Duties

Summary

This is a Direct Hire Public Notice. Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.

This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS), with three vacancies in Silver Spring, MD.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a Supervisory Physical Scientist, you will perform the following duties:

• Provide oversight and management of a group of technical and professional staff to 1) quality control, process, analyze and disseminate oceanographic data and products; 2) monitor and evaluate changing oceanographic conditions and severe weather to provide real-time situational awareness and future water level projections to coastal communities; and/or 3) provide customer service support and coordinated technical assistance related to the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services' (CO-OPS) data, observation technology, products, and services.
• Assign and manage personnel and fiscal resources to support annual organizational work plan goals. Communicate with employees the organization's vision, mission, core values and strategic goals to develop assignments and result-oriented performance work plans. Ensure proper execution of work plans and projects, and adjust work priorities and implementation schedules as necessary.
• Evaluate work performance of staff; develop performance standards; provide guidance, counsel, or instructions on work and administrative matters; and make decisions on problems presented by staff. Recruit and approve selections for nonsupervisory positions.
• Communicate effectively in writing and orally to employees and management staff, and provide sound recommendations on technical and supervisory topics. Develop and sustain cooperative working relationships to promote the use of CO-OPS' products and services.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Up to 5% of domestic travel may be required for this position.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
4

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)
• Qualifications requirements must be met by closing date of announcement.

This position requires a Moderate Risk Security Clearance.

This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). This system replaced the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band.

The ZP-4 is equivalent to the GS-13/14.

The full performance level of the position is ZP-4 or GS-14.

Category Rating, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to this Public Notice.

* A one year supervisory probationary period may be required.

* Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized.

* This position is not in the bargaining unit.

NOTE:

*This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Supervisory Physical Scientist, ZP-1301-4 positions throughout NOAA. The position must be alike (e.g. within the same geographic locations, same grade/band and requires the same qualifications and specialized experience 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 .

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. 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-4 or GS-13 level:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants also must 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:

• Performing scientific and technical analyses in the field of physical oceanography according to standard operating procedures;
• Monitoring and evaluating quality of scientific data to ensure end-products and services are of high quality per guidelines for distribution; and
• Distributing and implementing operational products and services, and communicating and promoting their utility and value to program partners or other stakeholders through various methods.

Education

College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken.

Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work. An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.

Additional information

CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have met the minimum qualifications for the position. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition

CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice).

A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", noting current position, grade level, and duty location;

A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and

Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; notice of disability annuity termination; certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;

A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc;

A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and

Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

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.

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position.

Veteran's Preference does not apply to direct hire recruitment procedures.

Any selections made under this notice will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Therefore, Current Federal employees would be given new appointments to the civil service and may have to serve a new probationary period under CFR 315.802 (b).

NOTE: A one year supervisory probationary period will be required under the Direct Hire Authority unless you are a current Department of Commerce employee and are in the same line of work and with no more than a 30 day break in service.

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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.
• Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) documentation if applicable (see other information).
• Education. If this position requires proof of higher education, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: 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

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.