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Physicist (Recent Graduate)

Department of the Army
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/U. S. Army Forces Strategic Command
This job announcement has closed

Summary

About the Position: Serve as the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command's (USASMDC & ARSTRAT's) Physicist (Recent Graduate). 

The city of Huntsville is nestled between the edge of the Appalachian Mountains in north Alabama and the Tennessee River.  The Huntsville area has one of the largest research parks in the U.S.  It is also home to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, championship golf courses, museums, professional theater, symphony, and sport franchises.

Position(s) will be filled under the Department of the Army Recent Graduates Program.  Click herefor more information on Pathways program participation.  After Program completion, Department of the Army Recent Graduates MAY be converted to a permanent position or to a term position (a project-based term of employment lasting between one and four years).

To be eligible for conversion to a permanent or term position, Recent Graduates must:

  • Successfully completed at least 1-year of continuous service in addition to all requirements of the Program.
    • EXCEPTION:  Positions in the Instructional Systems (GS-1750) series, Operations Research (GS-1515) series,  Accounting and Budget (GS-05XX) series, and all occupations covered by the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) require a 24-month appointment period in order to complete the training and/or certification requirements specific to each occupation prior to conversion.
  • Demonstrate successful job performance.
  • Meet the Office of Personnel Management's qualifications for the position to which the Recent Graduate will be converted

To learn more, please visit the Office of Personnel Management webpage, Hiring Authorities: Students & Recent Graduates.

Who May Apply:

Positions are open to:

  • Recent graduates who have completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution.  Students may apply within nine months of meeting their education requirements.
  • Preference eligible veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation begin their two-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty.  Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years after degree or certificate completion.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
07/17/2017 to 07/28/2017
Salary
$50,958 to - $96,072 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 09
Location
3 vacancies in the following location:
Redstone Arsenal, AL
03 vacancies
Travel Required
Occasional travel - This position requires up to 15% temporary duty travel which may include overnight stays away from the permanent duty station.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full Time
Service
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Announcement number
SCBK179944371987547RG
Control number
474540800

This job is open to

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Duties

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At the full performance level of the target conversion position (GS-12), you will:

  • Serves as a Physicist responsible for performing professional work in the field of photonics, optics, electro-optics, and lasers.
  • Designs, tests, and evaluates unique systems and components for such applications in photonics, optics, and lasers.
  • Conducts information gathering and analyses to identify and define technical problem areas and to generate possible solutions.
  • Prepares technical plans and specifications for development of new electro-optical and laser systems, components, or techniques required to meet Army needs.


After program completion, Department of the Army Pathways Recent Graduates MAY be converted to a permanent or term appointment without further competition.
This position is being filled at the GS-09 level with potential conversion to a position with a full performance level at GS-12.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Other Requirements: Click here for expanded definitions.

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • Two year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Direct Deposit of Pay is Required.
  • Recent Graduates must sign a Participant Agreement with the Agency.
  • This is a Career Program (CP) 16 Position

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

  • This position requires Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) level II certification in the SPRDE-Science Technology Manager acquisition career field within two (2) years of entry on duty into this position. 
  • This position requires a Secret Clearance.
  • This position requires up to 15% temporary duty travel which may include overnight stays away from the permanent duty station.
  • This position requires a valid state issued Driver License to drive a motor vehicle in activities such as inspections of installed equipment and visits to field locations.
Students may apply within nine (3) months of meeting their educational requirements.  If you will be graduating in 10/2017, you will be required to submit a final copy of your official transcripts prior to entrance on duty.

Qualifications

Basic Education Requirement:

This position has a positive education requirement. To view the education requirements for the Physicist (Recent Graduate) position (GS-1310 Series) go to View Assessment Questions.

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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Specialized Experience:

To qualify at the GS-09 grade level: Example:  You may qualify based on specialized experience, education OR a combination of education and experience.  To qualify based on experience, you must possess one year of specialized experience at the GS-07 level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service doing the following duties with performing professional work in the field of photonics, optics, electro-optics, and lasers; experience and skills in scientific design and development to improve or create new measurement methods and techniques involving electrical, electronic, electromagnetic, physical, dimensional, mechanical, thermodynamic, optical, electro-optical, and ionizing radiation measurement parameters.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency (knowledge, skills, abilities) in the following areas:

  • Knowledge of laser performance standards, systems, laser propagation theory and technicians
  • Skills to use physics and engineering methods to resolve identified issues
  • Ability to Communicate Orally

Education

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you may qualify if your education meets the definitions below:


Education Substitution for the GS-09:
2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.  (Note:  You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

If using education to qualify for this position you will need to submit a copy of your unofficial/official transcripts. Failure to provide this documentation will result in objection to your qualifications, and removal from consideration.  You will be required to submit your official college transcript if you are selected.

The graduation education is in one or a combination of the following fields is required: the courses must have included a fundamental course in general physics and, in addition, courses in any two of the following: electricity and magnetism, heat, light, mechanics, modern physics, and sound. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute education for experience. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Education websites at - http://www.opm.gov/qualifications and http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html 

Foreign education must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency in order to be considered for this position. Please include this information in your resume.

Transcripts: You MUST submit your unofficial college/university transcripts with your application to include transfer courses, credit hours and grades to calculate GPA, along with your graduation date.

Additional information

  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • You may claim military spouse preference, see the information in the Military Spouse Preference Under Delegated Examining Procedures information sheet.
  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • Two year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Direct Deposit of pay is required.
  • Recent Graduates must sign a Participant Agreement with the Agency.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Further certification from this announcement may take place up to 90 days beyond the closing date of this announcement.

  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • The state of Alabama is a tax advantage state and does not tax federal retirement benefits.
  • Noncompetitive promotion potential to target grade.
  • This position is being filled at equivalent grade level GS-09. 
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The ideal candidate for this position is a graduate with a degree in physics and, in addition, courses in any two of the following: electricity and magnetism, heat, light, mechanics, modern physics, and sound.

 

Your application package (resume, transcripts, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be reviewed to verify that you meet the basic eligibility and qualification requirements. Your responses to the questionnaire will be used to evaluate your relevant personal, educational, and work experiences. Only the most recently submitted resume will be considered.

 

It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual.  Information about an individual's employment experience will be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities.  Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination.

 

Basis for Rating: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of three quality categories: Ideal, Strong and Eligible. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category.

  • Ideal Candidate: This category will be used for those candidates who meet the definition of an ideal candidate as described above. Criteria include related major, grade point average, related coursework, participation in national professional human resources associations, and related academic, paid, or volunteer experiences.
  • Strong Candidate: This category will be used for those candidates who meet many of the criteria described above for the ideal candidate.
  • Eligible Candidate: This category will be used for those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications of the position.

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