Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens, Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)

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This subject to furlough position is located within the Division of Resource Management at Acadia National Park, working in the water and air resources program. The incumbent serves as the lead for long-term air pollution and lake and stream water monitoring activities and will work both independently and alongside other NPS staff. Air resources work includes operation, maintenance, and calibration of visibility, particulate, deposition, and meteorological monitoring and sampling equipment. Water resources work will include taking field measurements of water quality parameters such as pH, conductivity, temperature, clarity, dissolved oxygen, and water quantity (lake water level, stream discharge) in park lakes and streams, collecting water samples from lakes and streams for chemical and bacteriological analysis at contract labs, and collecting samples of benthic stream macroinvertebrates.

The position also involves calibrating and maintaining equipment in field and lab sites, conducting simple laboratory analyses, entering information into electronic databases and spreadsheets, compiling, and analyzing information for use in interim and annual reports and science communication products.
The incumbent collaborates and communicates with other state, federal and private cooperators or researchers working with the park on monitoring programs or research investigations with air, water, wildlife, vegetation, and other resource programs. This position requires use of a variety of vehicles, equipment, and watercraft to conduct these activities.

The position is located in Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, ME. Weather is typical of the coastal maritime region, with daytime temperatures ranging from the 40s in the spring to the low 80s in the summer months and into the early fall. Work occurs from sea level to 1,530 feet. Park headquarters is located about four miles outside of Bar Harbor, Maine. Essential amenities (groceries, churches, clothing, schools, and medical services) can be found in the neighboring communities of Bar Harbor, Northeast Harbor, Southwest Harbor, Trenton, and Ellsworth.


Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
• Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
• You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-12/13/2022-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

Basic Education Requirement for Biologist, GS-0401: Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

-OR-

Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Basic Education Requirement for Physical Scientist, GS-1301: Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.

-OR-

Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

In addition to meeting one of the Basic Occupational Requirements listed above, the applicant must meet the following Minimum Qualification Requirement in order to be considered:

EXPERIENCE GS-07: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: 1) assist in monitoring and reporting on the condition of air and water resources; 2) provide field data reports that identify resource issues or potential problems while conducting natural and cultural resource projects; 3) participate in the development and implementation of mitigation work project plans.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of one full year of graduate-level education in a major field of study or specific course requirements stated in the basic education requirement section. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) as evidenced by one of the three following methods: I am in the upper third of my graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR I have a GPA 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum, or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in my major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; OR I am a member in one of the national scholastic honor societies.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Take the number of months of full time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.

EXPERIENCE GS-09: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: 1) monitoring and reporting on the condition of air and water resources; 2) identify air and water resource issues for correcting work projects; 3) utilize automated systems to prepare reports and illustrations for restoration work projects; 4) provide responses to inquiries on resource management strategies and programs.

-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a major field of study or specific course requirements stated in the basic education requirement section. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Take the number of months of full time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.

Volunteer Experience: 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.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies"

NOTE: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001).

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. 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 assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

• Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
• Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

• Earth Science
• Hydrology
• Information Management
• Partnering
• Planning and Evaluating
• Teamwork
• Technical Competence
• Writing

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a panel resume review . These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.