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ASTRONOMER

Department of the Navy
United States Fleet Forces Command
This job announcement has closed

Summary

You will serve as an Astronomer in the Astronomical Applications Department, Nautical Almanac Office, of NAVOBSERV, Washington, DC.

Pay range GS-11: $72,030-$93,638
Pay range GS-12: $86,335-112,240

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
07/17/2020 to 07/27/2020
Salary
$72,030 to - $112,240 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Location
Washington, DC
Few vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position. (Less than 10%)
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
No
Announcement number
DE-10859318-20-DMM
Control number
573609400

Duties

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  • You will participate in the production of all annual astronomical and navigational almanac publications for the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO), including web-based material.
  • You will take responsibility for various almanac publications to include the complete cycle of production from initial background research, computation and verification of data, production of camera-ready copy.
  • You will take responsibility in the preparation of data for distribution, and submission and documentation of production files in the almanac archive.
  • You will conduct research for purposes of improving and updating the astronomical and navigational data within the almanacs.
  • You will implement new data, new theories, and/or new algorithms into almanac production software, as well as, verify changes made are correct.
  • You will participate in cross-departmental projects such as developing or testing new almanac-related software applications, preparation of new web data services, and/or developing new information distribution methods.
  • You will provide expert technical assistance to users of USNO's almanac products.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
  • Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
  • New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
  • Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • You may be required to obtain and maintain a Security+ certification.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final Secret security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain a Government Issued U.S. Passport.
  • This position may require evening and weekend work.
  • If selected below the full performance level, you may be noncompetitively promoted to the next higher grade level after meeting all requirements, and upon the recommendation of management. Promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.regulatory
  • This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.

Qualifications

In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position:

GS-12
Your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Utilizing practical astronomy (e.g. time scales, reference and coordinate systems, computation of astronomical phenomena, solar system dynamics/ephemerides, and/or celestial navigation, etc.) at a physical/mathematical/algorithmic level.
  • Ability to design, implement, and code complex astronomical and/or celestial navigation algorithms and numerical methods into software programs.
  • Ability to perform and present astronomical research.
  • Skill in writing astronomical and/or technical documents.
  • Skill in utilizing typesetting/publishing tools such as TeX/LaTeX, World Wide Web languages (HTML, PHP) and/or Adobe products.

GS-11
Your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
  • Utilizing practical astronomy (e.g. times scales, reference and coordinate systems, astronomical phenomena, and/or solar system dynamics/ephemerides, etc.).
  • Ability to utilize and modify astronomical software programs written in a modern programming language, such as C, Python, and/or Fortran.
  • Skill in utilizing typesetting/publishing tools such as TeX/LaTeX, World Wide Web languages (HTML, PHP) and/or Adobe products.
  • Skill in writing or contributing to scientific and/or technical publications.
OR

For the GS-11 position you may substitute the following education for experience provided it is directly related to the position:
3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree
Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PROF

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1300/astronomy-and-space-science-series-1330

Education

Applicants must meet the following Basic Requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual: Applicants must possess

  1. Degree: in one or a combination of astronomy, physics, mathematics, space science, or electronics. The course work must have included differential and integral calculus and 12 semester hours in astronomy and/or physics.
or
  1. Combination of education and experience -- at least 30 semester hours of courses equivalent to a major in any combination of astronomy, space science, physics, mathematics, and electronics, with required course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Additional information

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

If you are unable to apply online and request information about the Alternate Application process, please contact the Department of Navy's Employment Information Center.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf

ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category or higher. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/ictap/

How you will be evaluated

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

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.

When the application process is complete, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and responses to the Occupational Questionnaire, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies:

  • ASTRONOMY AND SPACE
  • CUSTOMER SERVICE
  • ORAL COMMUNICATION
  • RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
  • WRITTEN COMMUNICATION


You will be evaluated and rated under Category Rating selection procedures. Additional points are not added for veterans' preference; however, preference is still applied. Applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans.

If you meet the qualification requirements, your application will be placed in one of three categories:

Best Qualified - Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for announced position.
Highly Qualified - Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for announced position.
Qualified - Candidates in this category meet the minimum experience requirements for announced position.

If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities or you may be found ineligible/not qualified.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

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