The purpose of the position is to perform routine biological science tasks common to the organization. On-the-job training will be provided. Assists higher-level employees with the collection and organization of biological science field data.
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-01/15/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. To be eligible for this Pathways position you must: Be enrolled in a degree seeking program or 1-year certificate program. Be enrolled on one half (½) time basis. Have a minimum 2.0 grade average. Attending an accredited education institution. Provide transcripts with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Be enrolled for the next semester/quarter following the period of this vacancy and provide supporting documentation of such. 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. - AND - To qualify for this position at the GS-03 grade level, you must possess at least one or all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: Have six (6) months of general experience. General Experience is Any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation; Examples of qualifying experience include work in a greenhouse or other controlled environment, assisting with plant surveys; assisting in site restoration work; removing non-native plant species; assisting with identifying and monitoring plant species; etc. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Have successfully completed one (1) year of education above high school in an accredited educational institution (30 semester hour or 45 quarter hours) which included at least six (6) semester hours of scientific or technical courses, such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture or mathematics. You must include transcripts. -OR- COMBINATION: Have a combination of general experience as described above and education as described above which total 100 percent. For example, have 3 months of experience (50% of the experience requirements for this position and grade level) combined with 1/2 year of education as outlined above (50% of the education required to qualify), which included at least 3 semester hours of scientific or technical courses, such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. You must include transcripts. 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.
Some of duties you will perform, include, but not limited to, Performs field tasks (e.g. trapping of small animals, collection of seed, propagation of native plants, controlling of invasive plants, rehabilitation and replanting of trail sides, repair and removal of fence, etc…), associated with the management, protection, restoration, and improvement of park resources. Following accepted procedures, performs routine laboratory operations such as preparation, sorting, and preservation of collected specimens. May perform specialized operations such as identification of plant and animal specimens using keys and applying experimental treatments under controlled conditions. Assists higher-level employee's with the installation, operation, and maintenance of equipment used for sampling, monitoring, trapping, etc. and assists with the repair and maintenance of resource management support facilities. Assists higher-level employees with the development, preparation, set-up and delivery of formal or informal programs related to natural resource management. Preparatory work and subsequent public contact is structured and supervised, with unusual or difficult questions referred to the supervisor. Utilizes a variety of computer programs to maintain field data records; perform data entry, and prepare simple summary reports. Park Information: Indiana Dunes National Park