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Physical Scientist

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
This job announcement has closed

Summary

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?

Salary: $77,488 (Step 01) to $100,739 (Step 10); NOTE: 1st time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 1. Listed salary is for lowest cost of living areas; salary will be dependent on location.

This term appointment is 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.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/15/2021 to 03/19/2021
Salary
$77,488 to - $100,739 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
Location Negotiable After Selection, United States
FEW vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position. Overnight travel averages 3 nights per month.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - 13 Months
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
USGS-SAC-21-11044201-DHA-BC
Control number
595099400

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Duties

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As a Physical Scientist within the Water Mission Area (WMA), Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Integrated Information Dissemination Division (IIDD), Web Communications Branch, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Leads projects translating user needs for water data management systems for hydrology, water quality, climatology and ecology information.
  • Meets with customers, research staff, management and technical staff to gather business requirements and convey information back to the development team.
  • Leads team-based development efforts for web communications, direct project release planning, coordinates staff for completion of deliverables according to multiple project deadlines.
  • Uses knowledge of water quality, hydrology and watershed studies, physical sciences and climate science to advise hydrologists, researchers and stakeholders in developing approaches for data storage, management, integration, analysis and distribution.
  • Recommends modernization of systems to streamline workflows, and to anticipate and enable communication of new monitoring technologies.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Key Requirements:

  1. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
  2. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  3. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year trial period.
  4. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?
  • Duty Station TBD - The duty station of this position may remain that of the selectee or may be any USGS location that is agreed upon by the selecting official and the selectee. If the agreed upon location results in the relocation of the selectee, the travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be authorized.
  • 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

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Physical Scientist, all grade levels.

A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in physical science, engineering or mathematics that included 24 semester hours or equivalent in physical science or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.

B. A combination of education and experience-course work as shown in "A" above (24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science, engineering or mathematics) that included at least 24 semester hours or equivalent in physical science or related engineering science as described above, plus appropriate experience and/or additional education for a total of 4 years. The education or combined education and experience must be comparable in type, scope and thoroughness to that acquired through successful completion of a 4-year course of study as described in "A" above.

For GS-12:

In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must have one year of appropriate professional experience that is in or directly related to the duties of the position to be filled is qualifying if it is equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Examples of such experience may include: planning and executing complex projects involving physical science, water or biological data and/or information delivery, which usually involved intensive investigations into data collection methods, data/information delivery pipelines, and/or data users' workflows.

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:

  • The government-wide direct hire authority for Physical Science, GS-1301, is being used to fill this position.
  • There are three vacancies, however, this announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies if they become available.
  • 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:

How you will be evaluated

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

--Basis of Rating: The government-wide direct hire authority for Physical Scientist, GS-1301 is being used to fill this position. All applicants who meet the eligibility requirements and minimum qualification requirements will be referred for consideration.

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