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Hydrologic Technician (Recent Graduate)

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
Lower Colorado Basin, Boulder Canyon Operations Office, Operations Support, Blythe Hydrographic Team
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Hydrologic Technician (Recent Graduate). Make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.

Duty Location: Blythe, California and Boulder City, Nevada
Blythe, CA: http://blythechamberofcommerce.com/
Boulder City, NV: http://www.bcnv.org
Henderson, NV: http://www.hendersonchamber.com
Las Vegas, NV: http://www.lvchamber.com

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/19/2021 to 11/29/2021
Salary
$40,271 to - $52,355 per year

35,791 to 46,531 Per Year (Boulder City)

Pay scale & grade
GS 5
Locations
2 vacancies in the following locations:
Blythe, CA
Boulder City, NV
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
Recent Graduates
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
10
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
BOR-LCB-22-PW-11299186-LRT
Control number
622840100

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Duties

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The primary duties of this developmental position are:

  • Assists in gathering hydrologic data concerning the quantity, quality, availability, movement, and distribution of water.
  • Makes discharge measurements utilizing various devices depending upon the depth and velocity of the stream, channel profiles, and vertical velocity profiles.
  • Assists with the development of plans, analysis of data, and preparation of reports.
  • Responsible for monthly visits to field sites for the purposes of calibrating, adjusting, and repairing remote telemetry units (RTUs), acoustic doppler velocity metering (ADVMs), and data collection platforms (DCPs).
  • Performs a variety of computations and analysis of water resource data to prepare the data for interpretive use or inclusion in reports.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
Current permanent Federal employees who are selected from this announcement may be required to serve a probationary period.
You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents).
You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements (see Qualifications/Education).
You must maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times as the position requires operation of government vehicles on government and public roads. Failure to maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times will result in removal from the position.
You will be required to obtain a successful pre-employment physical examination by a licensed physician certifying your ability to perform the duties of this position. A physical exam may not be required if a comparable agency approved examination was performed within the last 12 months. The cost of the exam will be reimbursed by the agency.

Eligibility: Applicants must be recent graduates who have completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associate, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. Veterans (as defined in 5 USC 2108) who, due to military service obligation, were precluded from applying to the Recent Graduates Program during any portion of the 2-year eligibility period described above have a full 2-year period of eligibility upon their release or discharge from active duty; however, this eligibility period cannot extend beyond 6 years from the date of completion of the requirements of an academic course of study.

All eligibility and qualification requirements for the position and the Pathways Recent Graduate program must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

For more information on the Pathways Programs, please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/

Qualifications

GS-5: You must have completed a full 4-year course of study above the high school level leading to a bachelor's degree with (a) major study in an appropriate field of science, engineering, construction, or industrial technology, OR (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as engineering, industrial technology, construction drafting, surveying, physical science, biology, or mathematics OR your resume must reflect 1 year of full time experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-04 level in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for GS-5: Defined as experience providing four of the following hydrologic services: collecting water quality samples; performing site visits for the purpose of calibrating instruments and downloading data; performing acoustic doppler current profiler discharge measurements; performing acoustic doppler velocity meter discharge measurements; performing differential leveling circuits; compiling discharge measurement results and developing stage discharge rating curves; or creating published records.

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.

Selective Placement Factor: This position requires a current valid Drivers License and Pre-Employment Physical.

You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors if applicable, by 11/29/2021.

Education

You must submit a copy of college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not-qualified for the position.

You will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications, if selected. An official transcript must be sent directly from the University's Registrar's office and must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. Academic transcripts certified by notary publics are NOT official. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to reporting to work as a condition of employment. Failure to submit official transcripts may be grounds for dismissal or rescission of the job offer.

Accreditation: Only education from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education is acceptable to meet education requirements or to substitute for experience, if applicable. For additional info, refer to the Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For additional info, refer to the U.S. Network for Education Information.

Additional information

Duty Location: Duty Location will be determined by Management at the time of selection.
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Trial Period: You will be required to serve an trial period as a Recent Graduate. Current, permanent Federal employees who are selected from this announcement may be required to serve a probationary period.

Relocation: Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected Recent Graduate.

Conversion: After successful completion of all program requirements, Recent Graduates MAY be converted to a permanent or term position in the competitive service, but conversion is neither guaranteed nor promised.

To be eligible for conversion, Recent Graduates must:

  • Successfully complete at least 1-year of continuous service in addition to all requirements of the Program;
  • Demonstrate successful job performance;
  • Meet the Office of Personnel Management's qualifications for the position to which the Recent Graduate; may be converted; and
  • Be recommended for conversion by their supervisor.
Promotion Potential: This is a career development opportunity under the Bureau of Reclamation Recent Graduate Pathways Program. This position will be filled at the GS-05 grade level. Subsequent promotion to the next higher-grade level is permissible without further competition. Promotion is not guaranteed or promised but dependent upon administrative approval and the agency's continuing need for an actual assignment and performance at the higher-level duties. The full performance level of this position is GS-10.

Telework: Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.

E-Verify: DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/

Background Investigation: This position is designated as a LOW RISK position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated SF85 Background Investigation (T1 or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment.

Selective Service: Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

Category rating and selection procedures will be used to evaluate applications from this announcement. If an applicant meets the basic qualification requirements, his/her on-line responses to the vacancy assessment questionnaire will be used to determine the quality and extent of his/her experience, education, training, etc., for placement in one of the following categories: 1) Best Qualified, 2) Well Qualified, and 3) Qualified. Qualified candidates will be assigned a numerical score on a scale of 70-100. The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of Veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher). The assessment questionnaire will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

You will be evaluated on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide to the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A three-phase process will be used to evaluate candidates for referral.

Phase 1: Applicants will complete an assessment questionnaire, which will take approximately 30 minutes to complete, and then will be given an interim score based on those responses. Application packages will be reviewed by Human Resources to ensure they meet eligibility and basic qualification requirements (see definition of specialized experience). If applicants meet eligibility and basic qualifications, they will continue to the next phase.

Phase 2: Candidates who were minimally qualified based on the assessment questionnaire identified in the first phase will advance to a structured resume review by Subject Matter Experts. Subject Matter Expert(s) will score resumes using a pre-determined scoring matrix based on the following competencies:

  • Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on the job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.
Phase 3: Candidates will be given a final score which combines the scores from the first and second phases. Those candidates who score as best qualified will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. The selecting official may or may not contact you for an interview.

The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11299186

Your resume must clearly support the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position. You must make a fair and accurate assessment of their qualifications. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than what is apparent in the description of your experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training (or that your resume/application is incomplete), the you could be rated ineligible or your score could be lowered.

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