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Physical Scientist, ZP-1301-4 (Direct Hire)

Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This is a Direct Hire Public Notice. Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.

Category Rating, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to this Public Notice.

This position is located in National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) with one vacancy in each location: Stennis Space Center, MS and Boulder, CO.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
05/31/2019 to 06/14/2019
Salary
$88,704 to - $148,794 per year
Pay scale & grade
ZP 4
Locations
2 vacancies in the following locations:
Boulder, CO
1 vacancy
Stennis Space Center, MS
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Up to 10% of domestic travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
4
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
NSDIS-NCEI-2019-0019
Control number
535384100

Duties

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As a Physical Scientist in the Data Stewardship Division (DSD), you will perform the following duties:

  • Conduct internal and external training on data stewardship processes; provide coordination and collaboration across the organization; define and communicate internal requirements to facilitate long term planning; interface with external stakeholders to define archive and access requirements for long-term planning, negotiate agreements, and write statements of work.
  • Respond to internal inquires related to data stewardship; use effective written and oral communications to disseminate information related to data stewardship processes and procedures; communicate organization policy and procedures to external stakeholders; and collect feedback from stakeholders to improve internal policies and procedures.
  • Understand, implement, and improve data stewardship systems and processes, including submission agreements, data ingest, metadata creation and management, archive and collection policies, and discovery and access portals.
  • Serve as a lead for environmental data stewardship; develop software packages for improved functionality in a team environment, utilize new technologies and address security concerns; develop innovative software strategies and development to improve processes related to data stewardship, including assessment and archive of environmental data; perform requirements gathering for software development, soliciting and incorporating stakeholder feedback on software design and implementation.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply.
  • Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
  • Must be suitable for Federal employment.
  • Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
  • Time-in-grade/band must be met by closing date of announcement.

** Category Rating, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to this Public Notice.

This position requires a Public Trust Security Clearance.

This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). This system replaced the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band.

The ZP-4 is equivalent to the GS-13/14.  

* A one year probationary period may be required.

* Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.

* This position is not in the bargaining unit.

College Transcript:  If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume.   You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken.

Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work.  An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.

Applicants must meet ALL application requirements, to include a complete online resume, by 11:59 p.m. EASTERN TIME (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards.  This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position requires applicants to meet a Basic Education Requirement. You MUST meet one of the following basic education requirements:

A. Education: Professional Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.

 OR

B. Combination of education and experience: education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service.  Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.  This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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. 

To qualify at the ZP-4 or GS-13 level: 

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-3 or GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

  • Utilizing technical expertise in the coordination, documentation, archiving, and access of environmental data;
  • Conducting project planning and prioritization in collaboration with stakeholders; and
  • Implementing and improving data stewardship software systems and/or processes.

Education

Substitution of education for specialized experience is not applicable to this vacancy.

Additional information

CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have met the minimum qualifications for the position.  Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management’s Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Career Transition Guide.

CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

  1. A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice).
  2. A copy of your SF-50 “Notification of Personnel Action”, noting current position, grade level, and duty location;
  3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:                   

  1. A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; notice of disability annuity termination; certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
  2. A copy of your SF-50 “Notification of Personnel Action” documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc;
  3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

NOAA participates in e-Verify.  E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position.

Veteran’s Preference does not apply to direct hire recruitment procedures.

Any selections made under this notice will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current Federal employees would, therefore, be given new appointments to the civil service.

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