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As a Physical Scientist (Outreach) within the Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) of the Volcano Science Center, some of your specific duties will include:

• Serves as a principal outreach scientific communication liaison between CVO scientists with volcano hazards expertise and a wide range of stakeholders representing communities at risk from volcanoes of the Cascade Range.
• Independently with oversight determines the best path forward in a landscape in which the stakeholder community is constantly changing and in which there are few guidelines for how scientists should most effectively engage this community.
• Leads and participates in efforts to develop materials and execute training and education programs that are integrated with broader volcano hazard assessment projects in order to promote public and institutional acceptance and implementation of VSC hazard assessment
  products.
• Participates in geological, hydrological, and geophysical investigations of volcanoes and volcanic processes at Cascade Range volcanoes, and in CVO and VSC monitoring and hazard response activities at restless or erupting volcanoes.
• Helps manage media interactions with observatory scientists. Serves as a spokesperson for CVO and VSC to officials and to national and international news media. Assists with other media and information needs during volcano crises.

Physical Demands: The work is mostly sedentary in nature, but travel, including some field visits, may be required. The work is mostly performed where the employee may sit or stand comfortably in accordance with ergonomic standards, although the incumbent may be required to lift and carry equipment or displays weighing up to tens of pounds. Normal manual dexterity, color vision, and vision acuity are necessary for this position. Travel to communities at risk often requires overnight stays of one or more nights. Field visits could require arduous hiking over rough terrain, occasionally at high altitude and in extremes of heat or cold. In the event of an eruption or other volcano activity, the incumbent must be able to work extended hours over the course of many days.

Work Environment: The majority of the work is spent in the office setting and interacting with people both in person and via web conference technologies. Travel is required for conferences (both domestic and international), stakeholder meetings, and other coordination meetings primarily in Washington and Oregon. Multi-day trips may occur about once per month. Fieldwork is occasionally required during participation in geologic or geophysical investigations as well as in response to volcanic unrest or eruption.

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 probationary period.
4. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
5. Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.
6. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

• If selected you may be asked to provide information regarding your COVID-19 vaccination status for the purposes of implementing workplace safety protocols, such as those related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
• This vacancy is limited to the first 70 applications received and will close at midnight Eastern Time on the day this application limit is reached regardless of the closing date specified in this vacancy announcement. Any application received prior to midnight Eastern Time of the day the application limit is reached will be accepted and considered. You are strongly encouraged to submit all required supporting documents at the time of application should the vacancy close earlier than stated in this announcement due to the applicant limit being reached. Supporting documents will not be accepted once the vacancy announcement closes.
• 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.
• This position requires successful completion of a pre-employment medical examination at Federal expense.
• 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.

REQUIREMENTS CONTINUED IN THE QUALIFICATIONS SECTION:

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS CONTINUED:

• 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.

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 the equivalent in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.

**OR

B. A combination of education and experience--education equivalent to one of the majors shown in "A" above (24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science, engineering, or mathematics) that included at least 24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science and/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. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE)

For GS-11:

In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-11 level:

**Three years of progressively higher level graduate education (54 semester hours, 81 quarter hours or the equivalent) leading to a Ph.D. degree in physical science or other directly related field of study or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in physical science or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the position to be filled.

**OR 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-9 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 independent responsibility for a well-defined study or for a phase of a larger study that required the planning and carrying out of routine physical science work. This work would have required the individual to select and make minor adaptations to procedures and accepted practices and handle unexpected conditions arising in the normal course of the work. At this level, physical scientists have the ability to independently perform moderately difficult and responsible scientific work.

**OR a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described, above that is beyond the second year of progressive graduate study and professional experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE)

For GS-12:

In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet the following to qualify for the GS-12 level: 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 physical science studies, which usually involved intensive investigations into recognized phenomena. This work typically involved conventional methods and techniques though it required going beyond clear precedents, and required adapting methods to the problems at hand and interpreting findings in terms of their scientific significance. At this level, physical scientists have the ability to independently perform scientific work of considerable difficulty.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

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
• Multi-Media Communication Skills
• Program/Project Management
• Interpersonal Communication
• Public information, Outreach Activities
• Written Communication
• Information Management
• Pressure/Deadlines
• Teamwork
• 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. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment required for this position. 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.

--Additional Assessment Required: If you meet the eligibility and basic qualification requirements for this position, you will be contacted via email and asked to provide narrative responses to questions that are specific to this job. The email will include the instructions and deadline in which the responses must be submitted. A subject-matter-expert(s) will use these narrative responses to further evaluate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and competences as they directly relate to the duties of this position. Failure to submit this information upon request will result in your disqualification from further consideration.

--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.

To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11596792