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Biological Scientist
Quality Assurance Inspector
GS-0401-07/09 PSE 13/13
See OPM guidelines for wage information:
Pacific Northwest Research
Station
Resource Monitoring and
Assessment Program
Anchorage, Alaska
Please reply by October 26, 2015
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The PNW Research Station, Anchorage Forestry
Sciences Lab, anticipates
filling 1-3 Quality Assurance Inspector positions with the Forest
Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program.
PLEASE NOTE: The purpose of this Outreach Notice is to
determine the potential applicant pool for this position and to establish the
appropriate recruitment method and area of consideration for the
advertisement. Responses received from
this outreach notice will be used to make this determination.
The vacancy announcement for this position,
when open, will be posted at the USA Jobs website, the U.S. Government’s
official site for jobs and employment information: http://www.usajobs.opm.gov
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About
the position(s):
We are preparing to fill up to 3
positions at the Pacific Northwest Research Station’s Anchorage Forestry
Sciences Laboratory (AFSL) located in Anchorage, Alaska. The Quality Assurance
Inspector positions are career ladder with the full performance level at a
GS-09.
These positions are with the Data
Collection Team of the PNW Research Station’s Resource Monitoring and
Assessment (RMA) Program, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) unit. This FIA
unit is part of a nationwide program which collects, processes, analyzes,
evaluates, and publishes comprehensive information on forest and other related
renewable resources in Alaska, Hawaii, and US affiliated Pacific Islands.
Quality Assurance Inspectors report
directly to the field coordinator and are responsible for training and feedback
to crews, field data accuracy, consistency and standardization, and correcting
errors. These positions are also responsible for leading crews of two to four
people collecting field data for annual inventory and forest health
monitoring. Quality Assurance Inspectors
share duties as helicopter managers and will receive training leading to
helicopter manager certification.
Positions with FIA in Alaska are
adventurous, challenging, and rewarding.
The terrain traversed flying, hiking, and working can be immensely
spectacular, but it can also be very physically and mentally challenging. Physical fitness and flexibility to changing
situations are key qualities for success.
These permanent seasonal positions are
13/13, meaning that a minimum of 13 two-week pay periods of work per year
(about six months) are guaranteed.
Additional work may be possible. The Alaska field season usually lasts 8
to 9 pay periods, so the guaranteed 13 pay periods of work generally includes
an assignment with FIA crews in coastal or interior Alaska, Hawaii, US
Affiliated Pacific Islands, California, Oregon, or Washington. Appointees may
be offered the opportunity to work longer depending on workload and funding.
A majority of the duties will be
devoted to data collection operations of which, about four to five months will
be spent in the field. Crews of two to
four people will collect field data for inventory and forest health
monitoring. Duties include photo
interpretation, locating inventory plots, and measuring various tree and site
information. Measurements taken by crews
include: tree/sapling/seedling data (species, diameter, height, defect, insect
& disease, damage, etc); understory vegetation (shrub, herb, grass species
and percent cover, etc.); down woody material (line transects, litter depth,
and fuels measurement, etc.); and site index and site attributes (site tree selection,
slope, aspect, topographic position, distance to water, etc.). Crews use
portable, handheld computers to collect data in the field and then process the
data later using laptop computers to address any inconsistencies or
errors. Duties also include daily
documentation, downloading, and editing of field data. The Alaska field season lasts from May
through early or mid-August.
Work Environment: Alaska provides a wide diversity of
ecological communities, which include coastal Sitka spruce and hemlock rain
forests, interior mixed spruce and birch boreal forests, and expansive black
spruce bogs. Extensive areas of alpine tundra, shrub land, high peaks, and
glaciers occupy the non-forest areas. Work conditions in these areas are often
arduous. Work may be performed in inclement weather (cold, rain, snow), on
steep, slippery, and/or brushy slopes, and in the presence of biting insects. A
significant amount of off-trail hiking is required. Employees must carry a 45lb
pack daily; with pack weights occasionally exceeding 55lbs. Excellent physical
conditioning is absolutely essential. Alaska crews are required to travel in
small aircrafts, helicopters, and boats. Employees carry a firearm for bear
protection and, consequentially, are subject to a federal background
investigations and pre-hire and random drug testing. Living quarters on the
research vessel are extremely cramped, background noise (from generators) is
constant, and motion sickness is a problem for some employees. Although
attempts are made to honor special dietary requirements, all food is prepared
by a contracted cook when working off boats.
Anchorage is
nestled between the Chugach Mountains and the upper shores of Cook Inlet in the
heart of Alaska’s Southcentral Gulf Coast. It is central to many recreational
opportunities and offers many cultural activities from a performing arts center
to outdoor music festivals. With a diverse population of about 300,000,
Anchorage offers most of the amenities found in much larger cities (Museum of
History and Art, Performing Arts Center, Native Heritage Center, shopping
centers, and several large hospitals). The city trail system offers ample recreation
opportunities and a sense of wilderness within the city. There are over 120
miles of groomed X-country ski/hiking/biking trails (30 miles lighted), over 70
ball fields, 5 golf courses, and numerous small parks and playgrounds.
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For
more information:
If you would like additional information about
duties and work conditions of this position, or have questions, please contact Dan
Irvine at danielirvine@fs.fed.us or at 907-748-2096.
If you are interested in this position with the Pacific Northwest Research
Station, please send the attached response form and a resume (optional) to
express your interest by October 26th,
2015 to Dan Irvine at danielirvine@fs.fed.us, and you will be notified when the
position is advertised. To apply for this position, you must apply when vacancy
announcements are posted on www.usajobs.opm.gov.
You
may also send in the attached response for by regular mail to:
Dan
Irvine
Coastal
Alaska Coordinator
Anchorage
Forestry Sciences Lab
161
East 1st St., Door 8
Anchorage,
AK 99501
This is a
pre-announcement only. When the position
is advertised, the announcement will be posted on the USA Jobs web site: www.usajobs.gov. The announcement will contain all of the
information you need to apply for the position.
To
be considered, applicants must be U.S. citizens.
The purpose of this
Outreach Notice is to determine the potential applicant pool for this position
and to establish an appropriate recruitment method and area of consideration
for the vacancy announcement
(Region-wide, Service-wide, USDA-wide, Government-wide, and/or
DEMO). Responses received from this
outreach notice will be relied upon to make these determinations.
The U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and
activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and
where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status,
religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal,
or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public
assistance program. (Not all prohibited
bases apply to all programs.) Persons
with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program
information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s
TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write
USDA, Director, Office of civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382
(TDD).
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