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

Geologist

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This employee supports the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Northern California Program Area, in Coarsegold, CA.

The employee performs professional work in the field of geology and includes a variety of geology, geomorphology and earth science related tasks.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Joseph Wagenbrenner at 707-825-2930 or email joseph.wagenbrenner@usda.gov

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
06/18/2020 to 06/22/2020
Salary
$43,251 - $68,777 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Coarsegold, CA
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
9
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
20-RES-10840728-ICTAP-MM
Control number
570928700

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to career transition assistance plan (CTAP), Reemployed Priority List (RPL), and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) eligible candidates who meet the eligibility requirements for priority consideration. VEOA eligible candidates may also apply.

Duties

Help
  • Participate in validity examinations to determine and make recommendations regarding the presence of minerals within public lands.
  • Examine forest land and makes assessment of geologic potential to support the unit?s management of minerals and geology.
  • Operate advanced erosion modeling tools to collect surface erosion data on-site in a watershed.
  • Communicate with agency personnel, permittees, applicants, company representatives, recreationists, and interest groups regarding agency related geologic topics..
  • Provide input to agency land management planning efforts related to geologic subject matter.
  • Present results of studies, investigations, and reports to support the unit?s management of minerals and geology.
  • Conduct geologic studies or investigations on a variety of projects where minerals and geology activities have an effect on development and/or management of forest resources.
  • Examine forest land and make assessment of geologic potential.
  • Prepare report of findings including the collection and analysis or review of geological data.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide university course descriptions as necessary.

Basic Education Requirement for Geology Series (1350):
Degree: Successful completion of 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: geology, plus 20 additional semester hours in any combination of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological science, structural, chemical, civil, mining or petroleum engineering, computer science, planetary geology, comparative planetology, geophysics, meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, physical geography, marine geology, and cartography.
OR
Combination of education and experience: course work as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
Acceptable experience may have been gained through geological field or laboratory work that provided a means of obtaining professional knowledge of the theory and application of the principles of geology and closely related sciences, e.g., geophysics, geochemistry, or hydrology. Such work generally must have involved making close observations, taking samples, handling various types of instruments and equipment, assembling geologic data from source materials, and analyzing and reporting findings orally and in writing. Experience that involved only one phase of geology work, e.g., collecting samples, would not be acceptable as providing the required professional knowledge of the theory and principles of geology. In some situations, professional scientific experience in other fields may be accepted in part as professional geological experience. Such experience must have been preceded by appropriate education in geology or by professional geological experience, and must have contributed directly and significantly to the applicant's professional geological competence. Examples include some positions in geophysics, mining engineering, soils science, physical oceanography, hydrology, climatology, biology, analytic or experimental chemistry, metallurgy, and comparable fields where the normal duties or results of investigations have been extended to the solution of geologic problems by the applicant. Ordinary functions of positions such as seismic, computer, petroleum or mining engineer, mine superintendent, or metallurgist generally are not considered professional geological experience. To receive credit for geological experience obtained in positions that are not full-time professional geological positions, the applicant is responsible for indicating clearly the actual time or percentage of time devoted to geologic duties within such positions, and for giving adequate descriptions of the geologic functions.
For more information on the qualifications for this position, go to: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1300/geology-series-1350/

In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below.

GS-9 level requirements:
One year of specialized experience at the GS-7 level in the federal service. To qualify at this grade level, your specialized experience must include all of the following:
--Participating in geologic studies or investigations on a variety of projects where minerals and geology activities have an effect on development and/or management of forest resources;
--Gathering geological data in the field and assisted in summarizing and interpreting data as input to planning decisions and other resource projects; --Assisting in monitoring and inspecting minerals projects and assisted in working with permittees on compliance issues.
--OR--
Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., directly related to the work of the position;
--OR--
An appropriate combination of specialized experience and education described above. Only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

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.

TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

THIS POSITION IS OPEN TO CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP), USDA REEMPLOYMENT PRIORITY LIST (RPL), AND INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES who meet the eligibility requirements for priority consideration. The following link provides information for determining if you meet these criteria: Career Transition Guidelines.

VEOA candidates may also apply. Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).


How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below:

Geology, Oral Communication, and Technical Competence

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Referral to the hiring manager will be based on the following:

CTAP/ICTAP applicants who meet the basic minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be well qualified. Well qualified is defined as receiving a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100 based on responses to the occupational questionnaire.

RPL applicants who meet the basic minimum qualifications and have a rating of at least minimally successful on the most recent performance appraisal.

VEOA applicants who meet the basic minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified. Best qualified is defined as receiving a rating of at least 91 out of a possible 100 based on responses to the occupational questionnaire.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Forest Service

A career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our nation's most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and the Forest Products Laboratory, and provide assistance to State and private forestry agencies.

It's an awesome responsibility - but the rewards are as limitless as the views.

Agency contact information

HRM Contact Center
Phone
1-877-372-7248 X2
Email
SM.FS.FSJobs@usda.gov
Address
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US

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.