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Summary

This is a public notice flyer to notify interested applicants of anticipated vacancies. Applications will not be accepted through this flyer. Interested applicants must follow the directions in the "How to Apply" section of this flyer to be considered. There may or may not be actual vacancies filled from this flyer. Notice of Result letters will not be sent to applicants who respond to this flyer.

GS-11 = $85,447 - $111,087
GS-12 = $102,415 - $133,142

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/05/2026 to 02/16/2026
Salary
$85,447 to - $133,142 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—This position is eligible for ad-hoc/situational telework at the discretion of management.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation incentives as described in 5 USC 5753 may or may not be authorized in accordance with applicable regulations and at the discretion of management.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
DE-12877918-26-EIF
Control number
856442400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens

Duties

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  • You will serve as a staff astronomer in the Celestial Reference Frame Department of the U.S. NAVAL OBSERVATORY (USNO).
  • You will support the specification of requirements, the development of astronomical systems or software, the transition of the systems or software to operations, and ether operations.
  • You will participate in the processing and analysis of astronomical data in support of the overall Celestial Reference Frame (CRF) mission area. Work can include applied research, development, testing, and operations.
  • You will perform a wide variety of astronomy related research with the goal of contributing toward DoD-related problems of current CRF relevance and interest.
  • You will participate in a wide variety of communications including writing and presenting scientific and technical material to audiences ranging from USNO staff to governmental or international experts.
  • You will create standard operating procedures, document software and documenting the requirements and design review of projects.
  • You will plan and execute complex astronomy and related studies involving intensive investigations into one or more recognized phenomena.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
  • Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
  • New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
  • Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.

Qualifications

In addition to the BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS to qualify for a GS-12, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Experience supporting the specification of requirements, development of astronomical systems or software, and the transitioning of systems or software to operations.
  • Experience utilizing his or her expertise to participate as an effective member of the U.S. NAVAL OBSERVATORY (USNO) team, Work can span from applied research, development and operations.
  • Experience participating in the processing of (defined as the application of algorithms to improve the quality of, or extract relevant parameters from, raw data) and analysis of (defined as the application of algorithms in order to extract relevant information from processed data) astronomical data in support of the overall CRF mission area.
  • Experience performing a wide variety of astronomy related research with the goal of contributing toward DoD related problems of current CRF relevance and interest.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1300/astronomy-and-space-science-series-1330/

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Education


BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

  1. Degree: in one or a combination of astronomy, physics, mathematics, space science, engineering or electronics. The course work must have included differential and integral calculus and 12 semester hours in astronomy and/or physics.
OR
  1. Combination of education and experience -- at least 30 semester hours of courses equivalent to a major in any combination of astronomy, space science, physics, mathematics, engineering and electronics, with required course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE: In addition to the basic education requirements, applicants may substitute the following education for the required experience, provided it demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the position:

GS-12: There is no education substitution for this series/grade combination

GS-11: Successful completion of 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be combined to meet the total qualification requirements. If you are using education to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, you must submit a copy of your transcripts or an itemized list of college courses which includes equivalent information from the transcript (course title, semester/quarter hours, and grade/degree earned) in your resume.

IF CLAIMING EDUCATION, FAILURE TO SUBMIT TRANSCRIPTS/ITEMIZED LIST WILL RESULT IN AN INELIGIBLE RATING. See OPM's General Policies for information on crediting education. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the qualification requirements if the applicant can provide documentation indicating that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide such evidence when applying for further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

This announcement uses the Certain Personnel of the DoD direct hire authority to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

Several vacancies may be filled.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf.

Veteran's preference does not apply when selecting individuals under this specific hiring authority. However, if you claim veteran's preference, you will be required to submit supporting documentation with your application as described in the Required Documents section below.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Resumes are restricted to no more than 2 pages. Illegible/unreadable resumes will not be considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.

As vacancies occur, the Human Resources Office will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this flyer. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume, along with your supporting documentation.

If selected, you may be required to provide additional supporting documentation.

If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may be found ineligible/not qualified.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All qualification requirements must be met before being considered for any vacancies.

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