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Supervisory Social Scientist / Supervisory Economist

Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Science and Technology (OST)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Science and Technology (OST), with one vacancy in Miami, FL; Seattle, WA; Silver Spring, MD; Woods Hole, MA; or La Jolla, CA.

This position is also announced under vacancy number NMFS OST-24-12394287-ST, which is open to Status Candidates. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/01/2024 to 05/14/2024
Salary
$153,088 to - $191,900 per year
Pay scale & grade
ZP 5
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
San Diego, CA
Miami, FL
Woods Hole, MA
Silver Spring, MD
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% 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
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
NMFS OST-24-12394286-DE
Control number
789079500

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Duties

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As a Supervisory Research Economist, you will perform the following duties:

  • Serve as Division Director of the Economics and Social Analysis Division, leading the planning, execution, and monitoring of the Division's programs, program/project-specific spend plans, and budget. Provide management and technical oversight of a diverse scientific staff that provides products to support management of living marine resources.
  • Lead and direct research and projects to integrate economic and human dimension research into the broader ecosystem science mission of the agency. Conduct complex economic research, developing analytical techniques for economic studies and conducting special analyses of major economic issues.
  • Set the direction and strategic goals, considering stakeholders' needs and available resources. Craft a vision for the Agency's social science program (including identifying emerging issues), educating leadership on the value of social science, communicate and coordinate activities.
  • Serve as a national and international expert in the economics and human dimensions of fisheries and fishery management providing subject matter expertise on topics relevant to fisheries management policy; and oversee the provision of innovative advice and recommendations based on research.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel Systems (CAPS). This system replace the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band.

Salary for selectee's pay may be set at any point within the pay band except for intervals 4 and 5 ($191,900 - $191,900) which is reserved for supervisory performance or for current supervisors within CAPS who already have a salary within intervals 4 and 5.


The ZP-5 is equivalent to the GS-15.

Salary:
Miami, FL - 153,088 - 191,900
Seattle, WA - 160,950 - 191,900
Silver Spring, MD - 163,964 - 191,900
Woods Hole, MA - 162,377 - 191,900
La Jolla, CA (San Diego, CA) - 160,950 - 191,900


.*A one year supervisory probationary period may be required.
*A one year probationary period may be required. These periods can be served concurrent.
*Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.
*This position is not in the bargaining unit.

Key Requirements:
  1. Must be a U.S. Citizen.
  2. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by backgroung investigation.
  3. More requirements are listed under Qualification and Other Information.
  4. Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
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

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following requirements:

To qualify for the Economist Series 0110:
A. Degree: economics, that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

AND

To qualify for the Social Science Series 0101:
A. Degree: behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

OR

C. Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrates that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

AND

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

To qualify at the ZP-05 (GS-15) grade level:
Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-04 (GS-14) in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

  • Developing, leading, or overseeing an economics, human dimension, or social science research program designed to support natural resource management objectives.
  • Coordinating with internal and external partners to ensure research portfolio meets living marine research management; and
  • Providing technical or administrative guidance (e.g., assigning work, setting and communicating priorities, providing feedback) to staff to ensure effective operational activities.

Education

College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., Bio 101, Math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken.

Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work. An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website. You MUST provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation by the closing date of the announcement will result in lost consideration. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation

Additional information

Well-qualified for CTAP and ICTAP eligibility includes those candidates who have been determined to exceed minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85, but otherwise may or may not be among the highly or best-qualified candidates. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career- transition/.

CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

  1. A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice).
  2. A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", noting current position, grade level, and duty location;
  3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:
  1. A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; notice of disability annuity termination; certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
  2. A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc;
  3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

Non-Competitive Reinstatement to a Higher Grade/Band than Previously Held MUST submit the following documents:
1. SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action: you must provide the most current Notification of Personnel Action (Form SF-50) that verifies career/career-conditional status, title, series, and highest grade level held on a permanent basis for your previous position. (do not submit an Award SF-50) AND, the SF-50 that verifies your separation date; AND.
2. Performance Appraisal - most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. Do not submit a performance plan that does not include this information.

NOAA participates in e-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.

The Department of the Commerce (DOC) 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.

How you will be evaluated

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

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

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications stated in the vacancy announcement, we will compare your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to your responses on the scored occupational questionnaire (True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice questions) and place you in one of the three pre-defined categories. The categories are "gold", "silver" and "bronze". However, your resume or optional cover letter must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the "gold" category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. The best-qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. The scored occupational questionnaire will evaluate you on the following competencies; please do not provide a separate written response:

Managing Human Resources, Project Management, Research, and Strategic Thinking

How you will be evaluated for preference eligibility: Within each category, those entitled to veterans' preference will be listed at the top of the pre-defined category for which they are placed. Preference eligible with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest quality category (gold) depending on the position and grade level of the job. For more information on Category Rating, please go to Category Rating.

Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are Gold, Silver, and Bronze. 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.

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 and/or not qualified.

To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12394286

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