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Interdisciplinary, GS-1313/1550-13 (SRM-DEU)

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
This job announcement has closed

Summary

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

Salary: $111,286 (Step 01) to $144,676 (Step 10); NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

This is an interdisciplinary position and can be filled as either a Computer Scientist or Geophysicist. 

This position is being advertised concurrently with the following announcement:  Open to current or former Federal employees: SAC-2020-0280.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
05/20/2020 to 06/05/2020
Salary
$111,286 to - $144,676 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
Menlo Park, CA
Few vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Overnight travel of 1-3 nights per month may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
SAC-2020-0281
Control number
568780100

Duties

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The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) serves as a national catalyst for the organization and distribution of biological, hydrological, geological, and geographical information and addresses the specific needs of the Department of the Interior and its land and resource managers.  The USGS is the Nation’s largest water, earth, biological science and civilian mapping agency, working in cooperation with more than 2,000 organizations across the country and with numerous international communities to provide reliable, impartial, scientific information to resource managers, planners, and other customers and partners related to: the health of our ecosystems and environment; natural hazards that threaten us; natural resources we rely on, and; the impact of climate and land-use changes.

The Earthquake Science Center (ESC) of the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program is seeking a software developer with database administration experience, to support our real-time seismic monitoring projects.  This position is being offered in Menlo Park, CA.

Projects within the USGS ESC oversee the operation of the Northern California Seismic Network, the National Strong Motion Network and the associated data acquisition and processing systems as part of the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS). These networks and associated processing systems are designed to ensure reliable recording of earthquakes, compute seismological and engineering parameters for earthquakes within seconds of their occurrence, automatically and accurately deliver that information to the public and emergency response agencies, and to archive data, data products, and metadata for the benefit of the seismological research and engineering communities.

As a Computer Scientist or Geophysicist within the Earthquake Science Center, some of your specific duties will include:

-Develops code related to scientific application programming interfaces and for seismic data acquisition, transformation, and distribution.

-Modifies and maintains existing software to correct coding defects, adapt it to new hardware, interfaces, features, and improve performance.

-Designs, develops, implements, and maintains database management systems and related software for providing data access and exchange according to specification, optimal database structures, high availability, and data integrity.

-Participates in many aspects of the software development lifecycle: requirements generation, design, code, verification and test, maintenance, and support; and overall integration of software modules and other subsystem components, both commercial and custom.

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

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 and 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.
  • 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.
  • MBI security investigation required.

Qualifications

GS-1313-13, Geophysicist

  • For information on basic qualifications, which includes information on whether you may substitute education for specialized experience, please click on the following: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/geophysicist-gs-1313.
  • In addition to the basic education requirements, you must have 1-year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal service.  Examples include: planning, executing and reporting on original or ongoing seismological research requiring a fresh approach to resolve new problems. Acquiring earthquake data and managing datasets and metadata. The complexity of this work typically required extensive modification and adaptation of standard procedures, methods, and techniques, and the development of totally new methods and techniques to address novel or obscure problems for which guidelines or precedents were not substantially applicable. At this level, scientists have extensive knowledge of the principles of geophysics, exhibit a highly developed ability in their application, and have wide latitude for the exercise of independent judgment to perform scientific work of marked difficulty and responsibility.

GS-1550-13, Computer Scientist

  • For information on basic qualifications, which includes information on whether you may substitute education for specialized experience, please click on the following: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/computer-scientist-gs-1550.
  •  In addition to the basic education requirements, you must have 1-year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal service. Examples include: developing software systems using knowledge of techniques, procedures, and processes such as operation system theory, data structures, computer system architecture, software engineering, and computer communications; developing integrated computer systems. The complexity of this work typically required extensive modification and adaptation of standard procedures, methods, and techniques, and the development of totally new methods and techniques to address novel or obscure problems for which guidelines or precedents were not substantially applicable. At this level, computer scientists have wide latitude for the exercise of independent judgment to perform work of marked difficulty and responsibility.

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:  Technology application, Compute/Analyze Data, Scientific Knowledge, Information Management, and Problem Solving.

--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.


To preview questions please click here.

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