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Facility Operations Specialist

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
Wetlands & Aquatic Research Center

Summary

You will serve as a Facility Operations Specialist .

This is a term position (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment expecting to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of four years, or more based on any changes to regulations governing the number of years term appointments may last, without further competition at management's discretion.

GS-11 Salary: $74,678 (step 1) - $97,087(step 10)
First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$74,678 - $97,087 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time - May be on call for building emergencies during nights and weekends.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Term
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
USGS-26-13016149-DE-JS
Control number
879556900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to United States Citizens; U.S. Nationals; and Career transition eligibles (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL).

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Duties

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Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

  • Evaluates the development, design, and construction of laboratories and support systems used in providing research and laboratory analysis.
  • Assists the Science Center Management in developing, prioritizing, and completing assessments of Deferred Maintenance and Capital Improvement needs. This includes preparing implementation plans which contain detailed cost estimates and work specifications for modification of existing structures; control systems; heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems; and other facility systems.
  • Advises management on policies, standard operating procedures, and schedules for buildings and grounds activities, including security and an emergency callback program to ensure the integrity of complex analytical equipment and research projects in the case of after-hour emergency alarms.
  • Serves as Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) with responsibility for center construction or rehabilitation projects (buildings) and contract staff assigned to facilities.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Direct Deposit participation required.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit www.dhs.gov/EVerify/.
  • Must have and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
  • Must have a current or obtain within 6 months a COR Level I license or registration.
  • Pre-employment medical examination is required.
  • You may be required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:
  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Physical Demands/Work Environment:

The incumbent conducts regular and recurring inspections of the facility which require a considerable amount of walking, standing, stooping, bending, climbing, and at times, reaching and lifting of moderately bulky and/or heavy items up to 50 pounds, without assistance, to inspect installed equipment or equipment being installed during construction or renovation. Assistance will be provided for lifting objects greater than 50 pounds. During periods of emergency, the incumbent will be subjected to considerable stress and be required to initiate corrective actions and undertake a large workload in a short period of time. Overtime may be authorized as appropriate in such circumstances.

Work is performed in a variety of environments, including office, laboratories, mechanical system rooms, construction sites, and outdoor environments. Normal operations place the incumbent in contact with electrical systems, steam and hot water systems, and a wide variety of other mechanical equipment. There is regular and recurring exposure to moderate discomforts and unpleasantness, including high levels of noise, high temperatures, and adverse weather conditions.

Qualifications:

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-08/11/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level:
  • Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Update and maintain facility drawings, records, and cost documentation to support building and systems modifications; Plan and implement maintenance and repair schedules for buildings, equipment and vehicles; Develop facility operating and maintenance budget needs; Manage facility service contracts and use maintenance systems to track and coordinate work. You must include hours per week worked. -OR-
  • Education: Successful completion of at least a PHD or equivalent degree with a major study of engineering, industrial arts, property management or business administration. You must include transcripts. -OR-
  • Combination of education and experience. To combine graduate level education and experience, first take semester hours of graduate education in excess of 36 or quarter hours in excess of 54. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.
Volunteer Experience: 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

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. 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. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

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. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service. The agency retains sole discretion and without further competition, the right to extend the duration of this appointment after selection and/or appointment, based on changes to the term appointment regulation(s). No extension to a term appointment shall be granted to a selectee/employee to an amount of time that exceeds the maximum number of years authorized under any present or current regulation, unless such regulation expressly allows such action.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, https://www.doi.gov/ethics/ethics-prohibitions.

Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level.

The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of any additional assessment(s) required for this position.

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into the following categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position

  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job

  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.

You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork

In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of the USA Hire Assessment, if required.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Geological Survey

The Department of the Interior protects and manages the Nation's natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island Communities. Click here to learn more about The Department of the Interior and its bureaus.

The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is to monitor, analyze, and predict current and evolving Earth-system interactions and delivers actionable information at scales and timeframes relevant to decision makers. USGS provides science about natural hazards, natural resources, ecosystems and environmental health, and the effects of climate and land-use change. Click here to learn more about The U.S. Geological Survey.

Agency contact information

Jeffrey Shafer

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