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Student Trainee (Hydrology)

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
This job announcement has closed

Summary

General Information In order to be eligible to receive consideration for this position, you must be able to: (1) report to the duty station location listed in this vacancy announcement, if selected; and (2) be available to work the schedule identified.

GS-05 Salary: $35,265 (Step 01) to $45,847 (Step 10);
GS-07 Salary: $43,683 (Step 01) to $56,790 (Step 10);

NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/02/2021 to 03/08/2021
Salary
$35,265 to - $56,790 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 7
Location
Salt Lake City, UT
Few vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel 2 nights a month for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Internships
Work schedule
Multiple Schedules
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
USGS-PATH-21-11030692-CI-MA
Control number
593864400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to all qualified students who are U.S. citizens and meet the eligibility requirements for the Pathways Internship Program as described below.

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Duties

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The USGS Utah Water Science Center is seeking undergraduate, graduate level student working towards a degree in Hydrology to gain practical experience inconducting hydrologic studies.

As a Student Trainee (Hydrology) you will serve in a trainee capacity, performing routine and recurring development assignments to acquire knowledge and understanding of functions, principles, practices, and methods in groundwater hydrology with emphasis in groundwater modelling.

Duties include:

  • Assisting higher level hydrologists by conducting hydrologic studies by collecting hydrologic data in the field;
  • Collecting hydrologic data using a variety of methods and equipment;
  • Providing quality assured data for interpretive reports of hydrologic studies;
  • Computing, analyzing and interpreting records of streamflow, water levels, pumpage, and water quality;
  • Assisting in the compilation and processing of data used for groundwater-flow models.
  • Operates a government owned or leased vehicle as an incidental driver.
Physical Requirements & Work Environment: While in the field, considerable walking, lifting, bending, climbing, and stream wading is necessary to collect data. Field conditions may include extreme heat or cold, rain or snow, and hazardous conditions such as ice or flooding.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Key Requirements:

  1. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
  2. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  3. The entire period served under the Intern Program counts as a trial period.
  4. Housing will not be provided.
  5. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
  6. 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.
  • If converted to a permanent or term appointment, the anticipated target position will be a Hydrologist with a full performance level of GS-12; however, the target position and FPL may change based on the need of the organization at that time. Interns must meet the qualification requirements for the position to which converted.
  • If selected, you will be required to provide official transcripts &/or letter from the school stating you are enrolled in a degree/certificateprogram on at least a half time basis in good standing and your expected graduation date.
  • 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.

Qualifications

Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for an appointment under the Pathways Internship Program:

  • You must be a student accepted for enrollment or enrolled in a degree or certificate program on a full- or half-time basis as defined by the school (certificate program means post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum); AND
  • Enrollment is with a qualifying educational institution such as a high school or state-approved homeschool; or accredited technical or vocational school; a 2- or 4-year college or university; a graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or a post-secondary home school curriculum; AND
  • Students currently enrolled must be in good academic standing maintaining a 2.0 grade point average on a cumulative basis; AND
  • The duties of this position should be related to your academic or career goals.
  • You must continue to meet these eligibility requirements throughout the duration of your appointment under the Pathways Internship Program.

Students who successfully complete the internship program may be eligible for conversion to a permanent appointment or a term (1-4 years in duration) appointment without further competition. Eligibility requirements for conversion: must be a U.S. Citizen; complete at least 640 hours of work experience acquired through the Internship Program (*may waive up to a total of 320 hours under specific conditions); successfully complete your degree or certificate requirements from a qualifying institution; meet the qualification requirements for the position to which you will be converted; meet agency-specific requirements as outlined in the Participant's Agreement; and must have performed successfully in your position as documented through performance evaluations. *NOTE: To learn more about the conditions under which a portion of the work experience hours may be waived, visit https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/students-and-recent-graduates.

Qualification Requirements

This internship is geared toward students majoring in one of the following areas of study: Hydrology

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Hydrologist, 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 or natural science, or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours or the equivalent in any combination of courses in hydrology, the physical sciences, geophysics, chemistry, engineering science, soils, mathematics, aquatic biology, atmospheric science, meteorology, geology, oceanography, or the management or conservation of water resources. The course work must have included at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus), and at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent in physics.

B. A combination of education and experience-course work as shown in "A" above (30 semester hours or the equivalent in any combination of courses as specified in "A" above which must include at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus), and at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent in physics), 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. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE.)

For GS-07:

In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-07 level:

Possess 1 year of successfully completed graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or the equivalent) in hydrology or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

**OR Possess Superior Academic Achievement based on undergraduate study. (CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT).

**OR Possess one year of appropriate professional experience that is in or related to the duties of this position is qualifying if it is equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-5 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position.

Examples of GS-5 level experience could include taking measurements and collecting information; learning to take proper samples; conducting routine calculating, plotting, and checking of numerical data; preparing graphs and data profiles; and accomplishing routine analyses. This work experience would have involved receiving clear, specific, and detailed instructions as to the methods, procedures, and guidelines to use. Additionally, GS-5 level experience in specific groundwater field methods and analytical techniques could include coursework in groundwater and environmental geochemistry and experience collecting water-quality and water-level data from wells and springs.

**OR Possess a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and professional experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE)

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

  • USGS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework in accordance with the DOI Telework policy and with supervisor approval. The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis.

  • For additional information on our internal telework policy, reference the Department of the Interior Telework Handbook at: https://www.doi.gov/telework/policies.
  • Throughout the recruitment & 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.
  • This position is being filled under the Pathways Internship Program which is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with paid work opportunities in agencies to explore Federal careers while still in school.
  • Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
  • 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.
  • Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens & 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) & 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 US; 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:
You will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. If you meet the basic eligibility and qualification requirements, your on-line responses to the application questions will determine your placement in the appropriate quality group (i.e., Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified). These responses must be substantiated by the resume. Veterans' preference rules apply.

--Vacancy Related Questions: As part of the online application process, you will need to respond to a series of questions designed to assess your knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies:

  • Pressure/deadlines
  • Scientific Knowledge
  • Scientific Instrumentation
  • Compute/Analyze Data
  • Technical Reports
  • Laboratory Techniques
To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11030692

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