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Geographer

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
National Geospatial Program
This job announcement has closed

Summary

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

Salary dependent upon the agreed upon duty location of the position. Locality pay tables can be found here.

Remote Work: Remote work is a flexible work arrangement in which an employee conducts their work from a personally designated location, most often their residence.

Open to current or former Federal employees: USGS-RES-23-12058765-ST-SER

Overview

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Hiring complete
Posted 07/31/23
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Not applicable, this is a remote position.
Remote job
Yes
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$136,908 - $183,500 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel 1 night per month for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
USGS-RES-23-12058764-DE-SER
Control number
740134900

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Duties

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As a Geographer within the National Geospatial Program Office, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Represents the NGP, USGS, Department of the Interior, and the Federal government on policy and operational names issues as the Executive Secretary of the U.S. BGN and as the Executive Secretary for the Domestic Names Committee (DNC) of the U.S. BGN.
  • Serves as the senior strategy, program, and technical expert for the Geospatial Information discipline in matters of geographic names including issues such as standardizing names content and optimizing data sharing among all levels of government, private industry, and the public, and the integration of those data to ensure the availability of nationally consistent, current, accurate, and complete information so the needs of all sectors for this information are met.
  • Pursues and ensures the participation of Federal, State, and local government partners and of nongovernment organizations including the private sector, in the development and long-term maintenance of The National Map by promoting the intertwined benefits of creating, maintaining, archiving, disseminating, and applying The National Map data, including geographic names.
  • Ability to communicate orally and in writing to prepare technical documentation and correspondence, present briefings to convey complex information clearly and concisely, and to represent the BGN and NGP during meetings and conferences.
Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary. Travel between Reston and offices of other organizations, or meeting sites are a significant aspect of the position. Out-of-town travel, including international travel, is required.

Work Environment: Work is performed primarily in an office setting including meeting and training rooms, conference halls, and data and map production and archive facilities.

Driver's License/Driving Record - 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.

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.
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 50 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.
  • 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

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Geographer, all grade levels.

  1. Degree in geography; or related physical or social science such as geology, meteorology, economics, statistics, sociology, anthropology, political science, history, cartography, computer science, urban studies, or planning that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields.
  2. A combination of education and experience-- courses equivalent to a major in geography, or a related field that included at least 24 semesters hours in geography or related fields, as shown in "A" above, plus appropriate experience and/or additional education. 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-15:

In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet the following to qualify for the GS-15 level:

**One year of professional geographer experience that is equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in the Federal service.

Examples of such may include:
  1. Subject Matter Expert level knowledge of the Principles, Policies, and Procedures U.S. Board on Geographic Names/Domestic Names Committee
  2. Develop successful cooperative relationships with representatives of International, Federal, State, and local government agencies, and standards organizations.
  3. Coordination of and collaboration with Federal, State, and local government partners and of nongovernment organizations including the private sector, in the development and long-term maintenance of national geospatial data, including geographic names.
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:

  • Written Communication
  • Information Management
  • Compile/Analyze Data
  • Scientific Knowledge
  • Program/Project Management
  • Leadership and Supervision
  • Public Information and Outreach Activities
  • Interpersonal Communication

--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 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/12058764

Geological Survey

Agency contact information

Sally Ruskowski
Phone
703 648-7437
Email
sruskowski@usgs.gov
Address
CARTO DATA SRVCS
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Mail Stop 600
Reston, VA 20192
US

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