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Hydrologist (Recent Graduate)

Department of Energy
Bonneville Power Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Power Student Development (PD), Weather and Streamflow Forecasting (PGPW) organizations, Power and Operations Planning (PGP), Generation Asset Management (PG), Power Services (P), Bonneville Power Administration.

The purpose of this position is to serve as a Hydrologist.

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
12/13/2021 to 01/03/2022
Salary
$47,875 to - $76,130 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Portland, OR
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Recent graduates - 1-Year, Excepted Appointment may be converted to Term or Permanent.
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
22-BPA-27600-11298433-RG
Control number
626642200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

- Recent Graduates. - All U.S. Citizens, Nationals, and Foreign Nationals who meet both Immigration Laws and Annual Appropriations Laws.

Duties

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As a Hydrologist (Recent Graduate), you will:

  • Exercise independent judgment in developing and preparing daily streamflow forecasts, as well as oral and written briefings for BPA planning staff, for the Columbia River Basin.
  • Develop, prepare and coordinate weekly and seasonal streamflow forecasts used in 60 to 180 day power planning forecasts, Actual Energy Regulation (AER) studies, and weekly ESP forecasts for power operations and planning studies.
  • Maintain and improve BPA's streamflow modeling system and support software.
  • Develop and implement computer software, spreadsheets, and databases to enhance the operational functions of the weather and streamflow forecasting group.
  • Apply mathematics and statistical methods to evaluate hydrologic studies and technical literature, modeling and streamflow procedures, and hydrometeorological data.
  • Provide technical hydrologic assistance in hydrologic climate and climate change studies.
As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If you are selected for this position, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by November 22, 2021, or prior to onboarding, if hired after November 22, unless you request a legally required exception from this requirement.

As part of onboarding, you will need to submit DOE's Certification of COVID-19 Vaccination for Prospective Federal Employees attesting to truthfulness that you are fully vaccinated by November 22, 2021, or prior to onboarding, if hired after November 22, 2021. Once onboard, you will then be required to provide proof of vaccination in DOE's MyEnergy system and certify the documentation you provide is true and correct under penalty of perjury. Providing a knowing and willful false statement on either DOE's COVID-19 Vaccination Form prior to starting or when providing proof of vaccination in DOE's MyEnergy system once onboard is punishable by fine and/or imprisonment (18 U.S.C. 1001) and will result in termination from Federal service.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
  • A 1-year trial period is required.
  • Must be in good academic standing.
  • A Pathways Recent Graduate Participant Agreement is required.
To be eligible for the Recent Graduate program you must be a:
  • Recent graduate who has completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. -OR-
  • Student who within nine months of the closing date of this announcement will meet the education requirements and will graduate with a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. A student may not be appointed to a position until they have graduated. -OR-
  • Preference eligible veteran who was precluded from applying due to their military service obligation begin their two-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years after degree or certificate completion.
CONVERSION REQUIREMENTS: Pathways Recent Graduates are converted to a term or permanent position upon program completion. This is not automatic nor guaranteed. Conversion is at the discretion of the hiring manager and employing office.To be eligible for conversion to permanent or term position, a Recent Graduate must:
  1. Be a U.S. citizen;
  2. Successful completion of 1 year of continuous service;
  3. Complete all training and development requirements within the 1-year appointment period;
  4. Demonstrate successful job performance;
  5. Meet the OPM qualification standards for the position to which converted;
  6. Receive a recommendation for conversion from the first-level supervisor; and
  7. Meet agency-specific requirements, as specified in the Participant Agreement.
  • A Recent Graduate may be converted to the highest General Schedule (GS) grade level qualified for at time of conversion.
  • Relocation (PCS) is not authorized for this vacancy; however, relocation/recruitment incentive may be paid in accordance with federal regulations and in consideration of budget availability for a highly qualified candidate; determined upon selection.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT:

A. Degree: physical or natural science, or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours 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 in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus), and at least 6 semester hours in physics. Calculus and physics, as described above, are requirements for all grade levels.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience -- course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

GS-07:

A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05) in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Experience working with hydrology concepts, principles, and methods to perform 1) preliminary analyses, makes computations and applies correction factors, and plots preliminary prediction values; 2) prepares computer programs for processing data based on established programs and techniques; and performs higher level tasks as training assignments.

You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:


GS-09:

A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07) in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Experience in working with hydrology concepts, principles, and methods sufficient to 1) independently apply established technology in routine and, moderate hydrology projects in support of larger projects using less established technology; 2) adapt to procedures and accepted practices and handle unexpected conditions arising in the normal course of the work; 3) organize the work, following prescribed methods and guidelines, and recognizing conditions and results that may affect the findings.

You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:

  • Two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree, or master's, or equivalent graduate degree; your education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. -OR-
  • Combination of graduate education and experience as described above. Less than one year of specialized experience may be combined with graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (i.e., credit hours beyond the first year of full-time study may be credited).

Education

Must submit transcripts with your application for proof of education and degree conferred date.

DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.

Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.

Additional information

  • The U.S. Department of Energy fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
  • This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
  • For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: www.telework.gov
EEO Policy: http://www.usajobs.gov/eeo
Reasonable Accommodation Policy: http://www.usajobs.gov/raps
Veterans Information: http://www.usajobs.gov/vi
Telework: www.telework.gov
Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/

Hiring incentives may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate based on budget availability and in accordance with federal regulations.

BPA strives to ensure a safe, positive, inclusive work environment, supported by Leadership Behaviors. For more information on Leadership Behaviors visit: www.bpa.gov/goto/LeadershipBehaviors

We also understand the importance of work/life balance and offer a variety of programs and policies designed to create more flexible, responsive work environments supportive of commitments to community, home and family members. BPA also supports employees' overall wellness through its Be Well program, which helps employees adopt healthier lifestyles and feel better about their work/life balance. The program supports five key areas of life: career, community, financial, physical and social.

How you will be evaluated

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

The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to place you into an initial quality category via OPM's Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to ensure you have been placed into the appropriate quality category.

Your application is rated based on the extent and quality of your experience, education (when applicable), and training as described in your resume and applicant assessment. Your credentials are measured against the established duties of the position at the grade level(s) being advertised.

If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the definition of "well qualified" which is defined as scoring in the Well Qualified category (or higher).

If you are a Veteran Preference eligible candidate, you will be listed at the top of whichever quality category your rating places you in. CP/CPS veterans are placed at the top of the highest category for all positions except professional and scientific positions at GS-9 and higher.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly

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

Once the application process is complete, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications. If you are minimally qualified for this job, your responses to the self-assessment questions (True/False, Yes/ No, Multiple Choice questions) will be evaluated and you will be placed into one of three pre-defined quality categories under Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

  • Computer Skills
  • Hydrology
  • Modeling and Simulation
  • Oral Communication
  • Partnering
  • Written Communication


Application of Veterans' Preference: If you are a preference eligible candidate, you will be listed at the top of whichever quality category your rating places you in. CP/CPS veterans are placed at the top of the highest category for all positions except professional and scientific positions at GS-9 and higher.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified", which is defined as scoring 85.0 or higher.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (01/03/2022) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11298433

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