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Supv. Operations Research Analyst/Physical Scientist/Social Scientist/Biologist, GS-14 (BC-DE)

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
This job announcement has closed

Summary

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

This position is also advertised to USGS employees under:  SAC-2020-0162.

Advertisement closing date extended to 04/10/20.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
03/09/2020 to 04/10/2020
Salary
$107,807 to - $157,709 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Lakewood, CO
Reston, VA
Middleton, WI
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - Moderate overnight travel is required averaging up to 5 days per month
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
SAC-2020-0170
Control number
562111800

Duties

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As the Deputy Director of Integrated Information Dissemination Division (IIDD), Office of the Chief Operating Officer within the Water Mission area, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Serves as the deputy senior scientist and manager of the Integrated Information Dissemination Division (IIDD) with responsibility for oversight and leadership to best provide for the priority needs of the Water Mission Area.
  • Modernize existing Water Mission Area (WMS) web content, develop new intelligent applications for mining WMA data and content, and develop novel decision support systems for aiding in emergency response and water resource management.
  • Establishes and maintains contact with senior officials and technical leaders in the in the Water Mission Area (WMA), the USGS, and other federal, state, tribal, local and non-governmental agencies to provide counsel on a wide range of information services and dissemination activities and to promotes IIDD services.
  • Assists the Division Director to formulate policies of operation to support the needs of the WMA, the USGS and other federal, state, tribal and local agencies by developing plans and programs to serve their need for web and other information products.   
  • As a supervisor, plans the work of the group, established work standards, provides job priorities, ensures timely performance and reviews and evaluates performance.  Ensures equal employment opportunity and on-the-job safety.
  • Ensures excellence in strategic and operational management of the Branch, including funding and finances, equipment, facilities and that projects are aligned with Bureau Fundamental Science.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
  • More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
  • 1 year supervisory probationary period is required.
  • Applicants must be U.S. citizens
  • Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.

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

  • This is an interdisciplinary position advertised under 4 possible occupational series. To be minimally qualified, you must meet: 1) the one year of specialized experience requirement defined below; and 2) the basic requirements of at least one of the four occupational series to qualify.

Specialized Experience requirement:   In addition to the basic education requirements stated under the occupational series that you are applying for, applicants for all job series (Operations Research, Social Scientist and Physical Scientist) must have one year of appropriate professional experience that is in or directly related to the duties of the position to be filled, is equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service, and has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.  Examples of such experience may include:  1) experience evaluating the Nation’s future need and priority for water information content; products and tools; data analysis tools; and decision support systems; 2) experience  developing plans and programs to serve stakeholder needs for web and other information products, and 3) experience with research and development of new and advanced types of data analysis tools and decision support systems. 

Basic Requirement for Occupational Series:

For Biologist: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Biologist, all grade levels.

A. Degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. *OR*

B. Combination of education and experience--courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above (24 semester hours or the equivalent in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position), 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.

For Physical Scientist: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Physical Scientist, 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 in physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. **OR

B. A combination of education and experience--education equivalent to one of the majors shown in "A" above (24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science, engineering, or mathematics) that included at least 24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science and/or related engineering science as described 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.

For Operations Research Analyst: Applicants must meet the educational requirement below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Operations Research Analyst, all grade levels.

Degree in operations research or at least 24 semester hours in a combination of operations research, mathematics, probability, statistics, mathematical logic, science, or subject-matter courses requiring substantial competence in college-level mathematics or statistics. At least 3 of the 24 semester hours must have been in calculus. The primary requirement of operations research work is competence in the rigorous methods of scientific inquiry and analysis rather than in the subject matter of the problem. Therefore, applicants should have sufficient knowledge of applied mathematics to understand and use the fundamental concepts and techniques of operations research methods of analysis. In addition, some positions may require knowledge of a specific subject area.

Courses acceptable for qualifying for operations research positions may have been taken in departments other than Operations Research, e.g., Engineering (usually Industrial Engineering), Science, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, or Management Science.

The following are illustrative of acceptable courses: optimization; mathematical modeling; queueing theory; engineering; physics (except descriptive or survey courses); econometrics; psychometrics; biometrics; experimental psychology; physical chemistry; industrial process analysis; managerial economics; computer science; measurement for management; mathematical models in social phenomena; and courses that involved application of operations research techniques and methodologies to problems of management, marketing, systems design, and other specialized fields; or other comparable quantitative analysis courses for which college-level mathematics or statistics is a prerequisite. Courses in theory of probability and statistics are highly desirable, but are not specified as minimum educational requirements because to do so would possibly exclude some applicants who would otherwise be well qualified.

For Social Scientist:   Applicants must meet A, B or C below to satisfy the basic requirement for Social Scientist, all grade levels.

A.  Degree: behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position;

B.  Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field; OR

C.  Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

  • 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

  • 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.
  • 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.

--Vacancy Related Questions: As part of the online application process, you will need to respond to a series of questions designed to assess your possession of the following knowledge skills, abilities and/or competencies:  Leadership & Supervision, Program/Project Management, Teamwork and General Abilities and Knowledge.

--Basis of rating: Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are Best Qualified, Well Qualified, and Qualified. You will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. If you are eligible, your on-line responses to the application questions will determine your placement in the appropriate quality category described above. Your responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

--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.


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