Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Research Oceanographer; GS-1360-12 (DEU-TERM-JJ)

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
This job announcement has closed

Summary

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?

Salary: $74,596.00 (Step 01) to $96,978.00 (Step 10); NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01. 

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
06/10/2019 to 06/28/2019
Salary
$82,721 to - $107,542 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
few vacancies in the following location:
Woods Hole, MA
few vacancies
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Average 2 nights per month.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - This is a term appointment not to exceed 13 months with possible extensions up to a total of 4 years without further competition. Appointment to this position will not convey permanent status in the Federal service.
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
RES-2019-0212
Control number
535931300

Duties

Help

As a Research Oceanographer within the Woods Hole Coastal & Marine Science Center, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Serves as a member of the Woods Hole Coastal & Marine Science Center, Sediment Transport Group. This is a multi-disciplinary team of scientist, engineers, and seagoing support personnel working on coastal and estuarine research issues that advance the goals of the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program.
  • Configures and runs numerical simulations using a variety of oceanic, wave and sediment transport models, and develops new techniques and algorithms as needed to advance group research goals.
  • Develops and applies workflows for processing observational and modeled ocean data, including search, access, analysis and visualization, developing new techniques needed to advance group research goals.
  • Works with other group scientists, develops project proposals, publications, and presentations that summarize critical information and products that support group research goals.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
  • Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  • Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year trial period.
  • More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
  • Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
  • Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

  • Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment.  Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Qualifications

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Oceanographer, all grade levels.

A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree with major study of at least 24 semester hours or the equivalent in oceanography or related discipline such as physics, meteorology, geophysics, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, geology, or biology, plus 20 additional semester hours or the equivalent in any combination of oceanography, physics, geophysics, chemistry, mathematics, meteorology, computer science, and engineering sciences. ** OR

B. A combination of education and experience-course work as shown in "A" above (24 semester hours or the equivalent in oceanography or a related discipline as specified in "A" above, plus 20 additional semester hours or the equivalent in any combination of courses as specified in "A" above), plus appropriate experience and/or additional education for a total of 4 years. The education or combined education and experience must be comparable in type, scope and thoroughness to that acquired through successful completion of a 4-year course of study as described in "A" above. (DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE)

NOTE: Applicants who qualify on the basis of major study in biology or geology must have had at least 6 semester hours in the major directly concerned with marine science or 6 semester hours in oceanography; applicants who qualify on the basis of other physical sciences or engineering must have had differential and integral calculus and at last 6 semester hours in physics. 

GS-12

In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet the following to qualify for the GS-12 level: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, -OR - One year of appropriate professional experience that is in or directly related to the duties of the position to be filled is qualifying if it is equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, - OR- a combination of Education and Experience.

Examples of such specialized experience could include experience in any of the following fields: coastal oceanography, morphology, sediment transport, and related processes; graduate- level work or the equivalent field work and laboratory research integrating field observations of oceanography and morphology into numerical models to solve research and applied problems involving (1) making vulnerability assessments associated with coastal change forecasts, (2) evaluating the accuracy of storm vulnerability assessments, (3) making probabilistic updates of coastal change forecasts that using a combination of new data and models to automate the forecast system and (4) conducting detailed research to better understand beach processes during storms for the purpose of improving predictions. Working within broadly defined research scope and objectives; independently define specific problems and methods used in model development; and simulation, integration, assimilation, and analysis that may require innovative and complex approaches. Research contributions could include senior author of at least one scientific research publication in a peer-reviewed research journal and presentation at regional meetings of professional societies.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position 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: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .

Additional information

  • Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.

  • 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: Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are Best Qualified and Qualified. If you meet the basic qualification and eligibility requirements of this position, you will be contacted via email after the vacancy announcement closes and given (INSERT # DAYS (5-10) HERE) calendar days to submit narrative responses that address the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required to perform the duties of this position. You will be rated and ranked based on the information you provide in your resume as well as the responses you submit to the required KSAs. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied. The knowledge, skills, and abilities required for this position are as follows:
1.  Interpersonal Communication 
2.  Scientific Instrumentation 
3.  Scientific Knowledge
4.  Teamwork
5.  Information Management 
6.  Technology Application 
7.  Technical Reports
8.  Modeling Knowledge



--NOTE: If it is determined that you have rated yourself higher than is supported in your description of experience and/or education as described in your resume/application, or that your resume or application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible, not qualified, or your score may be lowered.


To preview questions please click here.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.