Caretaker Jobs

About The Position

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment is subject to a background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered for Selective Service.
• Must participate in Direct Deposit and successfully pass E-Verify employment verification.
• Must possess and maintain a valid state driver's license for the duration of the appointment.
• Must wear the Service Uniform in accordance with Service Uniform Policy 041 FW 4; uniform allowance is provided to employees required to wear it.
• Must respond promptly (within 15 minutes) to assigned alarms on evenings and weekends.
• Shift work, emergency overtime, and work outside normal duty hours—including evenings, weekends, and holidays—may be required.
• Must serve a probationary period; continued employment requires written certification that employment should continue.
• Must demonstrate sufficient knowledge and ability to perform Animal Caretaker duties at the WG-5 grade level with no more than normal supervision, including catching and handling fish, scheduled feeding, removing daily mortalities, recognizing obvious behavior changes, and keeping fish records.
• Must describe relevant experience and training in the application; experience must be documented in the resume.
• Must reside within 75 miles of the duty station at the time of application and provide proof of residency.
• Must be able to perform heavy physical work, including frequent lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling up to 50 pounds and occasional lifting of 80–100 pounds; prolonged standing, walking, stooping, bending, and climbing; and sustained exertion.
• Must be able to work around running water, wet or slippery surfaces, varying weather and temperatures, noise, odors, dust, and dirt, and be prepared for potential fish bites and scratches.
• Must follow safety procedures and wear protective clothing and gear, such as coveralls, aprons, rubber clothing, gloves, goggles, ear protectors, safety shoes, and glasses.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the hatchery production cycle, including spawning, egg care, feeding, hatching, fry care, rearing, adult fish release, and harvesting eggs.
• Observe fish and determine appropriate care and feeding based on their condition and behavior.
• Catch and handle fish with nets or by hand; provide scheduled feedings; pick up mortalities daily; recognize obvious changes in fish behavior, such as refusal to feed.
• Maintain records such as fish size, weight, sex, and age.
• Operate electric, gasoline, or diesel-powered forklifts with a rated lifting capacity under 10,000 pounds and lift heights up to 14 feet to load, move, transport, and stack materials.
• Perform general maintenance of buildings, grounds, facilities, and/or fleet using simple hand tools and power equipment.
• Pick up trash, empty trash cans, mow grass, trim shrubs, clear small trees or brush, make minor repairs to traps and fences, and wash or clean vehicles.
• Respond promptly to assigned alarms on evenings and weekends to help ensure specimens remain viable.
• Follow safety procedures and use required safety equipment and protective clothing.

Benefits

• Uniform allowance for employees required to wear the Service Uniform.
• Federal employee benefits package; specific eligibility depends on position type and employment status.