmental monitoring, communicate results to a variety of audiences, and apply results to decision-making in an adaptive management framework. Supervise temporary employees and volunteers ( Assist on other natural resource project needs, including air and water quality, vegetation, and wildlife.

Area Information: Established on January 29, 1915, Rocky Mountain National Park is a living showcase of the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. The park embraces 415 square miles of pristine, uninhabited mountains in north-central Colorado and, as such, is one of the most spectacular, yet easily accessible high mountain areas in North America.

With elevations ranging from 7,800 feet at park headquarters to 14,259 feet at the summit of Longs Peak, the park has glacier-sculptured valleys, rugged gorges, alpine lakes, and vast areas of alpine tundra. Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved continuous road in the United States, stays above tree line for 11 miles and reaches 12,183 feet in elevation.

Elk, deer, bighorn sheep, moose, coyotes, and smaller animals are found throughout the park, as well as threatened and endangered species, such as the Greenback Cutthroat Trout and Boreal Toad. Due to the park's easy accessibility to the Front Range communities of Colorado, Rocky experiences over 4 million visitors annually.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/02/2026-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 Requirement Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in biology or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences.

These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences. You must submit ALL college transcripts used to meet this requirement.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience must have equipped you with the knowledge, skills and ability to successfully perform the duties of this position.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include duties involved in designing and implementing terrestrial, wetland, or aquatic scientific monitoring programs through data collection, analysis, and reporting; working on preparation of vegetation management resource action plans and strategies needed to successfully manage and protect natural ecosystems and environmental conditions; analyzing ecosystem components and processes within a diversity of natural communities to determine the effects of management activities; assisting in developing and implementing mitigation solutions, such as wetland and stream restoration, to actions resulting from adverse effects on natural resources.

Y ou must provide hours/week on your resume. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in an accredited educational institution concentrated in a field that is directly related to the work of this position, such as in ecology, restoration ecology, rangeland/forest ecology, wildlife ecology, aquatic/water science, physical sciences, 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 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. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level can be combined with the appropriate level of experience to qualify applicants for positions at the GS-11. For example, I have six months of the specialized experience (50% of the experience requirement) and 44 semester hours or 66 quarter hours of appropriate directly related graduate education (50% of the education requirement).

You must provide transcripts. Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, Ameri. Corps) 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.

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-qualifications

Description copied from National Park Service's careers page. Read the full posting before you apply.

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