This is the position of Astrophysicist, Optical and Infrared Astronomy Division, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The purpose of the position is to serve as the next-generation Observational Astrophysicist (ngO) and lead a forefront scientific research program within the broad areas of astronomy and astrophysics made possible by new space-based observatories including, but not limited to, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
Summary
This is the position of Astrophysicist, Optical and Infrared Astronomy Division, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The purpose of the position is to serve as the next-generation Observational Astrophysicist (ngO) and lead a forefront scientific research program within the broad areas of astronomy and astrophysics made possible by new space-based observatories including, but not limited to, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
This Merit Promotion position is open to Current Federal Employees and Former Federal Employees with permanent status or reinstatement eligibility. Individuals who are eligible for a special appointing authority may also apply such as Individuals with Disabilities (Schedule A), former Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Vista volunteers; certain Military Spouses, or individuals eligible under various programs for Veterans (VRA, VEOA, 30% disabled).
The duties listed are at the full performance GS-14 grade level.
Formulate, conduct, and lead
independent and original scientific
research in galactic astrophysics
using next-generation space-based
observatories.
Develop research plans and
hypotheses and carries them
through to completion.
Utilize public or proprietary
datasets, observational data,
simulations, and theoretical models
to accomplish research objectives.
Develop and lead a research team
in galactic astrophysics consisting
of postdoctoral researchers and
graduate and undergraduate
students.
Mentor and support the
professional development of
postdoctoral researchers and
students.
Identifiy external funding
opportunities to develop and
submit proposals to support the
research team.
Prepare scientific and technical
papers describing research results,
techniques, and interpretations for
publication in professional journals.
Present research findings at national
and international scientific or
technical meetings, conferences, and
within the CfA.
Consult and collaborate with
scientists within OIR and the CfA to
identify and pursue new ground
based and space-based research
programs.
Develop and submit proposals for
extramural funding for collaborative
research to government agencies,
such as NASA and NSF, and to
philanthropic or other sponsoring
organizations
Participate in the national and
international astrophysical
community and serves scientific
and technical committees internal
and external to the CfA.
Lead and participate in organizing
scientific conferences and seminars
and supports SAO/CfA education
and public outreach efforts.
Provide scientific guidance and
technical expertise to students and
other scientists.
Must successfully complete a background investigation.
May be required to serve a one year probationary period.
Must maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
Qualifications
Basic Requirements:
(GS-1330 Astronomy and Space Science)
Degree: in one or a combination of astronomy, physics, mathematics, space science, or electronics. The course work must have included differential and integral calculus and 12 semester hours in astronomy and/or physics.
OR
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, and electronics, with required course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
GS-14 Specialized Experience:
You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as a record of peer reviewed publications based on the results of independent and original programs of astrophysical research utilizing observations from space-based telescopes, leadership in national and international initiatives to utilize the next generation of space-based telescopes, and demonstrated ability to develop and mentor a research team in a specialty field of astrophysics.
Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying).
Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management web site: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1300/astronomy-and-space-science-series-1330/
Education
Please see Qualifications Section for Education Requirements.
Additional information
Special Instructions for Foreign Education
If you are qualifying by education and/or have education completed at a foreign college or university, you must provide transcripts and documentation verifying U.S. equivalency. See the Required Documents section of this announcement for additional information.
Grade point averages should be rounded to one decimal point. For example, 2.95 is rounded to 3.0 and 2.94 is rounded to 2.9. If more than 10 percent of undergraduate coursework was completed on a pass/fail basis, qualification under Superior Academic Achievement must be based on class standing or honor society membership.
No incentives are authorized for this position.
Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): If you are applying for a VEOA appointment, you must be a veteran and must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service. ("Active Service" under this law means active duty in a uniformed service and includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, full-time National Guard duty, and attendance, while in the active service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary concerned.) A veteran who is released under honorable conditions shortly before completing a 3-year tour is also eligible.
Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: The following links contain information on the eligibility requirements to be considered under a noncompetitive appointing authority:
The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity employer. Additional information can be found on our website at (www.si.edu/oeesd).
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:
Demonstrate the initiative and scholarly ability necessary to formulate, conduct, and present the results of advanced scientific research in galactic astrophysics.
Ability to mentor, supervise, and support the career development of students and early-career researchers.
Possesses the ability to effectively communicate scientific research results through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at professional conferences.
Knowledge of scientific initiative development and extramural contract and grant funding processes for research in astronomy, astrophysics, or related fields.
Ability to effectively communicate scientific results and discoveries to scientific and public audiences through traditional and non traditional communication methods.
BASIS OF RATING: Once the announcement closes, your application will be automatically evaluated and rated by the system and a Human Resources Specialist. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your application and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of this position. If, after the Human Resources Specialist reviews your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that the score you have received is not a true reflection of your qualifications and/or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect the information you provided that support your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.
Important Note: Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience.
Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Your application package should include the following documents:
Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), and hours worked per week, for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position. Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. For assistance with creating a resume, please click USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
Current and former employees MUST submit a copy of their Standard Form (SF)-50, “Notice of Personnel Action,” that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position title, series, grade, step, salary, type of service (competitive or excepted in block 34), and tenure (1 or 2 in block 24). Please provide a SF-50 that shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade level. Examples of appropriate SF50s include: Appointments, Reassignments, Within-grade/range increases or Promotion actions. NOTE: Pay adjustments and award SF-50s do not include the length of time in your current position, therefore, they are NOT acceptable SF-50’s on their own. You may need to provide more than one SF-50. Failure to provide the appropriate SF-50(s) may prevent you from receiving consideration for this position.
Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.
Most recent performance appraisal, if currently a federal employee (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable.
Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy) if you are requesting a special appointment authority, such as VRA or VEOA
Proof of severe disability if you are requesting special placement consideration
Proof of eligibility for a military spouse appointment, such as a permanent change station military order
Proof of eligibility for any other special appointing authority not specifically mentioned here.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note:
You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages.
You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process.
The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the SAO Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.
SMITHSONIAN
SMITHSONIAN ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY
HUMAN RESOURCES
160 Concord Ave
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
United States
Next steps
At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as receipt of your application.
The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Your application package should include the following documents:
Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), and hours worked per week, for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position. Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. For assistance with creating a resume, please click USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
Current and former employees MUST submit a copy of their Standard Form (SF)-50, “Notice of Personnel Action,” that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position title, series, grade, step, salary, type of service (competitive or excepted in block 34), and tenure (1 or 2 in block 24). Please provide a SF-50 that shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade level. Examples of appropriate SF50s include: Appointments, Reassignments, Within-grade/range increases or Promotion actions. NOTE: Pay adjustments and award SF-50s do not include the length of time in your current position, therefore, they are NOT acceptable SF-50’s on their own. You may need to provide more than one SF-50. Failure to provide the appropriate SF-50(s) may prevent you from receiving consideration for this position.
Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.
Most recent performance appraisal, if currently a federal employee (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable.
Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy) if you are requesting a special appointment authority, such as VRA or VEOA
Proof of severe disability if you are requesting special placement consideration
Proof of eligibility for a military spouse appointment, such as a permanent change station military order
Proof of eligibility for any other special appointing authority not specifically mentioned here.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note:
You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages.
You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process.
The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the SAO Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.
SMITHSONIAN
SMITHSONIAN ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY
HUMAN RESOURCES
160 Concord Ave
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
United States
Next steps
At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as receipt of your application.
The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
