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Supervisory Physical Science Technician, GS-1311-12 (SRM-MP)

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 being advertised concurrently with SAC-2020-0226 (DEU/open to non-status applicants).

There is one position and will be filled in either Menlo Park, CA or Pasadena, CA; however, more may be filled from this announcement.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
04/30/2020 to 05/21/2020
Salary
$87,612 to - $121,668 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Locations
Menlo Park, CA
Few vacancies
Pasadena, CA
Few vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Overnight travel of 1-5 nights per month may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
SAC-2020-0225
Control number
566971800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to current or former Federal employees w/perm comp status; OR those eligible under a special or noncomp appointing authority (e.g.,VRA, disabled, Pathways Interns & Recent Grads who are elig for noncomp conversion, etc.); OR current or former employees who are serving, or previously served, on temp or term appt in a land mgmt agency; OR veterans with preference or have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after approx 3yrs or more of continuous active service.

Duties

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As a Supervisory Physical Science Technician within the Earthquake Science Center, this position will oversee the operation of National Strong Motion Network, which installs and operates instrumentation in structures such as buildings, dams, and bridges whose response to strong shaking is of interest to the engineering community and for agencies with a need for rapid situational awareness following a significant earthquake.  Supervises field staff in the Earthquake Monitoring Project who are responsible for the design, test, calibration, installation, operation, and maintenance of sensors, dataloggers, and communications infrastructure.  Manages schedules, directs field operations, troubleshoots station and telemetry issues, and assists with metadata verification and data quality assessment.  Negotiates and administers complex agreements with multiple federal, state, regional, and private organizations for the design, installation, operations and maintenance of structural monitoring systems. Operates a government vehicle as an incidental driver.

This position involves field duties which often include working in isolated remote regions, in high-rise buildings, at large dams, and on elevated bridge structures using heavy electronic and hydraulic equipment in a wide range of weather conditions.  The work may also involve dangerous situations requiring the use of a hoist, elevator basket, or safety harness.

Requirements

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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 probationary 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.
  • You will be required to operate a government-owned or -leased vehicle in the performance of your official duties.  Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements:  (1) possess a valid State license, and (2) possess a safe driving record.  If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid State license & a copy of your driving record.
  • 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.
  • This position requires completion of a one year supervisory/managerial probationary period, if one has not previously been completed.
  • 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 you are a Federal employee applying for a promotion (under merit promotion procedures) you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

  • For information on basic qualifications, which includes information on whether you may substitute education for specialized experience, please click on the following: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-TECH.

    If you are qualifying based on specialized experience, you must meet the requirements listed below:
  • One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service that is in or related to the duties of this position.

    Examples of GS-11 level assignments may include: Independent responsibility for planning and carrying out assignments given in terms of long-range geophysical projects associated with evaluated geophysical data generated during long-term testing to determine the adequacy of the method; resolving problems in the conducting seismic tests that are new or unique; adapting methods; and suggesting procedural modifications to achieve desired goals.

  • 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

  • A recruitment or relocation incentive may be offered.
  • 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.

--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:  Information Management, Interpersonal Communication, Written Communication, Program/Project Management, Leadership & Supervision, Scientific Knowledge, Collect Scientific Data, and Scientific Instrumentation.

--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 are eligible, you will receive a numerical rating based on your on-line responses to the application questions. These responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible.

--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.

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