Physical Scientist
What you'd do
This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), with 1 vacancy in Greenbelt, MD. Additional duty locations are listed for future vacancies and/or vacancies that may be filled throughout the Department of Commerce. Please select locations for which you want to be considered.
Major duties
As a Physical Scientist, you will perform the following duties: Serve as a team member for the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information (NESDIS), developing processes and implementing strategies and leadership initiatives for projects involving environmental data and products. Prioritize work, determine scope and funding requirements for satellite projects, and oversee the implementation and testing of scientific applications developed by teams within NESDIS. Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders regarding the strategic and technical aspects of services being managed. Oversee the evaluation of experimental and operational environmental products as the application moves through the lifecycle process. Provide expert advice and assistance to scientists and officials on software development and transition to operations. Deliver geophysical information for ocean, atmosphere, and land that support numerous mission objectives. Solicit feedback on product quality and lead detailed planning for future projects. Analyze and develop revisions of satellite and data policies to ensure compatibility with current and future enterprise architectures. NOTE: These duties are described at the full performance level of the ZP-4; the ZP-3 is developmental leading to such performance. 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.
What you need to qualify
Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/ BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position requires applicants to meet a Basic Education Requirement in addition to at least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience OR substitution of education for experience OR combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet one of the following basic education requirements: To qualify for the 1301 series: EDUCATION: 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. 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. -AND- SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government. 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. To qualify at the ZP-3 or GS-11 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-2 or GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Assisting in the testing or implementation of the environmental data workflow and products; and Assisting in the delivery of geophysical information for ocean, atmosphere, and land to stakeholders. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of successfully completed graduate-level education and specialized experience may be used to meet the total experience requirements. Note: Only graduate-level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower level may be combined with experience. To qualify at the ZP-4 or GS-13 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-3 or GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Managing the design, development, testing, or implementation of environmental data workflow and products; Participating in the development of algorithm life cycle processes, such as transition of scientific software from research to operations, the maintenance of the algorithm until retirement, etc.; and Delivering geophysical information for ocean, atmosphere, and land to stakeholders.
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