Requirements Continued... As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a one-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/06/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. 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 of qualified specialized experience. To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: BASIC REQUIREMENTS GENERAL NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND BIOLOGICAL SERIES 0401: Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. or Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education BASIC REQUIRMENTS ECOLOGY SERIES 0408: Degree: biology, or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences. BASIC REQUIREMENTS GENERAL PHYSICAL SCIENCE SERIES 1301: Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. or Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. IN ADDITION TO BASIC QUALIFICATION, YOU MUST MEET EXPERIENCE. EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience for this position includes: (1) Experience with interrelationships of hydrology, wildlife ecology, vegetation, ecology, marine ecology, or aquatic ecology as related to water management resources protection project planning and implementation. (2) Experience with determining the specific impacts of water management activities on natural marsh and estuarine ecosystems and detailed familiarity with modeling and other types of analyses used to evaluate large-scale water management projects and ecosystem responses. (3) Mastery of and skill in applying hydrologic analysis, methods, and techniques in watershed-scale project planning and implementation processes, sufficient to analyze and interpret and anticipate outcomes in the context of ecology and resource management. (4) Demonstrated mastery of technical aspects of project evaluation including interpretation of project impacts within environmental science related disciplines (ex. Ecology or hydrology) and business management skills (ex. cost and non-financial based analysis). (5) Mastery of technical analysis including using multivariant approaches and state-of-the art environmental models to prepare and interpret findings and to develop positions. (6) Extensive experience as a leader of project planning and project management teams including scoping, feasibility studies, budgeting, scheduling, and the administration of contracts or cooperative agreements. You must include hours per week worked. You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". Experience listed as full-time will be credited at 40 hours per week. 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.