Physical Science Technician

Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

• Works in collaboration with fishery biologists and biological technicians in planning preparing and participating in sea lamprey control efforts in the Lake Champlain Basin.
• Maintaining the specialized equipment instruments and gear used to conduct lampricide treatments.
• Preparing for lampricide treatments through management of chemical inventory safety assurance and pre-treatment water chemistry analyses.
• Applying lampricides in multiple formulations as a certified pesticide applicator in the states of New York and Vermont.
• Monitoring chemical treatments through physical water chemistry analyses (pH DO conductivity alkalinity) bioassay tests physical analyses including spectrophotometry chromatography measurement of stream discharge and collection of biological specimens as indicators.
• Using software packages (AGOL ArcPro MSAccess MSExcel) to manage record and summarize and extract technical data.

• Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born aftermust be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more visit possess and maintain a valid drivers license throughout employment.
• You are required to obtain and maintain a Motorboat Operator Certification Course (MOCC) within 6 months.
• Must possess and maintain a Certified Pesticide Applicator License within 6 months.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.

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 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 individuals employment should continue and that their appointment should be 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 - 08/20/2026-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:

To qualify for this position at the GS-08 grade level:

Experience: To qualify you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: (1) performing technical support in a team setting and leading others in dynamic field efforts to control aquatic invasive species (i.e. sea lampreys) through the use of aquatic pesticides (i.e. lampricides); (2) performing collection of primary field data for pesticide applications; (3) identifying and setting up complex equipment used at application sites; (4) measuring and documenting chemical and physical parameters of a stream throughout the duration of pesticide applications; and (5) calculating monitoring and adjusting proper concentrations of applied pesticides. You must include hours per week worked.