Geologist

US Geological Survey; Anchorage (AK); On-site; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage, Alaska, seeks a Geologist to lead and support complex geologic studies within a term appointment set to last at least 13 months and potentially extend to four years.

This federal vacancy requires a geology degree and specialized experience, with COLA of 1.49% authorized; first-time hires usually start at the step 1 rate, and hours per week must be stated for credit. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to plan, execute and interpret field and

Qualifications

• Specialized experience demonstrating planning and execution of complex geologic studies.
• Geology degree with additional coursework in math/physics/chemistry or related fields.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute complex geologic studies and investigations.
• Interpret findings and communicate scientific results clearly to team and management.

Skills

Specialized experience

Geology knowledge

Education

Geology degree + 20 sem hrs

Education/experience combination

Job description

You will serve as a Geologist .

This is a term position (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment expecting to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of four years, or more based on any changes to regulations governing the number of years term appointments may last, without further competition at management's discretion.

First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) rate of 1.49% is authorized.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/19/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

Basic Educational Requirements

In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following:

• A. Degree: geology, plus 20 additional semester hours in any combination of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological science, structural, chemical, civil, mining or petroleum engineering, computer science, planetary geology, comparative planetology, geophysics, meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, physical geography, marine geology, and cartography. You must submit transcripts. -OR-
• B. Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

-AND-

To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level:

• Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Examples of such experience could include planning and executing complex geologic studies, which usually involved intensive investigations into recognized phenomena. This work typically involved conventional methods & techniques though it required going beyond clear precedents, and required adapting methods to the problems at hand and interpreting findings in terms of their scientific significance. At this level, Geologists have a very good knowledge of the principles of geology and their application, and the ability to independently perform scientific work of considerable difficulty. You must include hours per week worked.

Volunteer Experience

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.