Ecologist

About the position

The Ecologist position at the National Park Service in Bend, OR, is a temporary term role focused on vegetation restoration and monitoring projects. The role involves managing complex datasets, coordinating project objectives, and providing expert advice to natural resource managers. The position requires strong communication skills to summarize technical data for various audiences and involves both fieldwork and office-based tasks.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct vegetation restoration and monitoring projects using established ecological approaches.
• Manage and analyze complex vegetation datasets to evaluate conditions and collaborate with other scientists in project reporting.
• Coordinate project objectives, including developing scopes of work for agreements and contracts, scheduling field crew work, and directing vegetation treatment actions.
• Facilitate team communication among employees, supervisors, and resource managers.
• Develop and implement budgets to support project goals.
• Plan employee work assignments, monitor progress, and evaluate performance.
• Provide expert advice to natural resource managers and collaborative science partners, including reviewing project proposals and developing vegetation restoration plans.
• Summarize complex technical data and findings for presentations, publications, newsletters, and informal project updates.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Successful completion of a degree in biology or a related field with at least 30 semester hours in biological sciences, including 9 hours in ecology and 12 hours in physical and mathematical sciences.
• At least one year of specialized experience comparable to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, involving restoration ecology and project management.
• Knowledge of western sagebrush steppe ecology is beneficial.
• Ability to design field studies and conduct monitoring to assess natural and cultural resources.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with local, state, and federal partners in conservation efforts.
• Familiarity with wildfire prevention and mitigation actions within native vegetation communities.

Benefits

• Access to a comprehensive benefits package as a federal employee.
• Eligibility for various federal benefits depending on the position type.