Wildlife Inspector - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

All qualifications must be met by the closing date, 08/20/2026, of this announcement - 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 in 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 GS-11: 1. One (1) year of full-time specialized experience comparable to difficulty and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: 1) conducting targeted interdiction and inspection activities to detect noncompliance with U.S. and foreign wildlife laws, treaties, and regulations; 2) identifying wildlife, parts, and products, and referring specimens requiring advanced identification; 3) conducting risk assessments and analyzing trade data and trends to develop criteria for evaluating compliance with permits and regulations; 4) communicating mission objectives through analytical reports; 5) supporting civil and criminal investigations with partner agencies involving illegal wildlife trade and other violations of federal, state, tribal, and international laws. -OR- 2. Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M, in a field of study directly related to the position. You must include transcripts. -OR- 3. Successful completion of a combination of graduate education and specialized experience, as described above, may be used to meet 100 percent of the qualification requirements for this position. Only graduate education beyond the first two (2) years may be combined with specialized experience. To combine graduate education and specialized experience, first take the amount of qualifying graduate education beyond the second year and divide that number of semester hours by 18. Then take the number of full-time months of specialized experience and divide that number by 12. Add the resulting percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include the number of hours worked per week for all experience listed and must submit transcripts to verify qualifying education. Minimum Qualification Requirements GS-12: 1. One (1) year of full-time specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: 1) conducting interdiction and inspection of wildlife shipments at ports of entry, identifying specimens using taxonomic or forensic methods, and documenting findings to support enforcement actions; 2) conducting port-specific risk assessments using analytical tools, intelligence, and trade data to identify trends, establish inspection criteria, and develop cargo and passenger lookouts; 3) supporting investigations by collecting, preserving, and processing evidence under federal standards, examining high-risk shipments across transport modes, and contributing to case development; 4) serving as a technical expert and liaison with domestic and international partners, facilitating information exchange, advising industry entities, participating in special projects, and preparing reports and presentations; 5) developing and delivering training, guidance, and outreach to inspectors, partners, and the public, supporting program improvements, and providing mentorship to strengthen inspection program operations. You must include hours worked per week for all experience listed. NOTE: There is no substitution of education for specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level. 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. Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, dis