Wildlife Refuge Specialist

You will serve as a Wildlife Refuge Specialistwith US Fish and Wildlife Service. This position is located within the Arthur R Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Oversee day-to-day refuge operations, including coordination of maintenance activities, fleet and supply requests (GPC), equipment/facility support, ensuring safe and efficient delivery of services. Prepare, issue, and monitor special use permits.

Ensure permit compliance and renewal tracking. Lead or support NEPA documentation (EAs), ESA Section 7 consultations, and clearances. Ensure refuge activities meet national, regional, and NWRS standards. Represent the refuge in regional coordination, working with Federal, state, Tribal, and NGO partners. Support public use programs (wildlife-dependent recreation, educational, interpretive efforts).

Develop, negotiate, and manage MOUs, interagency agreements, and contracts related to habitat work, facility repair, and biological studies. May serve as COR Plan and implement habitat management (invasive species control, water management), wildlife surveys, biological monitoring, impounded wetland water levels. Collect data, prepare refuge reports, and support communications/publications.

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 Education Requirement: Possess a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited college or university in zoology, wildlife management, or an appropriate field of biology that included at least 9 semester hours in zoology; 6 semester hours in such wildlife courses as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, or wildlife management; 3 semester hours in botany; and 3 semester hours in conservation biology, OR Possess a combination of education from an accredited college or university and specialized experience - courses equivalent to a major in one of the fields described in A above that included at least 9 semester hours in zoology; 6 semester hours in wildlife courses such as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, or wildlife management; 3 semester hours in botany; and 3 semester hours in conservation biology plus appropriate experience or additional education, OR Previously occupied a position in the GS-0485 series prior to December 3, 2010, and met the basic education requirement of the previous qualification standard.

Previous standard: bachelor's or higher degree with major in zoology, wildlife management, or an appropriate field of biology, that includes 9 semester hours in zoology; 6 semester hours in wildlife; and 9 semester hours in botany. You must submit a copy of your SF-50 (Personnel Action), dated prior to Dec 3, 2010, showing that you held a position in the GS-0485 series.

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) coordinating day to day refuge operations; 2. Planning/conducting/overseeing habitat and natural resource management activities; 3. Preparing/contributing to environmental compliance and planning documents; 4. Preparing and administering Special Use Permits; 5. Developing, administering, or overseeing cooperative agreements, MOUs, contracts, or project scopes. 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. (Degree must reflect the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.) You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience as listed above. 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