Physical Science Technician (Seasonal)
What you'd do
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is recruiting for summer seasonal positions intended to assist permanent staff with Physical Science Technician field work. The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period is November- April but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty date: November 2026 Open to the first 75 applicants. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the 07/20/2026 to be considered.
Major duties
Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Taking samples and/or manual measurement of environmental parameters at abandoned mine sites such as water flow, water chemistry, soil moisture. Installing, calibrating, managing, and retrieving data from remote environmental monitoring equipment including air quality sensors, water quality sondes, acoustic monitoring devices, remote cameras, and other electronic equipment. Navigating to remote backcountry sites and using GPS and topographic maps to map landscape features and record associated data is part of most fieldwork. Preparing draft figures and reports describing and summarizing geology, soils, water quality, and hydrology data. Writing detailed draft reports on the methods and operating procedure for the physical science portion of an environmental monitoring program.
What you need to qualify
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement -07/20/2026- unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your 2 page resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. 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. To qualify for this position at the GS-06 grade level, you must possess the following: A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sector) that is directly related to the position to be filled. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: participating in physical sciences research or natural resource-based studies; collecting environmental monitoring data such as water quality and quantity, atmospheric chemistry or air quality; and setting-up remote environmental monitoring equipment such as weather stations, acoustic monitors, or water-quality sondes. -OR- B. You must possess one full academic year of graduate education related to the occupation (one year of full-time graduate education is defined as 18 semester hours). -OR- C. Equivalent combination of experience and education that, together, equal 100% of the qualification standards listed above when combined. To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess one of the following: A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sector) that is directly related to the position to be filled. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: collecting data and drafting reports for physical sciences research or natural resource-based studies; collecting and analyzing environmental monitoring data such as water quality and quantity, atmospheric chemistry or air quality; and setting-up and managing remote environmental monitoring equipment such as weather stations, acoustic monitors, or water-quality sondes. -OR- B. You must possess one full academic year of graduate education related to the occupation (one year of full-time graduate education is defined as 18 semester hours). -OR- C. Equivalent combination of experience and education that, together, equal 100% of the qualification standards listed above when combined. Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sectors. The OPM Qualification Standards Handbook is available for review at: OPM Qualification Standards. 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. ICTAP/CTAP Statement: 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 on all competencies.
Before you apply
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