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 non-comp conversion, etc.

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This is not a remote position. Duty station location is negotiable after selection. The duty station of this position may be any USGS office location that is agreed upon by the selecting official and the selectee. Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses are not authorized.

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

• Prepares new or revised standards, policies, guidance, training, and procedures in support of USGS scientific diving missions.
• Develops training to address the needs of the missions of USGS scientific divers.
• Provides technical scientific diving expertise and assistance in support of underwater scientific research.
• Works with regional dive leads, dive groups, and cooperators to ensure safe scientific dive operations.
• Serves as the senior, lead USGS Dive Safety Officer, is an authorized USGS diver, and serves as the Dive Safety Board Chair.
• Performs independent external safety audits of dive safety programs and documents results.

Conditions of Employment for this Position:
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 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.

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 https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• Pre-employment and random drug testing is required. You will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received.
• A physical examination will be required, or a statement regarding physical ability will need to be completed. You must maintain physical fitness standards throughout employment.
• You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
• Must have a current or obtain within 5 years of hiring the following certifications: 1) Dry Suit - Instructor; 2) Diving First- Aid - Instructor; 3) USGS Swift Water Awareness; 4) Hyperbaric Medicine and Diving Physiology; 5) Recognizing and diagnosing Otic barotrauma while in the field; 6) Dive Injury Recognition and Management - Instructor; 7) Altitude Diving; 8) Contaminated Water OPS Technician; 9) OSHA Recordkeeping; 10) Diver Fatality Investigations and Incident Prevention (DOI Serious Accident Investigation course); 11) Nitrox Diver; 12) Full face mask - Instructor.

Qualifications

Qualifications:
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 08/21/2026 - unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, 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.

Selective Placement Factors: This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. If you do not provide evidence that you possess the following selective factor(s), you will be rated not qualified. You must possess the following certifications:

1. Scuba Instructor
2. Divemaster
3. Rescue Diver
4. Advanced Open Water Diver
5. Basic Scuba Diver
6. Basic Life Support/Diving First Aid
7. Emergency Oxygen Administration.

-AND-

To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level:
Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Experience that demonstrates scientific diving program management, including development, implementation, and evaluation of dive safety policies, procedures, and training; oversight of scientific diving operations and personnel; application of advanced knowledge in dive physiology, hyperbaric medicine, and diving technology; and ensuring compliance with federal regulations and standards governing scientific diving. Experience must include independent authority to guide and advise on complex or novel diving situations and to lead investigations, audits, and programmatic improvements across a large and diverse scientific diving program. You must include hours per week worked.

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.

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 the additional assessment(s) required for this position. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

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.

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

• Safety and Occupational Health Knowledge
• Problem Solving
• Interpersonal Communication
• Program and Project Management
• Leadership and Supervision
• Customer Service
• Management Advisory

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.These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

DUE WEIGHT: Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, you must submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

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

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.