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Hydrologist

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This employee supports the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station Grand Rapids Office in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. If selected, you will be responsible for assisting in, conducting, interpreting and reporting hydrologic research in forest ecosystems.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Dr.Randall Kolka at 218-326-7115 or rkolka@fs.fed.us

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/18/2019 to 04/23/2019
Salary
$51,440 to - $62,236 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Grand Rapids, MN
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Overnight travel 2-4 per year to other Forest Service offices, field locations, or to attend training or professional meetings may be expected for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
19-RES-10475957-DP-APL
Control number
530715100

Duties

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  • Duties listed are at the full performance level.
  • Participates in hydrologic investigations and studies focused on physical and chemical components of the hydrologic cycle
  • Conducts data collection, quality assurance/quality control, analysis, and interpretation.
  • Performs design, installation and maintenance of manual and electronic
  • Studies baseline environmental conditions as well as the impact of natural and man-made disturbance on water flows and water quality in forests.
  • Evaluates data to determine hydrologic and water quality characteristics including quantity, quality, and distribution over time and area.
  • Publishes findings into data publications and summaries and contributes to research reports or peer-reviewed journals articles.
  • Manages a research facility, on-site lodging, and collaborator use of facilities and instrumentation.
  • Performs supervisory duties 20% or less of the time.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Required to successfully complete a probationary period.
  • Direct Deposit- Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide university course descriptions as necessary.

Basic Requirement for Hydrology Series (1315):
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. Calculus and physics, as described above, are requirements for all grade levels.
--OR--
Combination of education and experience:
course work as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
Evaluation of Experience: Acceptable experience must have included performance of scientific functions related to the study of water resources, based on and requiring a professional knowledge of related sciences and the consistent application of basic scientific principles to the solution of theoretical and practical hydrologic problems. The following is illustrative of acceptable experience: field or laboratory work that would require application of hydrologic theory and related sciences such as geology, geo-chemistry, geophysics, or civil engineering to making observations, taking samples, operating instruments, assembling data from source materials, analyzing and interpreting data, and reporting findings orally and in writing. In some cases, professional scientific experience that is not clearly water resource experience may be acceptable if such experience was preceded by appropriate education in hydrology or by professional hydrology experience.
Applicants with related experience in hydrology gained through earlier Federal Government employment might have gained that experience in one or more occupational series. Such series include Soil Conservation, GS-457; Forestry, GS-460; Soil Science, GS-470; Civil Engineering, GS-810; Chemistry, GS-1320; Meteorology, GS-1340; and Geology, GS-1350. Comparable non-Federal experience may be given similar credit.

In addition to the Basic Education requirements, the following specialized experience and/or graduate level education are required.

For the GS-9 level:
Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level which includes all of the following:

  • Conducting water resource inventories and preparing the data for application into a land management planning process.
  • Assisting with the assessment of water resource capability and suitability, and identifying goals, issues, and concerns for water resource management.
  • Assisting with preparation of management prescriptions for protecting and/or enhancing water resource
--OR-- a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., directly related to the work of this Hydrologist position;
--OR-- an appropriate combination of specialized experience and education. Only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level.. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work

For the GS-11 level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level equivalent which includes all of the following:
  • Evaluating data quality and assembling databases required to support research studies;
  • Collecting and analyzing hydrologic data using conventional methods and standard software and instrumentation
  • Evaluating hydrologic data, identifying trends and providing oral and written feedback on the results obtained
  • Preparing and implementing water quality monitoring programs, including preparation of plans for protecting and/or enhancing water resources
--OR--3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree with coursework directly related to the work of this Hydrologist position.;
--OR-- an appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above. Only graduate level education in excess of 36 semester hours may be used to qualify for this grade level. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

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.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles must meet the agency's definition for a quality candidate as provided in the How You Will Be Evaluated section of this announcement to be considered.

The USDA Forest Service has legislative authority to recruit and fill Permanent (Career/Career-Conditional), Temporary, and Term Appointments under the USDA Demonstration Project. Under this authority, any U.S. citizen may apply.

How you will be evaluated

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

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

You will be evaluated in accordance with the category rating procedure as defined in the USDA Demonstration Project Plan. Applicants who meet the basic minimum qualification requirements established for the position will be placed in the Eligible category. You will be further evaluated against criteria for placement in the Quality category. This evaluation is based on the level of your experience, education, and/or training as determined by your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire. Individuals with veterans' preference are listed ahead of applicants who do not have veterans' preference within each category.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10475957

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