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ASTRONOMER

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Washington, D.C
Closing date
Aug 26, 2019
Duties

Summary

You will serve as an Astronomer in the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Operations Division, Earth Orientation (EO) Department of NAVOBSERV.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

  • You will be responsible for the reliable and consistent production of the Washington DiFX VLBI Correlator.
  • You will ensure that the correlator software and hardware components are working optimally in order to produce information of the required accuracy for further analysis by USNO staff.
  • You will ensure that the correlator software is current and that the hardware components are maintained
  • You will be responsible for resolving data anomalies and improving data quality.
  • You will determine the cause of problems and then the application of astronomical and mathematical knowledge to resolve the issues.
  • You will maintain documentation regarding the maintenance of the hardware and software components of the correlator.
  • You will perform data collection and analysis activities of the USNO as the need arises and performs other duties as assigned, such as conducting tours and assisting in training department employees.
  • You will incumbent identifies technical and operational deficiencies in the correlator data flow as they may arise.
  • You will work with the supervisor, the incumbent leads investigations into improvements to increase the efficiency of the operations and the reliability of the correlator results.
  • You will recommend a course of action to eliminate these deficiencies and is responsible for executing the approved course of action.
  • You will conducts scientific research, prepares, and publishes the results.
  • You will stays current with relevant literature.
  • You will analyzes the results of polar motion and Earth rotation observations, particularly those from VLBI and new techniques; and studies improvements, modifications, and suitability for inclusion in the USNO Earth orientation solution.


Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12

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 www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.
  • 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.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Non-Critical Sensitive position which requires a Secnt Security Clearance.
  • Occasional CONUS and OCONUS travel, less than 10%, may be required.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a government-issued passport. Occasional evening/weekend work may be required.


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:

Experienced and a professional knowledge of astronomy and/or geodesy, which consists of a background in physics and mathematics with specialized study in astronomy and/or geodesy.

Experience in Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technique.

Experience with a DiFX correlator and associated HOPS geodetic VLBI software to participate in VLBI operations and correlation and to evaluate the scientific integrity of the VLBI data and correlator products.

Experience researching and representing the department at national and international scientific conferences.

Experience in computer operation and thorough understanding of and familiarity with, high level computer languages (FORTRAN, C, C++) is necessary.

Experience and knowledge of geodetic/astrometric VLBI operations.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PROF .

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

1. Degree: in one or a combination of astronomy, physics, mathematics, space science, or electronics. The course work must have included differential and integral calculus and 12 semester hours in astronomy and/or physics.

or

2. Combination of education and experience -- at least 30 semester hours of courses equivalent to a major in any combination of astronomy, space science, physics, mathematics, and electronics, with required course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

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.

If you are unable to apply online and request information about the Alternate Application process, please contact the Department of Navy's Employment Information Center.

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: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.

When the application process is complete, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and responses to the Occupational Questionnaire, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies:

  • ASTRONOMY AND SPACE
  • COMPUTER LITERACY
  • ORAL COMMUNICATION
  • PROBLEM SOLVING
  • RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT


You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities or you may be found ineligible/not qualified.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All eligibility, qualifications, and time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

You are required to provide documentation that supports the eligibility and qualification claims made in your resume and assessment questionnaire. You must submit the applicable documents listed below and those listed with the eligibilities you select in the announcement questionnaire with your application package by the closing date of this announcement. Applicants who do not provide supporting documentation that fully support their claims will not be referred to the hiring manager. Cover letter is optional.
A complete resume is required. Your resume must show relevant experience, job title, duties and accomplishments. Your resume must show complete information for each job entry to support minimum qualifications. The following information should be provided in your resume, but it is acceptable to provide elsewhere in your application package: employer's name, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), hours per week, and pay plan, series and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09) for relevant federal experience. Note: Only the last resume received will be reviewed. TIP: A good way to ensure you include all essential information is to use the Resume Builder in USAJOBS to create your resume.
Are you applying for a promotion? If you are a current GS employee applying for a higher grade than the grade that you currently hold you must provide an SF-50 that shows that you have held the next lower grade for at least one year. Some SF-50s effective within the last 52 weeks will not demonstrate you have held the next lower grade for at least one year (e.g. General Adjustment SF-50 from this year). In many cases, we need to see two (2) SF-50s to determine time-in-grade and eligibility for promotion. If you are a DoD employee, you can obtain a copy of your SF- 50(s) from MyBiz .
Does this position require a license, certificate or credentials? Check the Conditions of Employment section above. If a license or a certification is required for the position, you must submit a copy of your license or certificate in your application package.
Are you using education as a substitute for some or all of the experience requirement? Is there a basic education requirement for this position? Check the Education section above to see what is allowed and what is required. Any claims you make in your resume or assessment questionnaire regarding education or degrees must be supported by unofficial transcripts or a list of courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned issued from your school. You may submit a copy your degree(s) if specific coursework does not have to be verified. Read the Education section above for a description of what is needed.
If you are selected, we will request official/sealed transcripts directly from the school(s). All education and degrees claimed by you in your application package will be verified before you can report for work.
Are you a veteran claiming 5-point veterans' preference or claiming sole survivorship preference? You must submit a copy of your latest DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (any copy that shows all dates of service, as well as character of service [Honorable, General, etc.] is acceptable) OR a VA letter that shows dates of service or service connected disability AND character of service. If you have more than one DD-214 for multiple periods of active duty service, submit a copy for each period of service. If you were issued a DD-215 to amend aforementioned information on the DD-214 you must submit that too. If you are not sure of your preference eligibility, visit the Department of Labor's website: Veterans' Preference Advisor
Are you a disabled veteran or claiming 10-point veterans' preference?
If you are eligible to claim 10 point veterans preference you must submit a DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty as described above for 5-point preference.
You must also provide the applicable supporting documentation of your disability (e.g. disability letter from the VA) as described on Standard Form-15 (SF-15). http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf .
Are you an active duty service member? Active Duty Service Members are required to submit a statement of service printed on command letterhead and signed by the command. The statement of service must provide the branch of service, rate/rank, all dates of service, the expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service (Honorable, General, etc.).
Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents contain personal information such as SSN and DOB and some documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove said personal information before you submit your application. You must provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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