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Ecologist/Physical Scientist

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
Office of the Northeast Regional Director
This job announcement has closed

Summary

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?
Salary: $117,518 (Step 01) to $152,771(Step 10); NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.
Locality pay scales here
NOTE: The Fairview, PA location is located in the city of New Cumberland (Fairview Township), PA
Open to current or former Federal employees: USGS-RES-23-12127294-ST-DLP

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
09/15/2023 to 09/29/2023
Salary
$117,518 to - $152,771 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Dover, DE
Baltimore, MD
Laurel, MD
Fairview, PA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel up to 10 nights per month 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
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
USGS-RES-23-12127293-DE-DLP
Control number
749230600

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Duties

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As the Chesapeake Bay Coordinator within the Office of the Northeast Regional Director, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Develops and updates the major goals and priorities of USGS Chesapeake Bay science activities, incorporating both USGS and partner perspectives by engaging with internal and external groups.
  • Implements the Chesapeake science strategy by managing funding and activities of a large team of teams. Provides oversight and guidance to the Associate Chesapeake Coordinator and team leadership.
  • Serves as the USGS lead in communicating Chesapeake Science within USGS and to partner agencies, non-profit groups, and others. Works with scientists to translate and communicate science to a non-scientific audience.
  • Develops and maintains partnerships with science and resource management organizations. Collaborates and innovates to implement integrated approaches to meeting stakeholder needs.


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.
Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?
  • 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

GS-0408:
BASIC
EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A. below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Ecologist, 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 in biology or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours or the equivalent in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours or the equivalent in ecology, and 12 semester hours or the equivalent in physical and mathematical sciences.

GS-1301:
BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Physical Scientist, 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 in physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.
**OR
B. A combination of education and experience--education equivalent to one of the majors shown in "A" above (24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science, engineering, or mathematics) that included at least 24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science and/or related engineering science as described above, 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. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE)

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 appropriate professional experience that is in or directly related to the duties of the position to be filled is qualifying if it is equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Examples of appropriate GS-14 level work may include: 1) Developing and coordinating major interdisciplinary projects that may impact a large restoration effort; 2) developing or directly influencing the scientific, administrative and technical policies necessary for the effective direction, management, and operation of a multi-discipline, multi-million dollar scientific program; 3) resolving critical problems resulting from the unprecedented complexities of a multi-disciplinary program; 4) serving as the principal scientific or technical contact with other Federal agencies, state and local government organizations, the public, and other groups that may affect the success of a major interdisciplinary scientific program.

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:

  • Scientific Knowledge
  • Program/Project Management
  • Decision Making
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Written 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. 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, your on-line responses to the application questions will determine your placement in the appropriate quality category described above. 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, you will be contacted via email and asked to provide narrative responses to questions that are specific to this job. The email will include the instructions and deadline in which the responses must be submitted. A subject-matter-expert(s) will use these narrative responses to further evaluate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and competences as they directly relate to the duties of this position. Failure to submit this information upon request will result in your disqualification from further consideration.
1. The Chesapeake Coordinator is a non-supervisory position. The Coordinator nevertheless must lead a large group of contributors to meet the objectives of the Chesapeake Bay Science Activities. Please describe your leadership philosophy, including any thoughts about how to lead teams made up of individuals of diverse background coming from many different organizational units.

2. USGS Chesapeake Bay Science Activities consists of approximately $27.5M of work that integrates multiple science disciplines. About 120 individuals contribute to science teams, leadership teams, and task teams to execute the work. Please describe your experience managing large projects and teams.

3. USGS work related to the Chesapeake Bay is carried out in partnership with numerous federal, state, and local agencies and non-profit organizations to meet stakeholder science needs. Please describe your experience developing partnerships and working with other organizations to plan and execute work.


--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/12127293

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