Duties

Summary

This position is located in the National Weather Service (NWS), Office of Science and Technology Integration (OSTI), Meteorological Development Laboratory (MDL) with one vacancy in Silver Spring, MD.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

This is a student trainee position located within the National Weather Service (NWS), Meteorological Development Laboratory (MDL). The MDL conducts and sponsors applied research and development for the improvement of diagnostic and prognostic weather information; data depiction and utilization; warning and forecast product preparation; and data and forecast evaluation. Projects involve modern physical, dynamical, and statistical techniques implemented on operational computers. Emphasis is placed on integrated suites of guidance and final products for Weather Forecast Offices, River Forecast Centers, and National Centers. The Laboratory collaborates with other laboratories and centers within and outside of NOAA and actively seeks to identify new techniques in response to NWS mission requirements. The Laboratory provides meteorological support to other elements of the Office of Science and Technology, as required.

The purpose of this position to provide the incumbent with training in a variety of meteorological duties designed to develop prerequisite background skills and experience in the field of meteorology. The incumbent will receive advanced on-the-job and formal training to provide experience in various NWS operations; familiarization with NWS programs, policies, and procedures; and an opportunity to perform progressively more responsible assignments as experience is gained.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
07

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply.
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• Must be suitable for Federal employment.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
• Must sign a Pathways Programs Participant Agreement.
• A minimum one year trial period will be required.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Intern and Interns NTE must:
• Be accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree or certificate in a qualifying educational institution on a half-time to full-time basis (as determined by the educational institution);
• Meet the definition of a student throughout the duration of their appointments;
• Meet agency-specific requirements as specified in the agency's Participant Agreement with the Intern and;
• Meet the qualification standards (e.g., series and grade) for position.

This position is being recruited with an opportunity for non-competitive conversion eligibility to a permanent OR term position upon completion of all program requirements. Conversion is not mandatory nor guaranteed (see Other Information).

*This position requires a Low Risk Security Clearance.

* This position is not in the bargaining unit.

NOTE:

This vacancy may be used to fill other Student Trainee (Meteorology), GS-1399-07 positions throughout NOAA. The position must be alike (e.g.: the same qualifications and eligibility requirements as indicated in this vacancy announcement).

Applicants must meet ALL application requirements, to include a complete online resume, by 11:59 p.m. EASTERN TIME (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

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 .

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Students must meet the following eligibility requirements to participate in this Internship Program:

• US. Citizen or U.S. National.
• Must be at least 16 years of age at the time of appointment.
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a student on at least a half-time schedule at a qualifying educational institution in a certificate, degree, or diploma program.
• Be in good academic standing as defined by the educational institution (at least a 2.0 grade point average (GPA).
• If selected, must sign Student Pathways Program Agreement and provide official transcript at the time of appointment and at the end of each academic term to ensure eligibility. Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work. Official transcripts will be required before you can report to duty.

The ideal candidate for this position is pursuing a degree in meteorology and has course work or experience working with large databases; FORTRAN programming; and Python, NetCDF, GRIB2, and scripting as well as knowledge of statistics and statistical post-processing.

-AND-

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position requires applicants to meet a Basic Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of specialized experience in order to be found minimally qualified. You MUST meet one of the following basic education requirements:

EDUCATION:

A. Degree: meteorology, atmospheric science, or other natural science major that included:

At least 24 semester (36 quarter) hours of credit in meteorology/atmospheric science including a minimum of:

a. Six semester hours of atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics;*

b. Six semester hours of analysis and prediction of weather systems (synoptic/mesoscale);

c. Three semester hours of physical meteorology; and

d. Two semester hours of remote sensing of the atmosphere and/or instrumentation.

2. Six semester hours of physics, with at least one course that includes laboratory sessions.*

3. Three semester hours of ordinary differential equations.*

4. At least nine semester hours of course work appropriate for a physical science major in any combination of three or more of the following: physical hydrology, statistics, chemistry, physical oceanography, physical climatology, radiative transfer, aeronomy, advanced thermodynamics, advanced electricity and magnetism, light and optics, and computer science.

* There is a prerequisite or corequisite of calculus for course work in atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics, physics, and differential equations. Calculus courses must be appropriate for a physical science major.

OR


B. Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, 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 GS-07 level:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In additional to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

• Using state-of-the-art hydro-meteorological data to monitor current conditions and provide assistance in forecast preparation for weather, water or climate hazards.

OR

EDUCATION: One full year of graduate-level education in Meteorology, Atmospheric Science or in a directly related field.

OR

SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: Demonstrated by a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with one of the following. NOTE It is your responsibility to ensure your application clearly states how you meet one of the provisions below:

• A grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher based on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last 2 full years of undergraduate study;
• A GPA of 3.5 or higher based on a 4.0 scale for required courses completed in a major field of study, or those courses completed in a major field of study during the last two years of undergraduate study;
• Class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision of the college;
• Membership in a national Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College Honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies.

OR

COMBINATION: A combination of related graduate level education and specialized experience.

Education

Definition of Student: Student is defined as an individual accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, or certificate) in a qualifying academic institution, on a half or full-time basis. Half-time is defined by the educational institution in which the student is enrolled. Students do not have to be in actual physical attendance in school, online curriculums are acceptable as long as the school is accredited by the Department of Education.

Proof of Enrollment: NOAA will use applicant's transcript as proof of enrollment in the identified college/university provided it demonstrates definition of eligible student. A letter from an educational institution indicating acceptance may be used as proof of enrollment for those students who are continuing studies at a new college or university or for those student whose transcripts do not reflect in-progress courses. An official transcript will be required before you can report to duty.

College Transcript: Applicants must submit a copy of their college transcript that lists college courses, course title, and number of credit hours. If you have a future graduation date, you must provide a letter from the school registrars's office that includes the name of the student/applicant, the name of the school, and verification of your anticipated graduation date. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process, but an official certified copy must be received before you can report to duty.

All academic degrees or course work must be completed in an educational institution that has obtained accreditation from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx .

Additional information

PROGRAM COMPLETION AND CONVERSION: For both Intern and Intern NTE, agencies have the discretion to consider interns for non-competitive conversion to term or permanent positions in the competitive services, provided that the intern has met all academic and Program requirements, and are within 120 days of academic program completion. There is no guarantee for conversion.

To be eligible for conversion, an Intern or eligible Intern NTE must:
• Be a United States citizen or national;
• Complete at least 640 hours of work experience acquired through the Program while enrolled as a half-time or full-time degree or certificate seeking student;
• Complete a course of academic study, within the preceding 120-day period, at a qualifying educational institution conferring a diploma, certificate or degree;
• Meet the qualification standards for the position to which she or he will be converted;
• Receive a favorable recommendation by an official of the agency or agencies in which she or he served; and
• Meet agency-specific requirements, as specified in the Participant Agreement.

NOAA participates in e-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your resume, supporting documents and responses to the online questionnaire will be reviewed to determine if you meet eligibility and minimum qualification requirements. Veterans' preference applies to all selections made under the Pathways authority in accordance with CFR, Part 302.
To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

• Resume showing relevant experience; cover letter optional Your resume must indicate your citizenship and if you are registered for Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/59. Your resume must include information about your paid and nonpaid work experience related to this position including: job title, duration of employment (mm/dd/yy - mm/dd/yy), hours per week, duties and accomplishments, salary, and your education. For work in the Federal service, please include the grade level for the position/s. Your resume may be used to validate your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire.
• Proof of Enrollment in school or acceptance of enrollment stipulating that you are in good standing.
• Education If this position requires proof of higher education, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a letter from your college or university with your graduation date. NOTE: Students who anticipate graduating within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement may apply with submitted unofficial transcripts and enrollment verification for continued education for the subsequent enrollment term. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities: Must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation by the closing date of the announcement will result in lost consideration.
• Superior Academic Achievement If claiming Superior Academic Achievement, you must submit a letter from the university/college with your class standing. It must be on the university/college letterhead OR a letter from the Scholastic Honor Society as proof of eligibility.
• If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your Member 4 DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service or other valid proof of eligibility (i.e., statement of service that shows service dates AND character of service). If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference see http://www.opm.gov/staffingPortal/Vetguide.asp#VeteransEmploymentAct1998 .
• Active Duty Service Members You must submit a statement of discharge/certification of release or an official written document from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions no later than 120 days from the date the announcement closes. Enlisted Record Briefs and military identification do NOT qualify as official documentation. If the appropriate information is not submitted to confirm the discharge status, dates of service, etc., you will not be considered for this job opportunity under Veteran Preference procedures. To gain access to your DD-214 online please visit http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records .

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

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.