Student Services Contract – Biological Science Technician

Job Announcement

Student Services Contract – Biological Science Technician

Agency

United States Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Duty Station Location

Fort Collins Science Center

2150 Centre Ave Bldg C

Fort Collins, CO 80526

Contract Dates Approx. 15 APR 2024 through 14 APR 2026

Submit resume and attachments in a single pdf to [email protected] by 26 FEB 2024

Introduction

The Invasive Species Branch of the USGS Fort Collins Science Center includes research focused on invasive species distributions and impacts, including methodological research, modeling non-native species current and potential distribution, abundance, phenology, and invasion pathways and developing communication and delivery tools.

Types of Service Required

The student contractor(s) shall assist on projects related to predicting the distribution and abundance of species, mostly focusing on invasive plants. Projects involve tasks related to development and delivery of science products via web applications. Additional tasks include fitting models following established protocols, producing science products from these, and supporting research to improve the protocol and supporting other invasive (and occasionally native) species research projects as needed. The work schedule will generally be 40 hours per week, but part-time may be considered. Flexible scheduling is possible.

Required Expertise/Skills

Completion of a Bachelor’s degree in a related field is required (biological sciences, natural resources, statistics, or computer science) for one position; for another completion of a Bachelor’s degree with one or more years of graduate education in a related field is required (biological sciences, natural resources, statistics, or computer science). Computer work is required. Candidate shall have experience with using Geographical Information Systems for managing and summarizing spatial data. Applicant must be a U.S. citizen.

Desired (but not required): Expertise programming in R, including strong data management, analysis, and visualization skills. Expertise in building, testing, and maintaining R Shiny web applications. Expertise extracting information from large spatiotemporal datasets using repeatable code, including working with remotely sensed imagery. Familiarity with species distribution modeling.  

Description of Working Conditions 

Work will be performed at the Fort Collins Science Center in an office with part-time telework.

Compensation

Compensation is commensurate with the level of education and experience and is based on federal pricing tables for student contractor services.

Application Requirements

Resume should include: legal name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, education – including description of relevant classes, work or volunteer experience in related field. Other documentation: Transcript listing courses taken and the student’s overall GPA. Transcript does not have to be the official version. Student must be enrolled at least part-time in school or have graduated within the last 12 months. 

Special Terms

For all legal purposes, student is regarded as an independent contractor. Payments for services are reportable and taxable as earned income. No Federal, State, or Local income taxes will be deducted. No social security or Medicare taxes will be deducted. Student is responsible for payment of all taxes as a result of income received under this order.  The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will report the total amount paid under this order to the Internal Revenue Service on a Standard form 1099. The student is not considered an employee and will not receive a W-2 form. For payment, student must have a checking or savings account at a financial institution that will accept direct deposits.

Student will be required to complete computer security awareness training and comply with the USGS Computer and Network Security Handbook. 

The USGS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Selection for this position will be based solely on merit, fitness, and qualifications without regard to race, sex, color, religion, age, marital status, national origin, non-disqualifying handicap conditions, sexual orientation, or any other non-merit factors. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities.

Contact Information

The work will be overseen by Catherine Jarnevich. For questions, contact Catherine Jarnevich at [email protected]. 

Posted 9Feb2024