Hydrologist

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Department of Agriculture

Job Summary

This position is being concurrently announced under Pathways Recent Graduate program as announcement number 20-NCH-SRM-1315-57-RG. Current federal employees may apply to both announcements. This position may be filled at the GS-05 or GS-07 grade level with promotion potential to the GS-09.

Major Duties

  • Participates as a member of interdisciplinary teams working on land management planning, emergency burn rehabilitation, or other Forest projects.
  • Prepares and carries out water quality monitoring programs, including preparation of plans, collection and analysis of samples, and interpretation of data.
  • Prepares environmental analysis reports for restoration projects being considered for implementation.
  • Prepares reports of findings for assigned parts of interpretive studies summarizing the results of hydrologic investigations.
  • Collects, analyzes, and interprets watershed data for input to environmental reports.
  • Conducts water resource inventories following established procedures to assemble data bases required to support management programs and Forest planning.
  • The incumbent makes frequent contacts with other watershed professionals and professionals in other disciplines and occasional contacts with State and Federal agencies, permittees, and cooperators.
  • Contacts are made to exchange information with other specialists on interdisciplinary teams, to resolve problems, and to test theories and method concepts against peer groups concepts and procedures.
  • Collects and analyzes hydrologic data relating to one or more of the three disciplinary fields (ground-water, surface-water, quality-water), determining apparent reasons for data anomalies, and correlating the factors that affect the information.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. You must possess the Basic Requirements identified below to be considered qualified for this position, which includes all positive education requirements if applicable. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. When using previous work experience to qualify for the position, your resume must clearly detail the appropriate experience requirements. Basic Qualification Requirements for the GS-05 and GS-07: Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study in physical or natural science, or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in any combination of courses in hydrology, the physical sciences, geophysics, chemistry, engineering science, soils, mathematics, aquatic biology, atmospheric science, meteorology, geology, oceanography, or the management or conservation of water resources. The course work must have included at least 6 semester hours in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus), and at least 6 semester hours in physics. Calculus and physics, as described above, are requirements for all grade levels. OR Combination of education and experience -- course work as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Acceptable experience must have included performance of scientific functions related to the study of water resources, based on and requiring a professional knowledge of related sciences and the consistent application of basic scientific principles to the solution of theoretical and practical hydrologic problems. The following is illustrative of acceptable experience: field or laboratory work that would require application of hydrologic theory and related sciences such as geology, geo-chemistry, geophysics, or civil engineering to making observations, taking samples, operating instruments, assembling data from source materials, analyzing and interpreting data, and reporting findings orally and in writing. In some cases, professional scientific experience that is not clearly water resource experience may be acceptable if such experience was preceded by appropriate education in hydrology or by professional hydrology experience. In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional education and/or experience are required for the grade(s) specified. Specialized Experience Requirement: 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. For the GS-07: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level; OR one full year of graduate level education; OR an appropriate combination of graduate level education and specialized experience; OR Superior Academic Achievement (to determine if you are eligible, go to: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp).The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Examples of specialized experience are: Gathered, consolidated, and prepared data for charts, lists of study findings, and statistical tables; Operated technical equipment or instruments to take readings and perform routine testing tasks, under the direction of a supervisor; Assisted in the preparation of study reports, including assisting in the analysis of data and test findings. Please note that Superior Academic Achievement can only be applied if you have graduated or completed (or expect to complete within 9 months) all the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT GS-07 ONLY: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Pay Range

$34,916.00 - $56,222.00

More information...

End Date: 

Thursday, February 20, 2020