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Physical Scientist

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
Technical Service Center, Geographic Applications and Analysis Group
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Physical Scientist. You can make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.

Duty Location: Lakewood, Colorado

This appointment may be extended without further announcement. Reference 5 CFR 330.707(l):

Overview

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Job closed
Open date: 10/03/2024
Closed date: 10/06/2024
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$55.09 - $71.62 per hour
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Part-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Temporary - One Year
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
BOR-DO-25-CTP-12568186-MM
Control number
812698400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

See Who May Apply under Requirements for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.

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Duties

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-Uses GIS to develop and manage tabular and geospatial data that meets the quality and accuracies needed for a project or for inclusion in Reclamation's enterprise data assets; to generate geospatial web applications and visualizations for creating, editing, analyzing, and sharing information; and provides expert level technical support in the development, management, and operation of BORGIS.

-Performs major studies or investigations requiring complex geospatial data integration and analysis often from incomplete or uncertain information. Prepares complex reports on controversial topics and is responsible for the adequacy, soundness, and consistency of their content. The range of assignments includes preparing technical manuals and instructions, devising new, improved, or novel methods for developing and managing program and project information in Reclamation, and developing new tools and capabilities to improve the IT system, BORGIS, and the enterprise geospatial data it contains.

-Acts as technical authority and project leader within the Geographic Applications and Analysis Group. As project leader, coordinates technical efforts of other staff assigned to the project.

-Performs both formal and informal technical reviews of GIS work products for Reclamation programs.

-Effectively manages projects following TSC PM workflows and guidelines.

-Serves on interdisciplinary teams, assisting with proposal preparation, work scope, schedules, and budgets.

-Writes technical reports, provides presentations, communicates ideas, questions, and direction effectively throughout all stages of studies and analysis needed for water and power operations, environmental assessments, asset management, dam safety, and other Reclamation mission driven efforts. Leads meetings and presents project budgets/costs, technical information regarding BORGIS system and enterprise data management, and conveys program status to all stakeholders.

-Attends GIS software and programming professional meetings, communicates with fellow workers and colleagues in theprofessional community on technical investigations and findings through personal communications and presentations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents).
You must meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications).
You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements (see Qualifications/Education).

Who May Apply:

  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)


Please limit your resume to 5 pages. If more than 5 pages are submitted, only the first 5 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: To be eligible for consideration, you must first meet the Basic Education Requirement for this position, having a

1. Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.

OR

2. Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Specialized Experience: In order to be rated as qualified for this position, the HR Office must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - this information must be clearly supported in the resume.

To qualify at the GS-13 level, you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-12 level in federal service having demonstrated experience in being a subject matter expert in the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with experience using ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Desktop software; experience to generate web-based applications and visualizations using ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Server, ArcGIS Portal, and ArcGIS Online; experience managing many types of data including elevation data from LiDAR and bathymetry, assets such as bridges and groundwater wells, or associated files like inspection reports, well logs, and photos; experience providing technical support and development of web-based applications for Reclamation's geospatial IT system BORGIS; and experience in mentoring and guiding less experienced staff in the use of ArcGIS.

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.

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).

You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including time-in-grade restrictions and any selective placement factors if applicable, by 10/06/2024.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

This position has a mandatory education requirement. 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. Non-submission will 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

You may be required to serve an initial probationary period.

Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.

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/

This position is designated as a LOW RISK position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated SF85 Background Investigation (T1 or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment.

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.

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):

  • Communication
  • Data Interpretation
  • Geospatial Information Systems
  • Project Management
  • Technical Competence

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 Structured Resume Review by Subject Matter Expert (SME) Panel. 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/12568186

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.

For evaluating the quality of candidates for referral to the selecting official, a three-phased process will be used.

Phase 1: Applicant resumes will be reviewed by Human Resources to ensure they meet the basic qualification requirements (see definition of specialized experience). If applicants meet basic qualifications, they will continue on to the second phase and will be given an interim score based on the application questionnaire, which will take the applicant approximately 20 minutes to complete when initially applying. With information received from the application questionnaire in the first phase, applicant's will be evaluated on the following Competencies: Communication, Data Interpretation, Geospatial Information Systems, Project Management, and Technical Competence.

Phase 2: Candidates who pass the first phase will be contacted via email and asked to submit narrative responses which will address the Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and/or Competencies listed below. Subject Matter Expert(s) will review the score and narrative responses:

Phase 3: Candidates will be given a final score which combines the scores from the first and second phases. Those candidates who score as best qualified will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Continued in How to Apply section.

Bureau of Reclamation

The Bureau of Reclamation is a contemporary water management agency best known for constructing dams, powerplants, and canals in the 17 western United States, having constructed more than 600 dams and reservoirs. We are the largest wholesaler of water and the second-largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States.

Our mission is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. We place great emphasis on fulfilling our water delivery obligations, water conservation, water recycling and reuse, and developing partnerships with our customers, states, and Native American Tribes. We also find ways to bring together various interests to address the competing needs for limited water resources.

Our core values are professional excellence, safety, and respect. We are results-oriented. We share a personal commitment to protecting the safety of each other, contractors, customers, as well as the people and communities served by our projects. We embrace a culture of respectfor people through our ethical behavior and with clear, effective communication.

The Department of the Interior places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.

Agency contact information

Melinda Mullenax
Email
mmullenax@usbr.gov
Address
Technical Service Center
Bureau of Reclamation
Denver Federal Center
P.O. BOX 25007
Denver, CO 80225-0007
US

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Learn more about what it's like to work at Bureau of Reclamation, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.usbr.gov

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