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ASTRONOMER

Department of the Navy
United States Fleet Forces Command
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This is a public notice flyer to notify interested applicants of anticipated vacancies. Applications will not be accepted through this flyer. Interested applicants must follow the directions in the "How to Apply" section of this flyer to be considered. There may or may not be actual vacancies filled from this flyer. Notice of Result letters will not be sent to applicants who respond to this flyer.

Overview

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Job closed
Open & closing dates
12/02/2022 to 12/16/2022
Salary
$106,823 to - $138,868 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
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
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
DE-11733402-23-LDD
Control number
692116900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens

Duties

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  • You will serve as a Lead Astronomer located in the Earth Orientation Parameter (EOP) Combination and Prediction and Global Positioning System (GPS) Analysis Division, Earth Orientation (EO) Department, U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO), Washington, D.C.
  • You will serve as an advisor specializing in time series studies or improving complex software for polar motion, Universal Time and nutation using Very Long Baseline Interferometry, analysis of orbits of GPS satellites, and other data input series.
  • You will lead efforts to analyze, validate, and review EOP data inputs to current existing algorithms that are currently in use at USNO.
  • You will lead efforts to analyze geophysical data and models for applicability to improving the estimation and prediction of Earth orientation parameters.
  • You will plan and lead significant mission enhancing projects.
  • You will be coordinating and implementing software tests to ensure that any software or procedural changes are technically accurate, correct, and comply with Information Assurance (IA) and division objectives
  • You will collaborate with other DoD scientists or international experts to assist in publishing findings in journal papers or reports.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
  • Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
  • New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
  • Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Per the preliminary nationwide injunction on E.O. 14043, COVID-19 vaccinations will not be implemented or enforced. For more information on vaccine status and workplace safety protocol requirements see Additional Information below.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final Top Secret/SCI security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • Successful completion of a pre-employment drug test (including marijuana) is required. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if you fail to report to the drug test appointment or fail the test. You will be subject to random testing.
  • This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.
  • Occasional evening/weekend work is required.
  • The incumbent may be required to complete a Security+ training certification in order to carry out Scientific Computer Systems duties. The incumbent should be able to obtain certification within 4 months of starting the position.
  • THIS IS A DIRECT HIRE ANNOUNCEMENT. This announcement is a DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD/Modified Direct Hire Authority of the Department of Defense to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to certain positions in the competitive service.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR THE GS-13: In addition to the Basic Requirement (see Education section), your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the (GS-12) grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities, to perform successfully the duties of the position such as:

  • Demonstrates expert knowledge in Earth orientation and reference frames, geodesy, physics, statistical analysis, and computer Information Assurance.
  • Initiates, plans, and executes, and leads various geodetic project and research.
  • Installing, upgrading, and troubleshooting data analysis subsystems and system software for geodesy programs.
  • Gathers, analyzes, interprets, and resolves geophysical data such as but not limited to Earth orientation and reference frame data.
  • Utilizing and familiarity with high level computer languages such as but not limited to FORTRAN, C, C++, and Python.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1300/astronomy-and-space-science-series-1330/

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Education

In addition to the above Specialized Experience, Applicants must meet the following Basic Education requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual: Applicants must possess:

A. Degree: in one or a combination of astronomy, physics, mathematics, space science, or electronics. The course work must have included differential and integral calculus and 12 semester hours in astronomy and/or physics. (TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE PROVIDED).

or

B. Combination of education and experience -- at least 30 semester hours of courses equivalent to a major in any combination of astronomy, space science, physics, mathematics, and electronics, with required course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. (TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE PROVIDED).

Additional information

COVID VACCINATION INFORMATION: To comply with the recent preliminary nationwide injunction on Executive Order 14043, Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees, the Department of the Navy is not taking any action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement. New hires will need to provide their vaccination status as well as comply with workplace safety protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

Several vacancies may be filled.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf.

Veteran's preference does not apply when selecting individuals under this specific hiring authority. However, if you claim veteran's preference, you will be required to submit supporting documentation with your application as described in the Required Documents section below.

How you will be evaluated

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

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.

As vacancies occur, the Human Resources Office will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this flyer. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume, along with your supporting documentation.

If selected, you may be required to provide additional supporting documentation.

If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may be found ineligible/not qualified.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All qualification requirements must be met before being considered for any vacancies.

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