Physical Scientist

US Geological Survey; Anchorage (AK); On-site; USD 75,000 - 173,000; Full time

Job summary

US Geological Survey's National Minerals Information Center is seeking a Physical Scientist to analyze mineral data and support national supply chain assessments. You will work on complex datasets, contribute to reporting, and collaborate with partners to inform policy.

This position requires an appropriate degree and specialized experience at GS levels, with locality pay considerations for Alaska. Located in Anchorage, this role offers opportunities to influence mineral statistics and national

Qualifications

• Must have a full 4-year degree in physical science, engineering, or mathematics with 24 semester hours in physical science/engineering
• Combination of education and experience may meet the requirements if the education/experience is equivalent
• Include hours per week worked for all periods of experience to ensure crediting of hours

Responsibilities

• Provide expert analysis of mineral data to support national supply chain assessments.
• Perform independent, routine physical science work related to mining and mineral processing industries.
• Compile data from surveys, evaluate results, and prepare publication tables.

Skills

Mineral data analysis

Supply chain analysis

Data compilation

Education

Bachelor's degree in physical science, engineering, or mathematics

Combination of education and experience (4 years total)

Job description

You will serve as a Physical Scientist at the National Minerals Information Center providing expert analysis of mineral data to support national supply chain assessments.

Salary

The salary range is between $75,068 (GS-11 Step 1) - $172,980 (GS-13 Step 10) per annum based on the duty station, and the applicable locality pay table. For more information, please refer to the OPM Salary Tables at General Schedule. 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-09/30/2026-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 Requirement AND/OR Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying.

Basic Educational Requirements

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

• A. 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 in physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours or the equivalent 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 (24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science, engineering, or mathematics) that included at least 24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science and/or related engineering science as described above, plus appropriate experience and/or additional education for a total of 4 years. The education or combined education and experience must be comparable in type, scope and thoroughness to that acquired through successful completion of a 4-year course of study as described in "A" above.

-AND-

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level:

• Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Examples of such experience may include independent responsibility for a well-defined study or for a phase of a larger study that required the planning and carrying out of routine physical science work related to mining and mineral processing industry, production operations and/or exploration activities; performing nonfuel mineral commodity supply chain analyses; compiling data from statistical surveys of mineral producers, evaluating results, and preparing tables for publication. This work would have required the individual to select and make minor adaptations to procedures and accepted practices and handle unexpected conditions arising in the normal course of the work. At this level, physical scientists have the ability to independently perform moderately difficult and responsible scientific work. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

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 substantial experience may include independent responsibility for a well-defined study or for a phase of a larger study that required the planning and carrying out of routine physical science work related to mining and mineral processing industry, production operations and/or exploration activities; performing nonfuel mineral commodity supply chain analyses; compiling data from statistical surveys of mineral producers, evaluating results, and preparing tables for publication. This work would have required the individual to select and make minor adaptations to procedures and accepted practices and handle unexpected conditions arising in the normal course of the work. At this level, physical scientists have the ability to independently perform moderately difficult and responsible scientific work. You must include hours per week worked.

To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level:

• Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Examples of such experience may include independent responsibility for creating and managing project team members in completing a well-defined study or for phases of a larger study that required the planning and carrying out of work related to mining and mineral processing industry, production operations and/or exploration activities; performing nonfuel mineral commodity supply chain analyses; compiling data from statistical surveys of mineral producers, evaluating results, and preparing tables for publication. This work would have required the individual to select and develop process improvements and adaptations to procedures and accepted practices and handle unexpected conditions arising in the normal course of the work. At this level, individuals have the ability to independently perform and manage project teams to perform difficult scientific work. 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.