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Supervisory Geophysicist

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
This job announcement has closed

Summary

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?

Salary: $136,992 (Step 01) to $176,300 (Step 10); NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

There is currently only one vacancy to be filled; however, this announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies if they become available.

Relocation expenses are authorized.

Open to all U.S. citizens under: USGS-SAC-23-11787202-DE-LN

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/03/2023 to 05/02/2023
Salary
$136,992 to - $176,300 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Menlo Park, CA
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
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
USGS-SAC-23-11905085-ST-LN
Control number
716331600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to current or former Federal employees w/perm comp status; OR those eligible under a special or noncomp appointing authority (e.g.,VRA, disabled, Pathways Interns & Recent Grads who are elig for noncomp conversion, etc.); OR current or former employees who are serving, or previously served, on temp or term appt in a land mgmt agency; OR veterans with preference or have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after approx 3yrs or more of continuous active service.

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Duties

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As a Supervisory Geophysicist within the Earthquake Science Center, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Serves as the Project Leader for the Earthquake Monitoring Project (EMP).
  • Coordinates the rapid and reliable delivery of seismic data and earthquake products to state emergency-services agencies, and cooperating networks of the California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN).
  • Provides scientific guidance to improve data processing efficiency, earthquake detection and location, data quality control, and earthquake information products.
  • Responsible for compliance with relevant regulatory requirements and agency policies.
  • Supervises directly eight (8) full time employees and indirectly about thirty (30) full time employees.
  • May serve as an agency spokesperson to the media following significant earthquakes in northern and central California.
  • Develops strategy, obtains funding, and finishes the analog-to-digital upgrade of instrumentation and telemetry.
Physical Demands: Work is primarily sedentary and may involve occasional travel. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site.

Work Environment: Work is performed primarily in office and laboratory settings. Occasional travel to field sites or classrooms for specialized training may occur for periods up to one week at a time.

Requirements

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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. Supervisory Probationary Period - This position requires completion of a one year supervisory/managerial probationary period, if one has not previously been completed.
  5. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
  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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • If you are a Federal employee applying for a promotion (under merit promotion procedures) you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Geophysicist, 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 that included at least 30 semester hours in mathematics (including calculus) and the physical sciences (geophysics, physics, engineering, geology, astronomy, meteorology, electronics, etc.). **OR
  • B. A combination of education and experience -- at least 30 semester hours in mathematics (including calculus) and the physical sciences (geophysics, physics, engineering, geology, astronomy, meteorology, electronics, etc.), 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.

FOR GS-14:In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must have one year of appropriate professional experience in geophysics that is equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service.

Examples of such experience could include serving as a senior expert involved in geophysical investigations or leading a network for which technical problem definitions, methods and/or data were highly incomplete, controversial, or uncertain and whose evaluations and recommendations were accepted by others as those of a technical expert. At this level, Geophysicists typically represent an authoritative source of consultation for other scientists and program specialists, are called upon to resolve issues that significantly affect the organization's programs, make long range and innovative proposals and defend their findings and recommendations in public or high level forums.

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

Education

  • 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.
  • Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .

Additional information

Other Information:

  • Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
  • Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
  • USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
  • The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
  • DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
  • The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.
  • THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
Agency Benefits:

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:

  • Teamwork
  • Customer Service
  • Program/Project Management
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Scientific Knowledge
  • Compute/Analyze Data
  • Information Management
  • Financial Management


--Basis of Rating: You will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. If you are eligible, you will receive a numerical rating based on your on-line responses to the application questions. These responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible.

Additional Assessment Required: If you meet the eligibility and basic qualification requirements for this position a subject-matter-expert will perform a structured review of your resume to evaluate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and competences as they directly relate to the duties of this position.

Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and awards during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager. If referred, all relevant documents including performance appraisals and awards submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the hiring official for review.

--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/11905085

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