Interdisciplinary Geographer/Physical Scientist

US Geological Survey; Lakewood (CO); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

USGS's National Civil Applications Center in Lakewood, CO seeks an Interdisciplinary Geographer/Physical Scientist to conduct geospatial analysis, synthesize geographic data from multiple sources, and support time-sensitive analytical products.

The position requires completing a GS-12 level specialized experience, establishing partnerships, providing technical guidance, and ensuring compliance with security and administrative standards. First-time hires start at step 1; closing date 2026-10-11.

Qualifications

• Degree in geography or related field with 24 semester hours geography.
• Combination of education and experience with 24 geography-related semester hours.
• Specialized experience in geospatial analysis and data integration.

Responsibilities

• Develop and analyze geospatial products.
• Synthesize multi-source geographic data.
• Provide guidance and training to partners and staff.

Skills

Geospatial analysis

Imagery exploitation

Data synthesis

Partnership development

Training & guidance

Security & compliance

Education

Geography degree

Physical science degree

Tools

GIS

Job description

You will serve as a Interdisciplinary Geographer/Physical Scientist for the National Civil Applications Center.

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

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/11/2026-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:

Basic Requirements for Geographer, GS-0150:

• A. Degree: Successful completion of a degree in geography; or related physical or social science such as geology, meteorology, economics, statistics, sociology, anthropology, political science, history, cartography, computer science, urban studies, or planning that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields. You must submit transcripts. -OR-
• B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in geography, or a related field that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. You must submit transcripts.

-AND-

Basic Requirements for Physical Scientist, GS-1301:

• A. Degree: Successful completion of degree in 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. You must submit transcripts. -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. You must submit transcripts.

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: geospatial analysis and imagery exploitation, compiling and synthesizing geographic data to compare features and events, and integrating multi-source datasets; Managing collection strategies, validating technical requirements, and disseminating analytical products under time-critical conditions; Establishing outside partnerships, providing technical guidance and training, and ensuring compliance with security and administrative standards. 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.