PHYSICAL SCIENTIST

Duties

• You will serve as a Physical Scientist in Naval Meteorology and Oceanography processes supporting operational METOC forecast products and services, with emphasis on the environmental effects applicable to Antisubmarine Warfare and Mine Warfare.
• You will plan, conduct, evaluate, and report significant oceanographic and acoustic studies and technical analyses that directly influence Fleet training requirements, tactical applications, and operational practices.
• You will study complex environmental variables affecting ASW and MIW, including acoustics, remote sensing, hydrography, hydrology, currents, obstructions, navigability, and other factors affecting meteorological climatology.
• You will serve as an instructor for Advanced Forecasting Techniques, provide instruction in scientific analysis, environmental interpretation, METOC forecasting, acoustics, remote sensing, and tactical decision aids.
• You will develop and present instruction based on the incumbent's scientific studies, validated analytical methods, authoritative technical conclusions, and respond to complex question and operation scenarios.
• You will conduct liaison with METOC professionals, Fleet operators, scientists, engineers, and system developers to incorporate emerging scientific and technological developments into advanced course content.
• You will host and participate in scientific seminars, studies, panels, and workshops concerning METOC analysis, training requirements, testing materials, and emerging learning technologies.
• You will develop, maintain, and periodically update ASW and MIW training pipelines for Naval Oceanographers and Aerographer's Mates.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Must be a US Citizen.
• Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
• Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
• New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
• Generally, current federal employees applying for GS jobs must serve at least one year at the next lower grade level. This requirement is called time-in-grade. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
• Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal
• Successful completion of a pre-employment drug test (including marijuana) is required. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if you fail to report to the drug test appointment or fail the test. You will be subject to random testing.
• A medical screening examination is required before embarking on a U.S. Navy vessel afloat and away from shore for periods of time greater than 24 hours.
• This position is subject to work an uncommon tour, including nights, weekends, and holidays to meet mission requirements. Overtime or night differential pay and/or unusual duty hours may be required.
• This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.
• The incumbent must complete the required Basic Instructor Course qualification and Navy NEC 805A requirements.

Qualifications

In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the (GS-11) grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience applying professional scientific principles, theories, and practices of oceanography, meteorology, acoustics, or related physical environmental sciences to evaluate environmental effects on operational systems, platforms, and sensors (such as Antisubmarine Warfare [ASW] or Mine Warfare [MIW]).
• Experience planning, conducting, and analyzing physical science, oceanographic, or acoustic studies, including formulating study objectives, evaluating environmental data, and preparing authoritative scientific findings and technical reports.
• Experience evaluating and validating operational concepts, scientific models, tactical decision aids (TDAs), or environmental prediction tools to determine their technical soundness, operational applicability, and adherence to scientific standards.
• Experience translating scientific findings, analytical methods, or meteorological and oceanographic (METOC) operational procedures into technical documentation, instructional materials, or formal training curricula.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Education

Applicants must meet the following positive education qualifications requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual: Applicants must possess

Basic Requirements:

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

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.

Transcripts are required

Additional information

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

During the application process you will have the ability to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions in the local commuting area. Depending on the hiring organization and the position being filled, job requirements (e.g., security clearance, travel, drug testing, financial disclosure filing, bargaining unit status, etc.) may vary. Other hiring managers filling similar positions may offer relocation expense reimbursement and/or may offer recruitment incentives for new employees, depending on funding availability and in accordance with policy. If you opt-in and are referred on a certificate, your resume will be available to other hiring managers for 180-days from the date the job announcement closes. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at:

PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade or the grade held immediately prior to separation.

ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category (score 85) or higher. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application: 1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link:

Military Spouse Preference applicants will be placed at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined Best Qualified (BQ). A BQ military spouse possesses knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies comparable to others who meet the competitive referral criteria for the specific position.