Geographer/Physical Scientist
What you'd do
You will serve as a Geographer/Physical Scientist National Civil Applications Center. This position serves as the Chief, Partnership Branch and concurrently as the Civil Applications Committee (CAC) Executive Secretary. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 to 3 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. GS-14 Salary $143,913 - $187,093. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.
Major duties
Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Advises the Civil Applications Committee (CAC) Chair, CAC Vice-Chair(s), and CAC Principal Members on policy and procedural issues related to access to and use of U.S. National Imaging System (USNIS) data and capabilities used to meet their agency's statutory missions. Plans and conducts CAC meetings and working groups and documents the CAC's decisions ensuring that proper oversight responsibilities and documentation is maintained that shows Federal Civil agency use of USNIS data follows applicable laws and Executive Orders and Office of the Director for National Intelligence, Intelligence Community (IC), and Department of War (DoW) regulations and policies. Oversees CAC member's requests for the collection of IC and DoW remotely sensed data to ensure the protection of Constitutional and other legal rights of U.S. persons and to ensure that such requests and the use of such data are consistent with the authorities and responsibilities of such organizations and are in accordance with authorized programs. Represents the CAC Chair and CAC Federal Civil agencies to National System for Geospatial Intelligence, DoW, and IC counterparts to enhance the development of advanced imagery acquisition systems, exploitation, and dissemination of data and information derived from USNIS. Supervises the Partnership Branch staff that also functions as the CAC Secretariat who assist the incumbent in managing the CAC, its activities, and the intergovernmental relationships necessary for successful collaboration.
What you need to qualify
Qualifications: All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/23/2026-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. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirement AND Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying. Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: GS-0150: A. Degree: geography; or related physical or social science such as geology, meteorology, economics, statistics, sociology, anthropology, political science, history, cartography, computer science, urban studies, or planning that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields. You must submit transcripts. -OR- B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in geography, or a related field that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. You must include transcripts GS-1301: 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 include transcripts -OR- B. Combination of education and experience: education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. You must include transcripts -AND- To qualify for this position at the GS-14 grade level: Specialized Experience Requirement: One year of appropriate professional experience that is in or directly related to the duties of the position to be filled is qualifying if it is equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of such experience may include: Leading and managing interagency committees and working Groups; Executing policy oversight and compliance functions; Managing requests and processes for sensitive data collections; Representing an organization in high-level engagements. Experience as a senior expert in 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 remote sensing. At this level, scientists typically represent an authoritative source of consultation for other scientists and program specialists, are called upon to resolve issues that significantly affect science programs, make long range and controversial proposals and defend their findings and recommendations in public or high-level forums. 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.
Before you apply
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