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Supervisory Hydrologic Technician

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
Oregon Water Science Center

Summary

This position is in the Oregon Water Science Center. Exact position location is Troutdale, Oregon.

The major duties of this position include but are not limited to the following: The incumbent is required to be aware of, promote, and develop Science Center and inter-Science Center programs and to coordinate their data-collection phases when necessary. The incumbent must manage programs with numerous cooperators and provide technical direction of 9-15 hydrologic technicians.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted today · Apply by 07/03/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 3, 2026
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
$96,443 - $125,378 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
Yes
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
26-12992442-IMP-AP
Control number
874563000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open only to current USGS employees serving on perm competitive service appts; OR current USGS employees, regardless of current status, who are eligible for consideration under a noncompetitive auth such as those specific to 30% disabled vets, Individuals with Disabilities, Pathways Interns & Recent Grads who are eligible for noncomp conversion, etc.

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Duties

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As a Supervisory Hydrologic Technician within the Oregon Water Science Center, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Lead and supervise hydrologic data operations. Oversees office and field activities involving the collection, computation, and analysis of surface-water, groundwater, sediment, and water-quality data. Plans and schedules data-collection efforts, ensures accurate hydrologic records, and directs the construction, installation, and maintenance of monitoring stations and equipment. Assigns workloads, reviews technical outputs, and provides guidance on complex analytical and administrative matters.
  • Build and maintain partnerships with cooperators and water-resource agencies. Initiates and sustains regular communication with existing and potential cooperators to understand shared water-resource information needs. Represents the office at meetings with local, Tribal, State, and Federal partners to plan programs, budgets, and future studies. Leads periodic consultations to assess current and emerging water-resource conditions.
  • Contribute to Science Center leadership, planning, and policy execution. Participates in supervisory and data-program leadership meetings to help set priorities, policies, and long-range plans for the Science Center. Supports the development and execution of technical standards and operational guidelines and provides technical expertise to colleagues engaged in regional and national projects.
  • Ensure workplace safety and operational efficiency. Promotes safe work practices by identifying hazards, reviewing accidents, enforcing OSHA standards, and directing regular inspections of office and field installations. Develops funding estimates, human-resource plans, and operational budgets for the field office. Prioritizes and coordinates workloads to meet organizational objectives and immediate program demands.
  • Manage personnel performance, development, and workplace equity. Evaluates employee performance, updates position descriptions, and resolves complaints. Conducts interviews and recommends selections, promotions, awards, and disciplinary actions. Identifies training needs and delivers in-house instruction on hydrologic data methods. Ensures employees are well informed on matters affecting their employment and actively promotes equal opportunity in all personnel actions.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Field work is physically active and may include climbing rocky and steep terrain, wading streams, and lifting equipment weighing up to 100 pounds. Field work also involves moderate risks such as measuring from highway bridges, in swift streams, and from boats or cableways.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Field work exposes the incumbent to extreme weather conditions such as rain, snow, extreme temperatures, etc., and hazards such as flooding, ice, and insect bites. Special safety precautions are required in many cases, and incumbent typically wears a life jacket, reflective rain gear, safety glasses, etc. Field areas are often isolated and occasionally difficult to reach.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Key Requirements:

  1. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year supervisory probationary period.
  2. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
  3. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
  4. Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.
  5. Supervisory Probationary Period - This position requires completion of a one year supervisory/managerial probationary period, if one has not previously been completed.

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.
  • If you are a Federal employee applying for a promotion (under merit promotion procedures) you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

For GS-12:

Applicants must meet the following to qualify for the GS-12 level:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Examples of such experience may include: planning, directing, and coordinating the collection, computation, analysis, and quality assurance of water-resource data from a network of hydrologic monitoring stations; providing technical leadership and guidance to staff on hydrologic data-collection methods, data review procedures, and interpretation of complex hydrologic conditions; evaluating stage-discharge relations, validating and analyzing hydrologic records, resolving data anomalies, and ensuring compliance with established technical standards; collecting and analyzing data required to compute flood flows using methods such as slope-area measurements, flow over dams, flow through culverts, and flow over embankments; and supporting hydrologic investigations and studies involving streamflow, floods, droughts, and other water-resource issues while ensuring the accuracy, reliability, and availability of hydrologic information.

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/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs

Additional information

Other Information:

  • This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies in the advertised office or other U.S. Geological Survey offices in the local commuting area.
  • Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
  • 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.
  • As part of the application process, a series of four short essay questions will be included. Applicants must certify that their own words were used to answer the questions.
  • 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 within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.
Agency Benefits:

USGS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework in accordance with the DOI Telework policy and with supervisor approval. The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis.

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.

--Resume Length:
Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

--Basis of Rating:
Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the result of the 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.

Resume Review Assessment Required: If you meet the eligibility and basic qualification requirements for this position subject-matter-experts 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.

--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:

  • Hydrology
  • Risk Management
  • Creative Thinking
  • Partnering
  • Performance Mangement
--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/12992442

Geological Survey

Agency contact information

Amanda Perry
Phone
3034452164
Email
amanda_perry@ios.doi.gov
Address
OREGON WATER SCI CTR
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Mail Stop 600
Reston, VA 20192
US

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