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Hydrologist

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource.

This position is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Information about Salt Lake City and the surrounding area can be found here.

We expect to fill one vacancy at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
06/12/2023 to 06/20/2023
Salary
$57,118 to - $89,835 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Location
Salt Lake City, UT
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
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
UTDE-23-12004587-BE
Control number
731311600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens - No previous Federal Service is required. CTAP and ICTAP candidates in the local commuting area.

Duties

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  • Planning and coordinating projects involving the analysis and evaluation of stream flow and transport of sediment or pollutants in stream channels.
  • Providing technical advice on water rights applications and claims.
  • Reviewing flood forecasts and applying standard flood forecasting procedures and determining short-term flood risks.
  • Performing a variety of hydrologic models to generate information on high flows, channel behavior, and sedimentation.
  • Calibrating hydrologic models to account for changes in land use patterns and modifying modeling procedures to improve model validity.
  • Serving on interdisciplinary teams as the subject matter expert on water resources.
  • Engaging in negotiations for agreements for the use of federally owned water resources.
  • Recommending actions to assure the availability of water for Bureau of Land Management administration responsibilities.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Be sure to read the How to Apply and Required Documents Sections.
  • You cannot hold an active real estate license: nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
  • Direct Deposit Required.
  • Appointment will be subject to a favorably adjudicated background/suitability investigation/determination.
  • Your resume must contain enough information to show that you meet the qualification requirements as defined in the announcement. In addition, your responses to the questions must adequately reflect in your resume.
  • May require a one year probationary period.

Qualifications

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.

In addition to the Basic Education requirements, to qualify at the GS-09 level you must meet the following:

Specialized Experience: Applicants must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-07 level that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Hydrologist. Specialized experience is defined as experience which includes the application of knowledge and competence in solving theoretical and practical hydrologic problems. Examples: working with senior specialists to plan and coordinate projects involving the analysis and evaluation of flow and transport of sediment or pollutants in stream channels and ground water; assessing, monitoring, and researching existing work on the nutrients, pollutants, and other components in ground and surface water; evaluating data, identifying trends in movement of water and any known contaminants and providing feedback on anomalies to more senior specialists; and applying standard flood forecasting procedures to compensate for missing or conflicting measurements.
OR Education: To qualify based on education you must have two (2) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's or master's or equivalent graduate degree in physical or natural science or a directly related field.
OR Combination of Education and Experience: Only graduate level education in excess of 18 semester hours may be combined with experience.

In addition to the Basic Education requirements, to qualify at the GS-11 level you must meet the following:

Specialized Experience: Applicants must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 level that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Hydrologist. Specialized experience is defined as experience which includes the application of knowledge and competence in solving theoretical and practical hydrologic problems. Examples: providing input and advice on watershed actions or plans associated with forest management, wildlife management, road construction or other activities; providing technical advice on water rights applications and claims; assessing, monitoring, and researching existing work on the nutrients, pollutants, other components in ground water and surface water; and determining short-term flood risks in identified areas.
OR Education: To qualify based on education you must have three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in physical or natural science or a directly related field.
OR Combination of Education and Experience: Only graduate level education in excess of 36 semester hours may be combined with experience.

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.

You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Physical Demands: The work is typically performed in an office setting with no special physical demands. However, work may also be performed in the field which involves periods of walking, bending, climbing, or driving motor vehicles to worksites. The work may also involve some overnight travel for training, meetings, and site visits.

Work Environment: The work is usually performed in an office setting. However, work time may also be spent periodically visiting field sites. Field site visits are typically performed in either an outdoor setting subject to weather changes, diverse terrain, and safety hazards associated with working around complex features and/or construction, or an industrial setting subject to noise, fumes, and moving machinery. Both settings may require the use of personal protective equipment. Safety precautions and protocols are observed at all times and the scientist complies with safety instructions and regulations and ensures individual and others' safety by promptly reporting unsafe acts, unsafe conditions, and accidents to the supervisor.

Education

Basic Education Requirements: This position has a positive education requirement which requires:

  1. A degree in 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
  1. A combination of education and experience - course work as shown in 1 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Evaluation of Experience: Acceptable experience must have included performance of scientific functions related to the study of water resources, based on and requiring a professional knowledge of related sciences and the consistent application of basic scientific principles to the solution of theoretical and practical hydrologic problems. The following is illustrative of acceptable experience: field or laboratory work that would require application of hydrologic theory and related sciences such as geology, geo-chemistry, geophysics, or civil engineering to making observations, taking samples, operating instruments, assembling data from source materials, analyzing and interpreting data, and reporting finding orally and in writing. In some cases, professional scientific experience that is not clearly water resource experience may be acceptable if such experience was preceded by appropriate education in hydrology or by professional hydrology experience.

Applicants with related experience in hydrology gained through earlier Federal Government employment might have gained that experience in one or more occupational series. Such series include Soil Conservation, GS-457; Forestry, GS-460; Soil Science, GS-470; Civil Engineering, GS-810; Chemistry, GS-1320; Meteorology, GS-1340; and Geology, GS-1350. Comparable non-Federal experience may be given similar credit.

If using education to qualify, you must submit copies of all transcripts or a list of college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. See Required Documents section for more information.

Additional information

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit E-Verify

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well qualified for the position with a score of 90 or above; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information: CTAP or ICTAP

Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service

Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.

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. The selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees. If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive or Student Loan Repayment.

How you will be evaluated

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

After the vacancy closes, a review of your application package will be made to ensure you meet all qualification requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online questionnaire will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. Qualified applicants will be placed in one of three predefined categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified and Qualified. However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Candidates placed in the Best Qualified category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be contacted for an interview.

Your answers to the online questionnaire will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  • Compliance
  • Computer Skills
  • Customer Service
  • Hydrology
  • Project Management
  • Research
  • Technical Competence

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of the following additional assessment: Subject Matter Expert Resume Panel Review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

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