Biological Science Technician (Plants) (Seasonal)

National Park Service • Grand Canyon, AZ

8h • Hybrid

About The Position

Biological Science Technicians perform field and technical work to monitor, manage, and protect natural resources, including plants, wildlife, aquatic resources, and their habitats. The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period for Seasonal Staffing Office-Intermountain Region is March-November, but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: March - April 2027.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males must meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement.
• Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• Occupancy of government quarters may be required.
• Government housing may be available but is not guaranteed.
• You may be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards.
• Some Park locations may require Pesticide/herbicide applicators license but it is not required by entrance on duty.
• Some Park locations may require that to serve on all-risk teams under the All-Risk Incident Command System for fires, natural disasters, search and rescues, civil disturbance, or special events, large scale commemorations, and ceremonies.
• You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and/or shift work.
• You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle.
• You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license will be required in such cases.
• You must be at least 18 years of age or older to operate government vehicles.
• You may be required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
• You must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.
• All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/13/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.
• Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience.
• To receive credit for experience, your 2 page 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 of qualified specialized experience.
• Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted.
• You may only submit one resume.
• Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes.
• In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.
• SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-08 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). You must include hours per week worked. This experience includes activities such as: Led field crews in habitat restoration tasks (i.e., plant salvage, native seed collection, site preparation, seeding, planting, mulching, irrigating, invasive plant control); Identified native and non-native plant species; Collected and managed field data according to standard protocols; Surveyed, mapped and documented plant populations using GPS handheld devices; and/or Handled and applied herbicides.
• EDUCATION: Successful completion of two full years (36 semester/54 quarter hours) of successfully completed graduate level education or master's degree and the coursework is directly related to the work of the position (such as: biology, botany, range science, forestry, ecology, environmental science, zoology, fisheries, animal husbandry, natural resource management or other directly related fields). You must include a copy of your transcripts with your application.
• COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of graduate level education that is directly related to the position (in excess of 18 semester/27 quarter hours) and specialized experience as described above . For example: 6 months of specialized experience such as above, (50% of the required specialized experience) and 27 semester credits of appropriate graduate study (50% of graduate credits towards 2nd year of graduate school) equal 100 percent.
• The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.
• You must include a copy of your transcripts with your application.
• Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sectors.
• To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking.
• Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.
• If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign education programs and that (1) deemed your education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program, or (2) given full credit for courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Nice To Haves

• Some Park locations may require Pesticide/herbicide applicators license but it is not required by entrance on duty.
• Some Park locations may require that to serve on all-risk teams under the All-Risk Incident Command System for fires, natural disasters, search and rescues, civil disturbance, or special events, large scale commemorations, and ceremonies.

Responsibilities

• Ability to safely lead field crews conducting invasive plant control, habitat restoration, and plant propagation projects using a variety of methods in accessible and remote natural settings.
• Knowledge of safe handling and application of herbicides to target invasive plants.
• Collect, review, and utilize Global Positioning System (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) data.
• Collect, analyze, and summarize data from vegetation surveys.

Benefits

• A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.
• As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.
• Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.
• Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree