Wildlife Refuge Manager

Summary

You will serve as a Wildlife Refuge Managerwith US Fish and Wildlife Service. This position is located in the Northern Great Plains Wetland Management District Complex. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Duties

• Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Formulate, develop, and implement long-range plans, strategies, and Refuge policy associated with all operations, fiscal requirements, personnel and property management. Supervise a multifaceted team of professional, technical, analytical, and administrative support staff and create an environment to encourage cooperation, collective problem solving and participative decision making. Oversees and administers Refuge and Wetland Management District interests in land acquisition (including fee title, conservation easement, leases, cooperative agreements. Ensures the development and administration of active stewardship of natural resources beyond the boundaries of the Refuges and Wetland Management Districts to improve, enhance, and protect trust resources over a large geographic area. Plans land acquisition activities and issues in coordination with realty specialists and landowners. Provides feedback to direct reports and opportunities to learn through formal and informal methods.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/18/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirement AND Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying. Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: A. Degree: Have a degree in zoology, wildlife management, or an appropriate field of biology that included at least 9 semester hours in zoology; 6 semester hours in such wildlife courses as mammalogy, ornithology, animal ecology, or wildlife management; and 3 semester hours in botany, and 3 semester hours in conservation biology.. You must submit transcripts. -OR- B. Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Specialized Experience: To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) overseeing wildlife biology, habitat management, land management, or natural resource conservation programs; 2) directing natural resource, refuge, park, conservation, or public land management operations; 3) supervising staff conducting habitat conservation, maintenance, or public use programs; and 4) coordinating with Federal, State, Tribal, local, or private stakeholders to achieve natural resources management, land conservation, environmental stewardship, or public use objectives. You must include hours per week worked. 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.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience. This position has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications