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Electronics Technician

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
This job announcement has closed

Summary

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

Duty Station To Be Determined - The duty station of these positions are located in the local commuting area of the counties found under the Duties section of this announcement. Please see the Duties section for more information.

Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses to first post of duty are not authorized.

A recruitment incentive MAY be authorized in filling this position.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/17/2023 to 07/17/2023
Salary
$69,107 to - $111,157 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Location Negotiable After Selection
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% or less - 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
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
USGS-SAC-23-11799333-DE-PC
Control number
719824600

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Duties

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This announcement will be used to fill vacancies as they become available over the course of this open announcement (may be extended).

Initial consideration will be given to candidates whose applications have been received before the first cut-off date. Qualification and/or time-in-grade requirements must be met for those applications submitted by the first cut-off date. This announcement has an initial cut-off date of May 17, 2023. Applications received after the initial cut-off date will only be referred for consideration when the initial group is exhausted and/or there are additional vacancies to fill.

Cut-off Dates:

  • May 17, 2023
  • June 19, 2023
  • July 17, 2023

As an Electronics Technician within the Earthquake Science Center, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Maintain the existing network of analog/digital equipment and relay stations that comprises either the Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN), the Northern California Seismic Network (NCSN), the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN), or the National Strong Motion Network (NSMN).
  • Install, configure, diagnose, and repair sophisticated electronic seismic station components such as seismometers, analog and digital dataloggers, power systems, or radio, satellite and cell based telemetry.
  • Develop methods and procedures for the use of test equipment and computer systems to detect, troubleshoot, and resolve problems. Proper continuous operation (24/7/365) is monitored, and defects are addressed quickly to minimize impacts on the data latency and return.
  • Plan, design, and fabricate electronic and mechanical systems as part of the installation of new seismic stations, relay stations, and the relocation or upgrade of existing stations.
  • Work with scientists/engineers from the USGS and other institutions on special studies and field response to significant earthquakes.
  • Work with land owners for access to sites.
  • Operate a government-owned or -leased vehicle in the performance of official duties.
Physical Demands: Long periods of standing and detailed electronics work are required. Field work requires moderately strenuous physical demands including stooping, reaching, lifting, squatting, and carrying heavy objects, climbing, digging, mixing cement, walking in uneven terrain, some mountaineering, and may occur in adverse conditions. Long travel days in a vehicle, aircraft, or marine vessel are not uncommon.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office setting, electronics lab, computer rooms, and in the field where it is common to work both in dense urban and harsh, desolate, and mountainous environments. Long drives on unpaved roads are often necessary to reach field sites. Travel by boat, helicopter, UTV, ATV or other non-conventional travel may be required. Overnight travel is expected. The position will occasionally require working in potentially hazardous environments such as electrical shock; falls from high towers; enclosed spaces; under buildings and bridges; corrosive chemicals; around moving helicopter rotors while sling or cargo loading; or under extreme weather conditions.

Salary: The salary will be based on the OPM locality pay table for the duty location selected. You may view the OPM locality table General Schedule (opm.gov). NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

Locations: Selectees will be required to report to one of the following USGS locations during the first year of their appointment for training and mentoring: Menlo Park, CA; Moffett Field, CA; Pasadena, CA; or Seattle, WA . After the initial training period, selectees may work from one of the above locations or may work from and within one of the counties/regions listed below. Locations may include:
  • California Counties
    • Alameda
    • Contra Costa
    • Imperial
    • Kern
    • Los Angeles
    • Marin
    • Mendocino
    • Napa
    • Orange
    • Riverside
    • San Bernardino
    • San Diego
    • San Luis Obispo
    • San Mateo
    • Santa Clara
    • Santa Cruz
    • Solano
    • Sonoma
    • Ventura
  • Oregon Counties
    • Clackamas
    • Columbia
    • Deschutes
    • Lane
    • Marion
    • Multnomah
    • Polk
    • Washington
    • Yamhill
  • Tennessee Counties
    • Shelby
  • Utah Counties
    • Cache
    • Davis
    • Morgan
    • Salt Lake
    • Utah
    • Weber
  • Washington Counties
    • Benton
    • Clark
    • Cowlitz
    • Franklin
    • Grays Harbor
    • King
    • Pierce
    • Skagit
    • Snohomish
    • Thurston
    • Walla Walla
    • Yakima

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

Qualifications

Applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-11 level:

One year of appropriate professional experience that is equivalent to at least the GS-10 level in the Federal service. Examples of such experience may include selecting or recommending approaches to solving unique design problems, developing new components or circuits in units or devices with very critical tolerances or performance characteristics, and conferring with scientists to gain understanding of the objectives desired.

**OR 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in electrical engineering, electronics engineering, or engineering technology or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skill and abilities necessary to do the work of the this position.

**OR A combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and professional experience, as described above.

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:
Interpersonal Communication

  • Written Communication
  • Flexibility
  • Personnel
  • Scientific Instrumentation
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Mechanical Ability
  • Technology Application
  • Collect Scientific Data
  • Scientific Knowledge
  • Infrastructure Maintenance
--Basis of Rating: Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are Best Qualified, Well 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 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.

--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/11799333

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