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Interdisciplinary (Chief of Physical Science & Landscape Ecology) - Direct Hire Authority

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Yosemite National Park, CA
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Serves as the Chief of Physical Science & Landscape Ecology (PSLE) within the Resources Management & Science (EMS) Division. Serves as a key park manager and a member of the RMS Management Team, and provides decision support for the RMS Division Chief informing park-level decisions.

Open to the first 75 applicants or until 04/20/2020 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/16/2020 to 04/20/2020
This job will close when we have received 75 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$76,721 to - $99,741 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
El Portal, CA
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will be paid if the selectee lives outside of the local commuting area and is otherwise eligible for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
PW-1548-YOSE-20-10746018-DH
Control number
562661800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. DIRECT HIRING AUTHORITY will be used to fill this position.

Duties

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  • Serves as a senior principal advisor in the management of natural resources and is responsible for program development and implementation. Directs an intricate program of natural resource management activities that involve sensitive and complex issues that may impact a wide variety of park issues.
  • Carries out project management duties including developing work plans and schedules, scopes of work, cost estimates, and grant writing to accomplish program goals. Administers and tracks base and project funds and prepares accomplishment reports. Maintains awareness of applicable funding sources within and outside National Park Service.
  • Develops and coordinates with other park branches and divisions as well as researchers, partners, or contractors to design, develop, test, and implement scientific studies or projects to identify, evaluate, and report on natural resource conditions and issues. Seeks out new partnerships to develop capacity and to provide science to inform decision-making related to air, water, geologic resources, ecological restoration, and fire management.
  • Represents the park in communicating natural resource issues to both internal and external audiences including delivering presentations, writing reports, briefing a variety of audiences, and communicating with colleagues, partner agencies, and the public. Researches and applies scientific information to project planning, resource management, and other park needs.
  • Develops guidelines to deal with the more complex or unusual problems, or with novel, undeveloped or controversial aspects of natural resources and their management. Prepares environmental assessments (EAs) for park projects in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. Evaluates EAs and environmental impact statements prepared by other federal agencies for projects that may effect park resources.
  • Performs full range of supervisory duties for the branch. Performs overall budget planning and work planning, establishes work schedules and priorities, and assigns and reviews work. Discusses with subordinates their work progress and problem area as they arise. Interviews and recommends the hiring of staff. Identifies training needs and provides training opportunities. Carries out minor disciplinary measures and keeps employees informed of management policies and goals. Responsible for ensuring equal opportunity including in hiring practices. Responsible for the on-the-job safety and health of all employees supervised.


Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • You will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, and overtime.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 night per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-04/20/2020-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience.

This is an Interdisciplinary announcement and may be filled in one of the following series:
Supervisory Biologist, GS-0401; or Supervisory Physical Scientist, GS-1301


In order to qualify, you must meet at least one of the BASIC REQUIREMENTS, and the SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE requirement described below. You MUST submit a copy of your unofficial transcripts. In addition, your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS for Supervisory Biologist, GS-0401:

  • EDUCATION: Successfully completed a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. - OR -
  • COMBINATION: Possess an equivalent combination of education and experience that included course work equivalent to a major (i.e., 24 semester hours) in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or a discipline closely related to biology; PLUS appropriate experience or additional course work. The quality of the combination must demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the work of the position and is comparable to that normally acquired through the completion of a full four-year course of study with a major as described above.
-OR-
BASIC REQUIREMENTS for Supervisory Physical Scientist, GS-1301:
  • EDUCATION: Possess a four year or higher degree in physical science, engineering or mathematics that includes 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. - OR -
  • COMBINATION: Possess an equivalent combination of education and experience - education equivalent to one of the majors shown above, that has included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education to total four years. The quality of the combination must demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the work of the position and is comparable to that normally acquired through the completion of a full four-year course of study with a major as described above.
-AND-
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT for Supervisory Biologist, GS-0401; or Supervisory Physical Scientist, GS-1301:
To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: Participating in designing, developing or implementing research projects designed for the protection and management of natural resources; managing or participating in the management of a natural resources program and budget; analyzing natural resources data and preparing reports, briefings, outreach materials or other documents on natural resources issues for a variety of audiences; using interpersonal skills in order to work with multi-disciplinary teams; developing testing and implementing scientific monitoring protocols; developing and carrying out statistically valid data collection protocols. You must include hours per week worked.

Volunteer 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.

Education

You must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level of this announcement.

Additional information

This notice is being issued to recruit personnel to occupations for which a severe shortage of candidates exists and/or a critical hiring need has been identified. To assist in filling these positions, OPM has granted agencies "Direct Hire Authority".

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Physical Demands: The position may require strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activities will occur in physically dangerous areas or settings. Documentary research and report writing work is sedentary, which entails the ability to concentrate and write for long periods of time.

Working Conditions: Work is performed primarily indoors. Occasionally, work may be performed outdoors in all types of weather. Outdoor assignments may be performed in potentially hazardous areas including steep slopes, rocky terrain, volcanoes, caves, firelines, arctic environments, swamps, deserts, and forests. On occasion, flying in fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters is possible.

Nongovernment housing: may be available for rent in the local communities of Groveland, Mariposa, Midpines, Bootjack, Oakhurst, and Catheys Valley. El Portal is a small community bordering the west side of Yosemite National Park and 15 miles west of Yosemite Valley.

Telework: The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

Additional Position Information: The Branch of Physical Science & Landscape Ecology houses professional scientists and field technicians in multiple disciplines including geology, hydrology, water quality, and air quality. The Branch also supports and manages geographic information systems and geospatial data for the park's enterprise GIS, and provides geospatial support to park staff responding to emergencies, particularly wildfires. The Branch provides professional support, expertise, and information for all park staff relating to fires, smoke and air quality management, floods, and rockfalls. The Branch Chief works with other Branches of the RMS Division (Wildlife, Vegetation and Ecological Restoration, Cultural Resources, and Visitor Use Impact Monitoring) to collaborate on projects and share resources towards common goals.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applicants will be evaluated based on how well they meet the qualification requirements.

Upon receipt of the completed application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure basic qualification requirements are met.

This vacancy will be filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to positions filled under this Authority. All qualified applicants, as determined by the SHRO, will be referred for consideration. While managers and supervisors are not required to conduct interviews, it is highly recommended that they do so in order to assess the competencies of each applicant.

If an applicant's resume is incomplete or does not support the requirements for minimum qualifications or specialized experience a rating of "ineligible" or "not qualified" will be applied.

If a determination is made that an applicant has inflated qualifications or experience on the resume, consideration for the position will be denied, as per OPM regulations.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

Decision Making, Manages and Organizes Information, Managing Human Resources, Partnering, Project Management, and Technical Competence

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