Physical Scientist
What you'd do
This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Oil Spill Preparedness Division, Gulf of America Section, Jefferson, LA.
Major duties
At the full performance level (GS-13), some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Provides guidance, expert advice, training, and instruction to staff of the Branch on technical review and evaluation of oil spill response plans (OSRPs), plan holder training and exercises, unannounced exercises, oil spill response equipment and associated maintenance, training and use records; and ensures all activities are in accordance with national policy. Conducts technical review and evaluation of OSRPs, conducts and evaluates unannounced exercises; inspects and evaluates oil spill response equipment and associated maintenance, training and use records; and engages in other oil spill program activities. Administers enforcement processes or refers cases for civil penalty review as appropriate. Leads, assists, or instructs others in the development and execution of government initiated unannounced oil spill exercises; may conduct exercises and/or serve as an evaluator. Prepares and reviews a broad range of complex correspondence to answer or solicit information from lessees, operators, oil spill removal organizations, Federal and state agencies, and the general public Serves as the lead BSEE representative on Regional Response Teams (RRT), Area Committees, and incident specific RRT calls, providing support, advice and expertise to the National Response System on matters pertinent to oil spill planning, preparedness, and response. Attends meetings and conferences with BSEE personnel; Federal, state, and industry representatives; and the general public concerning the implementation of relevant regulations, policies, and requirements of the OSRP review and approval process. During actual spills the employee deploys to incident command posts and serves in designated positions within the Incident Command Structure. Assesses engineering, technical and scientific needs during a spill response and helps coordinate agency support to the Incident Command. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Physical Demands: In-office work is primarily sedentary. Field work involves conducting equipment inspections, unannounced exercises, auditing operator-led training and exercises, sometimes offshore on vessels. This position requires regular and recurring physical exertion related to frequent inspections and surveys. This physical exertion includes considerable standing, walking, climbing, bending, crouching, stretching, reaching or similar movements. All field activities require some degree of agility and dexterity, for example traversing uneven surfaces, climbing stairs and ladders, being on offshore vessels while underway. Offshore deployments may involve extended travel on vessels over water, vessel-to-vessel transfers, and the infrequent need to climb into/out of emergency evacuation devices. Spill response equipment inspections in warehouse environments may involve overhead operations, movement of heavy machinery, and other activities that require the incumbent to look in all directions and be continuously and clearly aware of surroundings. The hire may also be required to deploy to command posts during oil spill incidents. Incident deployments are typically located in office environments at incident command posts and may require working more than 12 hours a day. Successful completion of role-based training such as water survival and hands-on oil spill response field operations on a regular and recurring basis as described in Bureau policy. Work Environment: Work is primarily performed in an office setting, offices of offshore operators, meetings, and conferences, with occasional trips to offshore locations, equipment storage yards, and incident command posts. Travel by auto, plane, helicopter, or boat is required. Offshore travel is primarily conducted by contractor-owned response vessels. The in-office work environment involves normal everyday risks or discomforts typical of an office setting. Deployments to Incident Command Posts are typically in office settings and may require travel away from the duty station for long periods more than a week. Fieldwork, as described above in the Physical Demands, exposes the incumbent to adverse conditions such as weather, temperature extremes (above 90° F Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) or below 0° F), and higher accident potential when offshore or in outdoor equipment yards and warehouse environments. The incumbent will typically spend 30-40 days per year conducting field work. Some work conditions may expose the incumbent to high noise levels, areas with marine and other wildlife. The employee wears hardhats, safety glasses, safetytoe shoes, hearing protection, selected uniforms for the environment and takes other various safety precautions.
What you need to qualify
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-08/14/2026-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. To qualify for this position, you must meet the following basic educational minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet at least one of the following basic education requirements: A. Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. You must submit transcripts. -OR- B. Combination of education and experience: education equivalent to one of the majors shown above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. -AND- Minimum Qualifications Requirements: In addition to the basic education requirements described above, applicants must also possess one of the below minimum qualifications requirements to qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level: Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience in ALL of the following: 1) performing observations, computations, compilations and analyses to assist higher-level scientists in carrying out physical science assignments; 2) applying basic physical science principles and standard operating procedures; AND 3) preparing technical reports with recommendations. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- Education: Successful completion of at least two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a related field. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. NOTE: You must include a copy of your transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience. To combine education and experience, only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level. For example, six (6) months of the specialized experience (50% of experience), and 27 semester hours of directly-related graduate level college study in an accredited institution (50% of education) would qualify. 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. Requirements Continued... As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will 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.
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