Housing Support: Housing stipend up to $5,000 for the entire Fellowship is authorized based on actual expenses incurred. Fellow will be required to provide documentation to validate reimbursement.
Housing Description: Fellow will be responsible for locating and securing suitable housing.
Valid Driver’s License: Not Required
Position Description: Since the launch of the Service’s electronic permitting system in 2020 (known as ePermits), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff have sought to develop a “Turbo-Tax” / Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style tool, or “Permit Wizard,” to help members of the public determine if they might need a permit for activities involving wildlife using a progression of “yes / no / not sure” questions. With 82 application forms within the ePermits system, it's challenging for a diverse variety of people and businesses to figure out what kind of permit application they might need. Permits help to ensure positive conservation outcomes and compliance with our bedrock conservation laws, including the Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and an international sustainable trade treaty for threatened plants and animals known as CITES. Examples of people, businesses, and organizations that need permits include zoos and aquariums that conserve and transport endangered species, horticultural producers selling protected plant species like orchids and cacti, private landowners seeking to protect threatened species on their property like monarch butterflies, airports that need to remove potentially dangerous bird populations from runways, tribal members who wish to use eagle feathers for religious purposes, and orchestras that travel overseas to perform and have instruments incorporating protected species such as ivory and rosewood.
Tasks, Duties, and Deliverables
- Complete a basic training about a “human-centered design,” a research and product development approach,
- Lead the effort to create a Permit Wizard prototype in collaboration with the ePermits Team,
- Conduct feedback sessions with permit applicants about the prototype,
- Improve the permit wizard until its ready for deployment,
- Create a presentation about lessons learned from your experience, and
- Give your presentation to key audiences, including staff members, senior leaders within the agency, and colleagues at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (part of the White House).
Please know this is a high-profile position. In addition to being discussed in recent Congressional hearings, ePermits was highlighted and provided tasks to achieve in President Biden’s Executive Order on "Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government." Improving our customer experience is paramount, and YOU will play a part in accomplishing this goal! This is a remote position. The multidisciplinary ePermits Team works collaboratively nationwide and has fun doing it!
Minimum Education Level: Open for consideration to undergraduate rising seniors/seniors and graduate students who will not complete their degree requirements before September 22, 2024.
Fields of Study:
- Biological Sciences
- Education/Outreach
- Human Dimensions/Social Sciences/Humanities/Liberal Arts
- Law Enforcement/Criminal Justice
- Communication/Marketing
- Information Technology/Computer Sciences
- Human Centered Design and Psychology
Working Conditions Requirements:
- Must be able to use a computer with ease and use basic software applications.
- Must be able to work with a high level of independence as a remote worker.
Desired Characteristics: While not required, experience with design, software or website development, research, interviews, social science, and customer service will be helpful in this role. An eagerness to collaborate, learn about the fascinating world of conservation permits, and desire to engage with a wide variety of permit applicants and business representatives are also valuable attributes.
