Supervisory Physical Scientist (Associate Center Director)

Duties
As a Supervisory Physical Scientist (Associate Center Director) within the South Atlantic Water Science Center, some of your specific duties will include:

• Serving as principal advisor to the Center Director and other members of the senior leadership team.
• Exercising a broad range of supervisory responsibilities over employees through subordinate supervisors.
• Developing and revising near-term and long-range plans (including scientific, budget, and staffing plans) to meet Studies Section science objectives and to meet Center needs.
• Supervising the dissemination of authoritative information and advice to agencies, consultants, and the public.
• Serving as a representative and spokesperson for the Center at professional meetings and conferences with internal and external groups, including cooperators, other government agencies, academia, and the general public.
• Operating a motor vehicle as an incidental driver.

Requirements Conditions of Employment
Key Requirements:

1. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
2. Annual financial disclosure reporting is required.
3. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.

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.
• This position requires completion of a one-year supervisory probationary period if one has not been previously completed.
• If selected for this position, you may be required to file one or more financial statements and/or a procurement integrity certification of compliance upon reporting and annually, some of which may be subject to public disclosure.
• You will be required to operate a government-owned or -leased vehicle in the performance of your official duties. Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements: (1) possess a valid State license, and (2) possess a safe driving record. If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid State license & a copy of your driving record.
• 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
BASICEDUCATIONREQUIREMENT FOR GS-1315, HYDROLOGIST:
Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Physical Scientist, all grade levels.

A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in physical or natural science, or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours or the equivalent in any combination of courses in hydrology, the physical sciences, geophysics, chemistry, engineering science, soils, mathematics, aquatic biology, atmospheric science, meteorology, geology, oceanography, or the management or conservation of water resources. The course work must have included at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus), and at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent in physics.

B. A combination of education and experience-course work as shown in "A" above (30 semester hours or the equivalent in any combination of courses as specified in "A" above which must include at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus), and at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent in physics), plus appropriate experience and/or additional education for a total of 4 years. The education or combined education and experience must be comparable in type, scope and thoroughness to that acquired through successful completion of a 4-year course of study as described in "A" above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE).

For GS-14:
In addition to the basic education requirements, you must have one year of specialized experience in or directly related to this position that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. To be creditable, the required specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service.
Examples of technical experience may include serving as a senior expert involved in physical science work for which technical problem definitions, methods and/or data were highly incomplete, controversial, or uncertain and whose evaluations and recommendations were accepted by others as those of a technical expert in the physical sciences. At this level, physical scientists typically represent an authoritative source of consultation for other scientists and program specialists, are called upon to resolve issues that significantly affect physical science programs, make long range and controversial proposals and defend their findings and recommendations in public or high-level forums. Managerial duties may include developing and managing an operational program involving multiple complex projects, account budgets, and personnel. Supervisory experience may include the recruitment, selection, evaluation, and allocation of personnel to projects and programs, assigning and reviewing work, establishing performance standards, and evaluating work progress on multi-faceted, complex and long-term projects. Examples of leadership duties may include serving as an advisor to a senior leadership team concerning the collection, analysis, interpretation, and publication of studies with a primary focus on the physical sciences.
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: .

Additional information
Other Information:

• Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
• USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
• 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.
• The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.
• THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

Application Limit - This vacancy is limited to the first 50 applications received and will close at midnight Eastern Time on the day this application limit is reached regardless of the closing date specified in this vacancy announcement. Any application received prior to midnight Eastern Time of the day the application limit is reached will be accepted and considered. You are strongly encouraged to submit all required supporting documents at the time of application should the vacancy close earlier than stated in this announcement due to the applicant limit being reached. Supporting documents will not be accepted once the vacancy announcement closes.
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.
• For additional information on our internal telework policy, please reference the Department of the Interior Telework Handbook at: .
• Working for the U.S. Geological Survey offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; health, life, dental, vision, and long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

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

--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:

• Leadership & Supervision
• Program/Project Management
• Scientific Knowledge
• Financial Management
• Technical Reports
• Interpersonal Communication
• Oral & Written Communication

--Basis of Rating: You will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. If you are eligible, you will receive a numerical rating based on your on-line responses to the application questions. These responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible.
Additional Assessment Required: If you meet the eligibility and basic qualification requirements for this position a subject-matter-expert 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.
--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: