Artificial Reef Coordinator (Biologist / Marine Ecologist)
What you'd do
You will serve as a Artificial Reef Coordinator (Biologist / Marine Ecologist) with Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. The Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have unified to become the Marine Minerals Administration which oversees the responsible development of the nation's offshore energy and marine mineral resources.
Major duties
At the full performance level (GS-13) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: 1. Serves as the principal advisor on matters related to artificial reefs, such as Federal and State programs, structure placement, marine conditions, related studies, and national and local issues under the National Fishing Enhancement Act of 1984 (NFEA) and other relevant legislation - particularly the National Artificial Reef Plan (NARP) and State artificial reef programs. 2. Oversees office compliance monitoring and verification of operational reports and industry Post Activity Submittals (PAS), which include the requisite documentation submitted after Outer Continental Shelf operations are completed-either in part or in whole - to verify and record compliance with environmental standards. 3. Identifies specific environmental problems related to artificial reefs and the Rigs-to-Reefs Program that may be addressed through research or study efforts; analyzes the nature of these problems; develops study and/or research protocols to resolve them or to provide an information base for better understanding; and recommends the studies or research for funding approval through the proper processes. 4. Briefs and defends BSEE technical programs, policies, and conclusions to Federal, State, and Local governments, industry leaders, and private groups or individuals as the technical authority on artificial reefs. 5. Serves as the Riggs-to-Reef Program Coordinator, leading BSEE's coordination efforts with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), industry contacts, and the individual State agencies responsible for managing their respective programs. Also serves as BSEE's representative on the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) Artificial Reefs Subcommittee and as lead of BSEE's Artificial Reef Committee.
What you need to qualify
This is an interdisciplinary position that may be filed as: Marine Ecologist, GS-0408 or Biologist, GS-0401 depending on the qualifications of the selected candidate. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet both the (1) basic educational requirements AND (2) the specialized experience requirements for the series to which you are applying. Basic Education Qualifications for GS-0408, ECOLOGY: (1) 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 (transcripts required). Basic Education Qualifications for GS-0401, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES: (A) Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position (transcripts required). OR Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. You must include hours per week on resume and transcripts. In addition to meeting the basic educational requirements above, your resume must clearly reflect ALL of the experience listed below. You must be clear and concise in describing your experience - HR will not make assumptions. (2) Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-13, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent in complexity in difficulty to the GS-12 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1. Independently identifying, analyzing, and resolving complex environmental issues which include evaluating scientific, regulatory, and operational challenges; leading technical analyses; and preparing recommendations. 2. Demonstrating authoritative review of highly technical documentation, confirmation of adherence to environmental standards, identification of discrepancies, and preparation of compliance determinations. 3. Coordinating program activities across Federal, State, and regional partners as the designated technical representative. Experience must reflect leading or facilitating collaboration. 4. Interpreting complex environmental and technical data; providing expert guidance to senior leadership; evaluating proposals; participating in policy development; and offering authoritative advice on ecological, operational, and regulatory aspects of artificial reef management. 5. Presenting complex technical analyses to diverse audiences, responding to scrutiny, facilitating discussions, and representing the organization as the recognized technical authority on artificial reef science, environmental compliance, and/or interagency reef coordination. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 08/19/2026 - unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Time-In-Grade: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower-grade, with few exceptions outlined 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. 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.
Before you apply
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