Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Physical Scientist, GS-1301-14 (DE/CR)

Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located at the National Weather Service Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.

This position is also announced under vacancy number NWS-ER-2017-0005, which is open to status candidates. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

*A one year probationary/trial period may be required.
*Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.
*This position is not in the bargaining unit.

NOTE:

*This vacancy may be used to fill other Physical Scientist, GS-1301-14 positions throughout NOAA. The position must be alike (e.g.: within the same geographic locations, same grade/band requires the same qualifications as indicated in this vacancy announcement).

Overview

Help
Job canceled
Open & closing dates
03/03/2017 to 03/17/2017
Salary
$112,021 to - $145,629 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Silver Spring, MD
1 vacancy
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Travel to local meetings.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Full time / Career Conditional
Service
Promotion potential
14
Supervisory status
No
Announcement number
NWS-ER-2017-0006
Control number
465195900

This job is open to

Help

Duties

Help

The individual selected for this position will:

  • Manage and lead NWS' National Space Weather Program.
  • Identify documents and oversee implementation of service requirements, improvements and quality control.
  • Develop plans, projects, and policies for service improvement by defining requirements for new technologies and innovative approaches to enhance NWS space weather operations.
  • Work directly with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction's (NCEP), Space Weather Prediction Center and other appropriate NCEP units on issues related to national, regional and local policy, products and services to leverage resources and support forecast consistency.
  • Serve as subject matter expert for field requirements on technology changes that impact the way that NWS communicates space weather information to core partners, the weather enterprise and the general public.
  • Provide recommendations for new tools created both internally and externally within the weather enterprise, academia, or other federal agencies to verify the accuracy of the information being provided and validate the need against strategic goals.
  • Work closely with the other NWS portfolios to ensure requirements are effectively applied to better serve the space weather warning and forecast mission.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply.
  • Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
  • Must be suitable for Federal employment.
  • Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
  • Qualifications requirements must be met by closing date of announcement.

College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department, course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken.

Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work. An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position Requires applicants to meet a Basic Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of specialized experience or a substitution of education for experience in order to be found minimally qualified. You MUST meet the following basic education requirement:

Degree: Physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.

-OR-
Combination of education and experience: Education equivalent to one of the majors shown in degree above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

-AND-

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

This experience need not have been in the federal government. 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.

To qualify at the GS-14:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 of the Federal service is defined as meeting ALL of the following:

  • Forecasting space weather or terrestrial weather;
  • Representing an organization to all levels of external stakeholders including industry leaders and/or senior government officials;
  • Developing policies, procedures, and/or processes for service delivery that improve services;
  • Leading a service delivery program.

Additional information

ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management’s Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition

ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

  1. A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; notice of disability annuity termination; certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
  2. A copy of your SF-50 “Notification of Personnel Action” documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc;
  3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
NOAA participates in e-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.

How you will be evaluated

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

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.

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice questions) and place you in one of the three pre-defined categories. The categories are “gold”, “silver” and “bronze”. However, your resume or optional cover letter must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the “gold” category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

How you will be evaluated for preference eligibility: Within each category, those entitled to veterans’ preference will be listed at the top of the pre-defined category for which they are placed. Preference eligible with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest quality category (gold) depending on the position and grade level of the job. For more information on Category Rating, please go to Category Rating.

The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response:

  • Knowledge of space weather program functions.
  • Knowledge of the factors that compromise an operational environment.
  • Skill to clearly present complex concepts orally and in writing.
  • Ability to collaborate effectively with a variety of stakeholders.
  • Ability to develop effective partnerships outside the immediate work group.
  • Skill to translate needs from multiple stakeholders in a unified set of requirements.
  • Knowledge of process to transition operational requirements to research for development.
  • Skill to document needs from users into clear, proposed requirements for developers.

To preview questions please click here.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.