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Temporary Student Trainee (Hydrology) GS-1399-07/09 (TI-SH)

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This is a temporary position.

In order to be eligible to receive consideration for this position, you must be able to: (1) report to the duty station location listed in this vacancy announcement, if selected; and (2) be available to work the schedule identified.

This position is located in Lakewood, CO and will be for the SUMMER only. Position may be extended up to 1 year.

Salary NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.
GS-07: $21.56 (Step 01) to $28.02 (Step 10)
GS-09: $26.37 (Step 01) to $34.28 (Step 10)

The full performance level of this position will be set at the grade level at which you are selected.

Eligibility Requirements
This position is intended for current students who expect to be enrolled for at least the next year while you complete your degree requirements.

You must meet and maintain the following eligibility requirements throughout the duration of your appointment under the Pathways Internship Program:

  • You must be enrolled in a degree or certificate program on a full- or half-time basis as defined by the school (certificate program means post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of fulltime study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum); AND
  • Enrollment is with a qualifying educational institution such as a high school or state-approved homeschool; or accredited technical or vocational school; a 2- or 4-year college or university; a graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or a post-secondary home school curriculum; AND
  • Students currently enrolled must be in good academic standing maintaining a 2.0 grade point average on a cumulative basis; AND
  • The duties of this position should be related to your academic or career goals.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
03/27/2018 to 04/10/2018
Salary
$21.56 to - $34.28 per hour
Pay scale & grade
GS 07 - 09
Location
Few vacancies in the following location:
Lakewood, CO
FEW vacancies
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Internships - Pathways Temporary Internship Appointment, Not-to-Exceed 3 months
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time - Part-Time during the school year / Full-Time during school breaks
Service
Promotion potential
09
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Announcement number
PATH-2018-0134
Control number
495004600

This job is open to

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Duties

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The USGS National Research Program is seeking graduate level students working towards a degree in hydrology, the physical sciences, geophysics, chemistry, engineering science, soils, mathematics, aquatic biology, atmospheric science, meteorology, geology, oceanography, or the management or conservation of water resources to gain practical experience in hydrologic modeling.

As a Student Trainee (Hydrology) you will serve in a trainee capacity, performing routine and recurring development assignments to acquire knowledge and understanding of functions, principles, practices, and methods used in the area of hydrology.

Duties include:

  • Assisting in the collection, manipulation and analysis of large, national-domain, hydrologic data sets and modeling products.
  • Assists in the development of computer programs to analyze and evaluate large, national-domain, hydrologic data sets and modeling products.
  • Evaluating differences in model performance, including those related to model sensitivity, uncertainty, and calibration in order to develop a comprehensive and scientifically sound hydrologic model evaluation methodology.
  • Contributing to peer-reviewed journal articles, presentations and other communications that document the objective, scope, approach, results, and conclusions of investigations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
  • Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  • The entire period served under the Intern Program counts as a trial period.
  • Housing will not be provided.

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

  • This is a temporary internship to complete project work that’s temporary in nature. The appointment is not-to-exceed 1-year and can be extended without further competition based on the need of the organization for the work to continue and provided the individual continues to meet the eligibility requirements described below.
  • Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
  • If selected, you will be required to provide official transcripts and/or letter from the school stating you are enrolled in a degree/certificateprogram on at least a half time basis in good standing and your expected graduation date.
  • A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.

Qualifications

This internship is geared toward students majoring in one of the following areas of study: hydrology, the physical sciences, geophysics, chemistry, engineering science, soils, mathematics, aquatic biology, atmospheric science, meteorology, geology, oceanography, or the management or conservation of water resources.

For more information on basic qualifications, please click on the following: Hydrologist job series requirements.

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: All applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for the Student Trainee (Hydrology) position at all grade levels:

A.Degree: physical or natural science, or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in any combination of courses in hydrology, the physical sciences, geophysics, chemistry, engineering science, soils, mathematics, aquatic biology, atmospheric science, meteorology, geology, oceanography, or the management or conservation of water resources. The course work must have included at least 6 semester hours in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus), and at least 6 semester hours in physics; OR

B. Combination of education and experience -- course work as shown in "A" above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

GS-07: In addition to the basic education requirement stated above, applicants must meet at least one of the following to qualify for the GS-07 level:

A. One year of appropriate specialized experience that is equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: participating in studies on water resource issues using principles of hydrology, and related physical, chemical, and biological sciences; researching, compiling, and assembling data and information from various databases and sources; developing formal data analysis packages in the R statistical language; programming in R statistical language to develop complex data visualization and multivariate statistics for hydrologic, water chemistry, climate, geospatial and other natural resource data; participating in the preparation or review of scientific or technical reports; OR

B. Successful completion of one year of graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or the equivalent) in hydrology or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position; OR

C. Superior Academic Achievement based on undergraduate study (CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT); OR

D. Equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education and professional experience, as described above (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE).

GS-09: In addition to the basic education requirement stated above, applicants must meet at least one of the following to qualify for the GS-09 level:

A. One year of appropriate specialized experience that is equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service. Examples of qualifying specialized experience includes: applying knowledge of theories, principles, practices, and techniques of geology, hydrology, and/or biology to the interpretation of scientific and technical data; conducting studies on water resource issues using principles of hydrology, and related physical, chemical, and biological sciences; developing formal data analysis packages in the R statistical language; programming in R statistical language to develop complex data visualization and multivariate statistics for hydrologic, water chemistry, climate, geospatial and other natural resource data; reviewing scientific reports for technical accuracy, adherence to policy, organization of material, clarity of expression, and appropriateness to intended audiences; OR

B. Successful completion of 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education (36 semester hours, 54 quarter hours or the equivalent) leading to a master's degree in hydrology or other directly related field of study or master's or equivalent graduate degree in hydrology or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position; OR

C. Equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education and professional experience, as described above (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE).

All applicants must meet qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

  • 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.
  • Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: http://www.usgs.gov/ohr/oars/quals/foreign.html.

Additional information

  • The U.S. Geological Survey has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
  • For additional information on our internal telework policy, please reference the Department of the Interior Telework Handbook at: http://www.usgs.gov/humancapital/pb/telework.html.
  • Students who successfully complete the internship program may be eligible for conversion to a permanent appointment or a term (1-4 years in duration) appointment. Eligibility requirements for conversion: must be a U.S. Citizen; complete at least 640 hours of work experience acquired through the Internship Program (*may waive up to a total of 320 hours under specific conditions); successfully complete your degree or certificate requirements from a qualifying institution; meet the qualification requirements for the position to which you will be converted; meet agency-specific requirements as outlined in the Participant's Agreement; and must have performed successfully in your position as documented through performance evaluations. *NOTE: To learn more about the conditions under which a portion of the work experience hours may be waived, visit http://www.usgs.gov/humancapital/sw/studentinterns.html.
  • Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
  • Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
  • USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
  • The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
  • DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
  • THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

How you will be evaluated

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

Basis of Rating:
You will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. If you meet the basic eligibility and qualification requirements, your on-line responses to the application questions will determine your placement in the appropriate quality group (i.e., Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified). These responses must be substantiated by the resume. Veterans’ preference rules apply.

Vacancy Related Questions: As part of the online application process, you will need to respond to a series of questions designed to assess your knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Information Management, Technology Application, Modeling Knowledge, Compute/Analyze Data, Research/Interpret Regulations and Interpersonal Communication.
To preview questions please click here.

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