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Cartographer/Geographer/Computer Scientist

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
National Geospatial Technical Operations Center
This job announcement has closed

Summary

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

Salary:
Lakewood, CO: $91,753 (Step 01) to $119,280 (Step 10);
Rolla, MO: $82,830 (Step 01) to $107,680 (Step 10);
NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

Open to all U.S. citizens under: USGS-RES-23-12099334-DE-SER

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
09/25/2023 to 10/06/2023
Salary
$82,830 to - $119,280 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Locations
3 vacancies in the following locations:
Lakewood, CO
Rolla, MO
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel 0-3 nights per month for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
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
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
USGS-RES-23-12099337-ST-SER
Control number
749484000

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., 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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The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) serves as a national catalyst for the organization and distribution of biological, hydrological, geological, and geographical information and addresses the specific needs of the Department of the Interior and its land and resource managers. The USGS is the Nation's largest water, earth, biological science and civilian mapping agency, working in cooperation with more than 2,000 organizations across the country with numerous international communities to provide reliable, impartial, scientific information to resource managers, planners, and other customers and partners.

The National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) is an operational component within the USGS National Geospatial Directorate (NGD) which includes the NGTOC and the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. The NGTOC provides world-class geospatial technical expertise, research, and customer service for the USGS and the Nation and is responsible for the acquisition, assessment, integration, and publication of geospatial data in support of The National Map. This includes oversight of Geospatial Data Products and Services Contracts, quality validation of products and data provided by external partners and contractors, development of national standards and data models, and providing technical assistance to federal, state, local and private sector partners.

The Elevation Systems Project Manager (PM) position is an Elevation Data Production and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications software project manager in the Information Systems Section. The Dynamic Mapping PM and the Derived Product Generation (DPG) PM positions are Topographic Mapping and GIS applications software project managers in the Science Systems Development Section. All three PM positions are within the Systems Development Branch of the NGTOC Innovation Office. The Systems Development Branch provides geospatial development technical skills, processes, and techniques used in achieving the goals of the National Geospatial Program (NGP). Systems Development resources assess and document local and enterprise-level geospatial requirements and develop applications and systems to meet these requirements.

The Elevation Systems PM is in the Elevation Systems agile development team which develops and maintains all software tools related to validation and production of 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) data, including, but not limited to the Lev8 and Valid8 applications along with the Data Validation Toolset. The Dynamic Mapping PM is in the Dynamic Mapping agile development team that develops and maintains all software tools related to Dynamic Mapping, including, but not limited to the topoBuilder application, OnDemand Topo product suite, and The National Map data enrichment workflows to support automated map production. The DPG PM is in the DPG agile development team that support The National Map staged product generation and US Topo Assembly.

These development teams consist of contracted and government developers. The PM positions maintain technical core competencies of the software and systems; facilitate development prioritization in collaboration with stakeholders and business owners; and monitor, provide guidance, and lead contractor activities. These positions support the NGP mission and goals.

The Elevation Systems PM reports directly to the Information Systems Section Chief. The Dynamic Mapping PM and the DPG PM report directly to the Science Systems Development Section Chief. The incumbents may be in either of the NGTOC locations (Lakewood, CO and Rolla, MO).

As an Interdisciplinary Geographer / Cartographer / Computer Scientist (Elevation Systems Project Manager) within the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center, some of your specific duties will include:
  • Serves as a subject matter expert, scrum master, and systems architecture project manager responsible for planning and executing systems development projects that support the U.S. Geological Survey and National Geospatial Program.
  • Oversees systems development team activities to ensure adherence to development timelines, system security requirements, implementation strategies, and release of GIS applications and geospatial data in collaboration with other development teams and/or government contractors.
  • Researches, interprets, and applies technological advancements and approaches to develop, enhance, or resolve geographic information systems requirements or issues within a cloud-hosted setting.
  • Collaborates with stakeholders and user communities to provide expert advice and consultation for current and future geospatial software development activities while formulating innovative approaches to satisfy diverse customer requirements.
  • Compiles and communicates complex technical documentation and requirements to audiences of varying technical ability.
Duties continued below.

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?
  • 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.
Duties Continued:
Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary and requires only slight physical effort such as moving about, reaching, and lifting/moving lightweight objects such as a laptop, folders, binders, and similar. Slightly greater physical effort may be required during travel.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office setting that is adequately heated, lighted, and ventilated. Occasional travel is required and involves work in a similar environment. Requires safety precautions typical of the environment.

The USGS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the incumbent may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval. This work environment is expected to be similar to that described above

Qualifications

For GS-0150:

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-1301:

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Cartographer, all grade levels. A. Degree: cartography; or a major that included or was supplemented by at least 30 semester hours in cartography and/or directly related science, and related mathematics. Such course work includes, but is not limited to, cartography, astronomy, geodesy, photogrammetry, physical and geological oceanography, computer science, land surveying, geophysics, physical geography, and remote sensing. The 30 semester hours must have included at least 6, but no more than 15, semester hours of college level, non-business mathematics or statistics (i.e. college-level algebra, trigonometry, calculus, or scientific mathematics or statistics requiring equivalent college-level courses as prerequisites).

**OR

B. Combination of education and experience-courses equivalent to a major in cartography, or a minor that included or was supplemented by at least 30 semester hours in cartography, and/or directly related science, and related mathematics, as shown in "A" 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).

For GS-1550:

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet the following to satisfy the basic education requirement for Computer Scientist, all grade levels. Bachelor's or higher degree in computer science OR a bachelor's or higher degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus.

For GS-12:

In addition to the Basic Education Requirement as described above, applicants must meet the following to qualify for the GS-12 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-11 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 such experience may include: performing geospatial and cartographic systems development and team management, leading to cartographic and/or GIS application deployment as well as creation of requirements documentation, specific to topographic mapping. This experience must demonstrate the following skills:

  • Researching, interpreting, and applying geographic information systems (GIS) and Cloud infrastructure best practices on geospatial data processing application development and deployment to a dispersed cloud environment
  • Preparing and communicating geospatial data and cartographic requirements both orally and in writing to audiences of varying technical ability
  • Leading and collaborating with geospatial data development teams, following agile cycles to implement, validate, and iterate on geospatial data and cartographic processing tools and workflows.
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:

  • Leadership & Supervision
  • Technology Application
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Compile/Analyze Data
  • Teamwork
  • Written Communication

--Basis of Rating: 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.

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/12099337

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