This is a term appointment not to exceed 13 months with possible extensions up to a total of 4 years without further competition. Appointment to this position will not convey permanent status in the Federal service.
Salary:
GS-09: $59,498 (Step 1) to $77,346 (Step 10)
GS-10: $65,521 (Step 1) to $85,182 (Step 10)
GS-11: $71,987 (Step 1) to $93,588 (Step 10)
NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.
Summary
What General Information Do I Need To Know?
This is a term appointment not to exceed 13 months with possible extensions up to a total of 4 years without further competition. Appointment to this position will not convey permanent status in the Federal service.
Salary:
GS-09: $59,498 (Step 1) to $77,346 (Step 10)
GS-10: $65,521 (Step 1) to $85,182 (Step 10)
GS-11: $71,987 (Step 1) to $93,588 (Step 10)
NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.
As a Electronics Technician (Marine Instrumentation) within the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, some of your specific duties will include:
Works collaboratively with Project Chief/Primary Investigator, other team members and researchers both at-sea and in the laboratory, in operating, maintaining, repairing, and when needed redesigning geophysical and sampling equipment. Conducts extensive tests and repairs as needed prior to, and during, field operations. Works with team members, ship's crew, outside vendors and collaborators in mobilizing research vessels. Mobilization includes transporting, installing, modifying as necessary any deck equipment required to accomplish the research program.
Inspects equipment in the laboratory and/or aboard the research vessel. Operates and maintains geophysical and sampling equipment while onboard research vessels. Day-to-day responsibilities include operating, troubleshooting, repairing, retrieving and deploying a wide range of instruments. Works collaboratively with other team members to ensure high standards for data quality are maintained. Adjusts, repairs, or replaces defective or improperly functioning circuitry and electronic components. Develops testing and evaluation specifications and procedures for circuitry and systems designed in-house. Tracks and/or makes recommendations regarding replacement schedules and routine maintenance requirements.
Participates in the operation, maintenance, and calibration of all electronic systems, equipment and instruments, including, but not limited to the following systems: sides can-sonar, sub-bottom profiling, swath bathymetry (multibeam and/or interferometry), single-beam bathymetry, optical ocean-bottom imaging, GPS/RTK-GPS navigation, and digital data acquisition, networking, and logging systems. Trouble shoots and repairs complex malfunctioning equipment in the field and laboratory.
Perform complex multi-phased instrumentation development work to meet the needs of the Project Lead/Primary Investigator. Checks equipment under test conditions to ensure proper functionality and accuracy of equipment in collecting data, and effectiveness in meeting the needs of the study. Collaborates with vendors/manufacturers regarding prototype design and testing. This includes conducting assessments of and making recommendations on the trade-offs involved in equipment development, such as cost vs. time to buy or construct unique circuitry, instrumentation or components.
Performs/conducts a variety of tasks in support of test operations in the laboratory and in shipboard settings. Assist the Project Lead/Primary Investigator in coordinating and developing techniques necessary to design, test, evaluate and install major marine electronics and geophysical survey systems on research platforms such as ships, small boats, aircraft, portable vans and trailers, etc. Operates geophysical research equipment and instruments to acquire and store data. Stands watch aboard ship, maintaining field logs, noting changes in systems operation and/or environmental conditions that affect data quality.
Physical Requirements & Work Environment: Work occurs in both laboratory settings and on board either small or large vessels. Incumbent must be physically able to work on ships or small boats in potentially extreme weather conditions. Ability to lift and carry equipment up to 20 kilograms. Work takes place in both laboratory environment and, during data collection trips, aboard small or large vessels. Laboratory work involves lifting and moving equipment up to 20 kilograms without assistance, standing for long periods of time, and may involve noisy, drafty, and wet conditions. Vessel work may take place in a wide range of weather conditions and require special safety precautions.
Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.
Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position.
Driver's License/Driving Record - You will be required to operate a government-owned or -leased vehicle in the performance of your official duties. Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements: (1) possess a valid State license, and (2) possess a safe driving record. If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid State license & a copy of your driving record.
Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
Qualifications
For GS-09:
Applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-09 level:
Possess one year of appropriate professional experience that is equivalent to at least the GS-08 level in the Federal service. Examples of such experience may include planning own work and assuring that it met established technical requirements as documented in manufacturers' handbooks and reporting to scientists or officials who use the equipment in their work.
**OR Possess 2-years of progressively higher level graduate education (36 semester hours, 54 semester hours) leading to a master's or equivalent degree in electrical engineering, electronics engineering, or engineering technology or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skill and abilities necessary to do the work of the this position.
**OR Possess a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and professional experience, as described above.
For GS-10:
Applicants must meet the following to qualify for the GS-10 level:
Possess one year of appropriate professional experience that is equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service. Examples of such experience may include install, maintain, operate, and test electronic equipment which is specially designed, constructed, or modified to fill a specific function; work with subsystems that are complex because of miniature size, density of circuitry, lack of available documentation, etc., work on equipment in remote spots, high towers or in cramped quarters without time for trial & error approached or bulky test equipment.
**OR Possess 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in electrical engineering, electronics engineering, or engineering technology or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skill and abilities necessary to do the work of the this position.
**OR Possess a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and professional experience, as described above.
For GS-11:
Applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-11 level:
Possess one year of appropriate professional experience that is equivalent to at least the GS-10 level in the Federal service. Examples of such experience may include selecting or recommending approaches to solving unique design problems, developing new components or circuits in units or devices with very critical tolerances or performance characteristics, and conferring with scientists to gain understanding of the objectives desired.
**OR Possess 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in electrical engineering, electronics engineering, or engineering technology or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skill and abilities necessary to do the work of the this position.
**OR Possess a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and professional experience, as described above.
You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.
Education
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 completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .
Additional information
Other Information:
Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
Agency Benefits:
USGS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework in accordance with the DOI Telework policy and with supervisor approval. 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.
For additional information on our internal telework policy, please reference the Department of the Interior Telework Handbook at: https://www.doi.gov/telework/policies.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
--Vacancy Related Questions: As part of the online application process, you will need to respond to a series of questions designed to assess your possession of the following knowledge skills, abilities and/or competencies: Scientific Knowledge, Leadership & Supervision, Interpersonal Communication, : General abilities and knowledge, Teamwork, Safety/Occupational Health Knowledge, Scientific Instrumentation, Information Management, Collect Scientific Data.
--Basis of Rating: Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are Best Qualified and Qualified. You will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. If you are eligible, your on-line responses to the application questions will determine your placement in the appropriate quality category described above. Your responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.
--NOTE: If it is determined that you have rated yourself higher than is supported in your description of experience and/or education as described in your resume/application, or that your resume or application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible, not qualified, or your score may be lowered.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Required documents may be: (1) faxed to the Agency Contact listed in the vacancy announcement; or (2) uploaded directly from your desktop; or (3) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments; or (4) hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office listed in the vacancy announcement.
Transcripts --If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) or list of course work, which includes semester hours earned and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. Please ensure that all documentation is legible.
Veterans' Preference Eligibles --If you are claiming veterans' preference you must provide a legible copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, member 4 copy or any official documentation or statement from the Armed Forces that confirms your dates of service and that your separation, discharge, or release from active duty was under honorable conditions (i.e., Honorable or General Discharge). Note: If you have more than one DD-214 for multiple periods of active duty, submit a copy for each period of service.
--If you are currently on active military duty, you must provide documentation (e.g., campaign document, award citation, etc.), that verifies entitlement to veterans' preference and that your character of military service is honorable.
--If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the documents specified above, you must also submit documentation that supports your claim, e.g., an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (dated 1991 or later) or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability, or the award of the Purple Heart, etc. The overall rating must be identified on your certification letter or separation orders. Documentation must be received by the closing date shown in this vacancy announcement. If you fail to submit any of the required documentation, you will not be granted veterans' preference.
Additional information on veterans' preference can be found in the VetGuide.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) & Inter-agency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Eligibles --If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, the Servicing Human Resources Office must receive proof by the closing date of this announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330 Subpart F for CTAP and 5 CFR 330 Subpart G for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. This includes:
copy of the agency notice;
your most recent Performance Rating; and
your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location.
If you are a CTAP or ICTAP eligible, you will be considered well qualified if you earn a minimum score of 85 (prior to the assignment of veteran's preference points). For more information on CTAP/ICTAP please click here..
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
--Applications (resume and application questions) for this vacancy must be received on-line via USAJOBS BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, D.C. time) on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online resume, you will not be considered for this position. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Most libraries, employment offices, and all USGS personnel offices can provide access to the Internet. If applying online poses a hardship for you, you must speak to someone in the Servicing Human Resources Office listed on this announcement PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE for assistance.
--Instructions for Applying Online for this Vacancy Announcement: 1)Click the blue "Apply Online" button. 2)If you are not a registered USAJOBS user, please create a new account and follow the instructions to complete your application process. If you are a registered user, login to access your existing USAJOBS profile. 3)As a registered user, select a stored resume and select one or more of your stored documents to attach to your application. 4)Check the "Certification" box and click the "Apply for this position now!" button located at the bottom of the screen. 5)Address the eligibility questions as well as the questionnaire containing questions and/or task statements that address the knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies for this vacancy. 6)Submit required documents using one of the available methods listed below. 7) If you experience technical difficulties during the online application process, please contact the USAJOBS helpdesk.
WOODS HOLE COASTAL AND MARINE SC
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Mail Stop 600
Reston, VA 20192
US
Next steps
--If you are rated as one of the most highly qualified candidates, you will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 30-45 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will be notified via email of the outcome. You can also go to "My Account" within USAJOBS to review your Application Status.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Required documents may be: (1) faxed to the Agency Contact listed in the vacancy announcement; or (2) uploaded directly from your desktop; or (3) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments; or (4) hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office listed in the vacancy announcement.
Transcripts --If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) or list of course work, which includes semester hours earned and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. Please ensure that all documentation is legible.
Veterans' Preference Eligibles --If you are claiming veterans' preference you must provide a legible copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, member 4 copy or any official documentation or statement from the Armed Forces that confirms your dates of service and that your separation, discharge, or release from active duty was under honorable conditions (i.e., Honorable or General Discharge). Note: If you have more than one DD-214 for multiple periods of active duty, submit a copy for each period of service.
--If you are currently on active military duty, you must provide documentation (e.g., campaign document, award citation, etc.), that verifies entitlement to veterans' preference and that your character of military service is honorable.
--If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the documents specified above, you must also submit documentation that supports your claim, e.g., an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (dated 1991 or later) or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability, or the award of the Purple Heart, etc. The overall rating must be identified on your certification letter or separation orders. Documentation must be received by the closing date shown in this vacancy announcement. If you fail to submit any of the required documentation, you will not be granted veterans' preference.
Additional information on veterans' preference can be found in the VetGuide.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) & Inter-agency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Eligibles --If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, the Servicing Human Resources Office must receive proof by the closing date of this announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330 Subpart F for CTAP and 5 CFR 330 Subpart G for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. This includes:
copy of the agency notice;
your most recent Performance Rating; and
your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location.
If you are a CTAP or ICTAP eligible, you will be considered well qualified if you earn a minimum score of 85 (prior to the assignment of veteran's preference points). For more information on CTAP/ICTAP please click here..
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
--Applications (resume and application questions) for this vacancy must be received on-line via USAJOBS BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, D.C. time) on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online resume, you will not be considered for this position. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Most libraries, employment offices, and all USGS personnel offices can provide access to the Internet. If applying online poses a hardship for you, you must speak to someone in the Servicing Human Resources Office listed on this announcement PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE for assistance.
--Instructions for Applying Online for this Vacancy Announcement: 1)Click the blue "Apply Online" button. 2)If you are not a registered USAJOBS user, please create a new account and follow the instructions to complete your application process. If you are a registered user, login to access your existing USAJOBS profile. 3)As a registered user, select a stored resume and select one or more of your stored documents to attach to your application. 4)Check the "Certification" box and click the "Apply for this position now!" button located at the bottom of the screen. 5)Address the eligibility questions as well as the questionnaire containing questions and/or task statements that address the knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies for this vacancy. 6)Submit required documents using one of the available methods listed below. 7) If you experience technical difficulties during the online application process, please contact the USAJOBS helpdesk.
WOODS HOLE COASTAL AND MARINE SC
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Mail Stop 600
Reston, VA 20192
US
Next steps
--If you are rated as one of the most highly qualified candidates, you will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 30-45 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will be notified via email of the outcome. You can also go to "My Account" within USAJOBS to review your Application Status.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.