Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Hydrologic Technician

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
California-Great Basin Region - South Central California Area Office
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on his or her expertise as a Hydrologic Technician. Make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.

Location - Byron, California and Friant, California

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/18/2024 to 04/05/2024
Salary
$39,688 to - $79,331 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 7
Locations
Byron, CA
1 vacancy
Friant, CA
1 vacancy
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
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
9
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
BOR-CGB-24-DE-12343232-SA
Control number
782280600

Videos

Duties

Help

Position may be filled at the GS-05, GS-06, or GS-07 level. The duties of this position are developmental in nature, leading to the full performance level of GS-09.

  • Conducts pitot tube and current meter measurements; takes water samples; and measures the depth of groundwater wells.
  • Maintains water accounting records, files, and maps, and develops delivery and lost reports.
  • Uses computer programs to enter and download data from field monitoring instrumentation into automated databases
  • Conducts studies pertaining to the monitoring parameters of water quality and water quality flows, reservoir releases, wind, and other factors affecting water quantity and quality.
  • Develops and carries out water quality studies and investigations.
  • Maintains the functional reliability of water monitoring stations and affiliated natural resource data stations to meet programmatic objectives.
  • Plans, directs, and performs preventive maintenance for water quality stations.
  • Prepares work statements, specifications, or task orders for the completion of operation studies by consulting firms on contract with Reclamation.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

To be eligible, an applicant must meet the following:

  • U.S. Citizen or National
  • Suitability for Federal employment determined by background investigation
  • Submit a resume and supporting documentation - See How to Apply
  • Meet specialized experience requirements - See Qualifications
  • Submit transcripts, if required, to verify education requirements
  • For veterans consideration, submit documents under Required Documents
  • You will be required to obtain a successful pre-employment physical examination by a licensed physician certifying your ability to perform the duties of this position.
  • If selected, the selectee will be required to obtain a successful pre-employment physical examination by a licensed physician certifying to his/her ability to perform the duties of this position. A physical exam may not be required if a comparable agency approved examination was performed within the last 12 months. The cost of the exam will be reimbursed by the agency.
  • The selectee must maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times as the position requires operation of government vehicles on government and public roads. Failure to maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times will result in removal from the position.
  • During certain times may be required to work more than 8 hours per day or weekends.
  • Operates motor vehicles, boats, and mobile equipment in the accomplishment of assigned duties. All equipment is to be operated in regards to Bureau of Reclamation, and area office regulations and guide lines.
  • Routinely operates small crafts and boats on reservoirs and rivers. Incumbent must be able to obtain certification to operate a water vessel by completing Reclamation's training on Motorboat Operation Certification Course (MOCC).

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying:

Specialized Experience GS-05: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: 1) gathering water measurements; 2) maintaining and verifying hydrologic data collected; and 3) maintaining and operating a variety of hydrologic equipment and instruments.
OR
Education:
Successful completion of at least a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate field of science, engineering, construction, or industrial technology, or that include at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses engineering, industrial technology, construction drafting, surveying, physical science, biology, or mathematics (or equivalent). NOTE: You must include transcripts.
OR
Combination:
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Only education more than the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. To calculate the education percentage, first total your semester hours beyond for first 60 semester hours and divide by 60; then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 (part-time will be prorated). Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Note: You must submit copies of your college transcripts.

Specialized Experience GS-06: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following:1) calculating stream flow measurements; 2) Installing, adjusting and/or maintaining water-stage recorders; 3) interpreting data collected and resolving data inconsistencies; and 4) evaluating and reporting hydrologic data collected for accuracy.
OR
Education:
Successful completion of at least one full year (18 semester hours/27 quarter hours) of graduate level education leading to a master's degree in a field directly related to the work of the position, such as engineering, engineering or industrial technology, construction, physics, drafting, surveying, physical science, or mathematics (or equivalent). NOTE: You must submit copies of your college transcripts.
OR
Combination:
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the total semester hours and divide by 18; then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 (part-time will be prorated). Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.

Specialized Experience GS-07: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following a variety of water measuring devices to collect, compute, or process hydrologic data gathered from rivers, streams, wells etc.; using software applications to compute and generate hydrologic data, charts and reports, and installing and maintaining water measurement instruments and devices to assure accuracy of data collection.
OR
Education:
Successful completion of at least one full year (18 semester hours/27 quarter hours) of graduate level education leading to a master's degree in a field directly related to the work of the position, such as science, engineering or industrial technology, construction, physics, drafting, surveying, physical science, biology, or mathematics (or equivalent). NOTE: You must include transcripts.
OR
Combination:
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the total semester hours and divide by 18; then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 (part-time will be prorated). Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.

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. Applicants will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Time-In-Grade: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower-grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Applicants eligible under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) are not required to meet time-in-grade restrictions in order to be considered.

You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including time-in-grade restrictions and any selective placement factors if applicable, by 04/05/2024.

Education

This vacancy announcement allows substituting education for experience. You must submit a copy of college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not-qualified for the position.

You will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications, if selected. An official transcript must be sent directly from the University's Registrar's office and must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. Academic transcripts certified by notary publics are NOT official. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to reporting to work as a condition of employment. Failure to submit official transcripts may be grounds for dismissal or rescission of the job offer.

Accreditation: Only education from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education is acceptable to meet education requirements or to substitute for experience, if applicable. For additional info, refer to the Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Department of Education.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For additional info, refer to the U.S. Network for Education Information.

Additional information

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may request consideration for a Superior Qualifications Appointment. For information, visit: OPM Fact Sheet.

Related non-Federal experience or related experience as retired members of the uniformed services may be credited towards computing entitlement to leave accrual, at managerial discretion, providing that experience meets certain criteria. This provision allows new employees to earn annual leave at a higher rate than would otherwise be allowed. (5 Code of Federal Regulations, 630). For additional information, please visit: Creditable Service for Annual Leave

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Physical Demands: The work requires some physical exertion such as long periods of standing, walking over rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces recurring bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, or similar activity or recurring lifting of moderately heavy items weighing less than 23 kilograms (under 50 pounds) such as lifting and carrying stream gauging weights, data collection and monitoring devices occasionally needing to lift items weighing more than 50 lbs.

Working Conditions: The work environment in the field includes risks or discomforts from regular and recurring exposure to different chemicals including herbicides and other aerosol agents (i.e. Degreaser spray paint etc.), protective clothing and other gear as the situation warrants an area involving exposure to moderate risks or discomforts such as high levels of noise and vibration, dust, grease, uncovered moving parts of machinery, or irritant fumes that requires protective clothing and gear and special safety precautions or an outdoor environment involving moderate discomforts such as exposure to rain, extreme cold/hot weather, and streams and canals that may require special safety precautions and gear, such as life jackets, safety boots, and waders. Some of the work will be in a standard office setting.

Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Category rating and selection procedures will be used to evaluate applications from this announcement. If an applicant meets the basic qualification requirements, his/her on-line responses to the vacancy assessment questionnaire will be used to determine the quality and extent of his/her experience, education, training, etc., for placement in one of the following categories: 1) Best Qualified, 2) Well Qualified, and 3) Qualified. Qualified candidates will be assigned a numerical score on a scale of 70-100. The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of Veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher). The assessment questionnaire will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide to the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Compliance
  • Flexibility
  • Hydrology
  • Physical Strength and Agility


In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessment(s), including a technical assessment and a SME Panel Resume Review . These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12343232

Your answers will be verified against information provided in your resume. Your resume must clearly support the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position. You must make a fair and accurate assessment of your qualifications. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than what is apparent in the description of your experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training (or that your resume/application is incomplete), you could be rated ineligible or your score could be lowered.

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. You may choose to opt in of having your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate you are on, you will be notified.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.