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Physicist

Department of the Air Force
Department of the Air Force - Agency Wide
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The PALACE Acquire Program offers you a permanent position upon completion of your formal training plan. As a Palace Acquire Intern you will experience both personal and professional growth while dealing effectively and ethically with change, complexity, and problem solving. The program offers a 2 or 3 -year formal training plan with yearly salary increases. Promotions and salary increases are based upon your successful performance and supervisory approval.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
10/01/2022 to 09/30/2023
Salary
$44,740 to - $81,805 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Locations
Gunter AFB, AL
Few vacancies
Edwards AFB, CA
Few vacancies
Los Angeles, CA
Few vacancies
Vandenberg AFB, CA
Few vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
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
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
K-23-DHA-11639240-BJM
Control number
676525400

Duties

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  • Performs work as a physicist in support of conventional projects assigned to higher level scientists.
  • Performs work as a physicist of limited scope and complexity in support of projects assigned to higher grade scientists.
  • Researches scientific information through a variety of data sources and scientific disciplines.
  • Carries out special assignments designed to facilitate the full use of and enhance the interns training and development.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.
  • U.S. Citizenship is required
  • Males must be registered for Selective Service, see www.sss.gov
  • Total salary varies depending on location of position
  • PCS expenses if authorized will be paid IAW JTR and Air Force Regulations
  • Recruitment incentives may be authorized
  • This posn is subject to provisions of the DoD Priority Placement Program
  • Position may be subject to random drug testing
  • Employee may be required to work other than normal duty hours, to include evenings, weekends and/or holidays
  • Shift work and emergency overtime may be required
  • Employee must maintain current certifications
  • Disclosure of Political Appointments
  • Grade Point Average-2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0
  • You will be required to serve a one year probationary period

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS for GS-7 and GS-9:
A. Degree: Physics; or related degree that included at least 24 semester hours in physics.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience-courses equivalent to a major in physics totaling at least 24 semester hours, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In either A or B above, the courses must have included a fundamental course in general physics and, in addition, courses in any two of the following: electricity and magnetism, heat, light, mechanics, modern physics, and sound.

You may qualify if you meet one of the following:

1. GS-7: You must have completed a 4 year course of study leading to a bachelor's from an accredited institution AND must have documented Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) or one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least a GS-05 at the undergraduate level in one of the following:

2. GS-9: You must have completed 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree or one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least a GS-07 at the graduate level in one of the following:

a) Class Standing - upper third of the graduating class based on completed courses in the college, university, or major subdivision;
b) Grade Point Average - 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on your official transcript or as computed based on 4 years of education or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of curriculum; OR 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in your major field or the required courses in your major field completed during the final 2 years of your curriculum. If more than 10 percent of total undergraduate credit hours are non-graded, i.e. pass/fail, CLEP, CCAF, DANTES, military credit, etc, you cannot qualify based on GPA;
c) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society (note: freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this position). (If qualifying based on class standing or honor society membership, provide appropriate documentation). OR2. You have one full year (18 semester hours or the equivalent) of graduate level study, or possess a master's or higher degree, e.g., LL.B., J.D., LL.M., Ph.D., in a field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of this position. Such fields include business administration, industrial management, industrial engineering, industrial psychology, public administration, political science, or government. (Submit copy of transcripts).
OR
3. You have at least one year (12 months) of specialized experience that provided knowledge of to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower qualifying pay band or equivalent grade under the General Schedule (GS) or other pay systems. Equivalent experience may be at the level of the lowest GS grade covered by the applicable pay band; however, the experience must demonstrate KSA's to successfully perform the duties of the position being filled.
OR
4. You must have a combination of graduate education as described above and the type of specialized experience as described above, which when combined would equate to 100%. (To compute, first determine your total qualifying graduate level education as a percentage of the graduate education required; then determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of experience described above; add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal to at least 100 %.) (Submit a copy of your transcript.)

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Professional knowledge of physical laws, policies, theories, principles and concepts and familiarity with other scientific and engineering disciplines.
2. Ability to analyze, interpret and apply physical laws and procedures in a variety of situations and recommend effective solutions to senior physicists.
3. Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
4. Knowledge of computer operations and standard software applications.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

IF USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY: You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

Additional information

For DHA Positions:
These positions are being filled under Direct-Hire Authority for the Department of Defense for Post-Secondary Students and Recent Graduates. The Secretary of the Air Force has delegated authority by the Office of the Secretary of Defense to directly appoint qualified post-secondary students and recent graduates directly into competitive service positions; these positions may be professional or administrative occupations and are located Air Force-Wide. Positions may be filled as permanent or term with a full-time or part-time work schedule. Pay will vary by geographic location.

*** The term "Current post-secondary student" means a person who is currently enrolled in, and in good academic standing at a full-time program at an institution of higher education; and is making satisfactory progress toward receipt of a baccalaureate or graduate degree; and has completed at least one year of the program.

*** The term "recent graduate" means a person who was awarded a degree by an institution of higher education not more than two years before the date of the appointment of such person, except in the case of a person who has completed a period of obligated service in a uniform service of more than four years.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP eligible click here. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated in the "Highly Qualified" or "Best Qualified" Category on the rating criteria for this vacancy. You must submit a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location.

Selective Service: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service. For additional information, click here.

Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have direct deposit.

If you have questions regarding this announcement and have hearing or speech difficulties click here.

Tax Law Impact for PCS: On 22-Dec-2017, Public Law 115-97 - the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017" suspended qualified moving expense deductions along with the exclusion for employer reimbursements and payments of moving expenses effective 01-Jan-2018 for tax years 2018 through 2025. The law made taxable certain reimbursements and other payments, including driving mileage, airfare and lodging expenses, en-route travel to the new duty station, and temporary storage of those items. The Federal Travel Regulation Bulletin (FTR) 18-05 issued by General Services Administration (GSA) has authorized agencies to use the Withholding Tax Allowance (WTA) and Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) to pay for "substantially all" of the increased tax liability resulting from the "2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" for certain eligible individuals. For additional information on WTA/RITA allowances and eligibilities please click here. Subsequently, FTR Bulletin 20-04 issued by GSA, provides further information regarding NDAA FY2020, Public Law 116-92, and the expansion of eligibility beyond "transferred" for WTA/RITA allowances. For additional information, please click here.

How you will be evaluated

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

For DHA Positions:
These positions are being filled under Direct-Hire Authority for the DoD for Post-Secondary Students and Recent Graduates. The Secretary of the Air Force has delegated authority by the Office of the Secretary of Defense to directly appoint qualified students and recent graduates directly into competitive service positions; positions may be professional or administrative occupations and located Air Force-Wide. Positions may be filled as permanent/term with a full-time/part-time work schedule. Pay will vary by geographic location.
*** The term "Current post-secondary student" means a person who is currently enrolled and in good academic standing at a full-time program at an institution of higher education; and is progressing toward a baccalaureate or graduate degree; and has completed at least 1 year of the program.
*** The term "recent graduate" means a person awarded a degree by an institution of higher education not more than 2 years before the date of the appointment of such person, except in the case of a person who has completed a period of obligated service in a uniform service of more than 4 years.

Your latest resume will be used to determine your qualifications.

Your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

Your responses to the questionnaire may be compared to the documents you submit. The documents you submit must support your responses to the online questionnaire. If your application contradicts or does not support your questionnaire responses, you will receive a rating of "not qualified" or "insufficient information" and you will not receive further consideration for this job.

Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.

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