PHYSICAL SCIENTIST

U.S. Fleet Forces Command; Suitland (MD); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Naval Ice Center in Suitland, MD, seeks a Physical Scientist to serve as SME advising the Director/Commanding Officer on ice and snow products, forecasting, and related policy. You will work on Arctic instrumentation, remote sensing, satellite processing, data management, and environmental intelligence for the U.S.

government, represent the center at conferences, and help develop strategic plans and communications with customers.

Qualifications

• Experience applying remotely sensed imagery to sea/lake ice evaluation; knowledge of geography, oceanography, meteorology and climatology; and model output interpretation.
• Experience making decisions that significantly change international ice analysis policies and forecasting programs.
• Experience as a technical authority planning and evaluating long-term programs transitioning R&D into operational use.
• Experience documenting technical work into policy, planning, and scholarly publications.

Responsibilities

• Advise the Director/Commanding Officer on strategic, operational, and tactical ice and snow products and policy matters.
• Advise on Arctic instrumentation, remote sensing, satellite processing, and database management for naval operations.
• Represent USNIC at national and international conferences and working groups.
• Develop and implement policies, planning goals, objectives, and performance measures for operations.
• Coordinate communications with customers to ensure products meet requirements.
• Assist Department Head in an advisory capacity.
• Serve as Senior Civilian advisor to the Command executive staff.

Skills

Ice and snow products

Remote sensing

Arctic instrumentation

Data management

Policy advisory

Education

Degree in physical science/engineering/mathematics with 24 sem hrs in physical science/engineering

Education/experience combination meeting 24 sem hrs physical science requirement

Job description

Summary

You will serve as a PHYSICAL SCIENTIST in the OFFICE OF THE COMMANDING OFFICER of NAVAL ICE CENTER.

Duties

• You will serve as a Physical Scientist Subject Matter Expert (SME) advising the Director/ Commanding Officer on strategic, operational, and tactical-level ice and snow products, ice forecasting, and policy matters related to sea ice data.
• You will advise on Arctic instrumentation, remote sensing, satellite processing, database management and naval warfare related environmental intelligence services for the U.S. government.
• You will represent the USNIC at national and international conferences and working groups involved in advancing scientific knowledge, tactical operations, data collection and preparation, and dissemination of ice products and information.
• You will develop and implement policies, strategic planning goals, objectives and performance measures; evaluates and advise on the effectiveness of the organizations operations in meeting established goals and objectives.
• You will coordinate communications and liaison with customers to ensure products meet operational, scientific, and technological requirements.
• You will assist Department Head in an advisory capacity.
• You will serve as the Senior Civilian advisor to the Command executive staff.

Requirements

• Must be a US Citizen.
• Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
• Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
• New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
• Generally, current federal employees applying for GS jobs must serve at least one year at the next lower grade level. This requirement is called time-in-grade. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
• Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• You will be required to successfully complete a pre-appointment physical examination.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final Top Secret SCI security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
• MSP/PPP applicants must currently hold the required security clearance.
• Successful completion of a pre-employment drug test (including marijuana) is required. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if you fail to report to the drug test appointment or fail the test. You will be subject to random testing.
• This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain a U.S. Passport.
• This is a Mission Essential position. You will be required to ensure organization or facility continuity of operations and/or completion of tasks that are considered essential to the mission designated by a local or command decision.
• The incumbent of this position may be directed to come to work during inclement weather, installation closure, or other emergency situations, or may be required to work overtime or shifts as required by the mission
• Occasional evening/weekend work is required.

Qualifications

For GS-14, In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-13 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience and skill in the application of remotely sensed imagery in the evaluation of sea and lake ice; the principles of geography, oceanography, meteorology and climatology; and numerical meteorological and oceanographic model output.
• Experience making decisions or recommendations significantly changing, interpreting or developing international ice analysis charting and forecasting policies and programs.
• Experience as a technical authority in the planning and evaluation of long-term programs and projects that successfully transition rapidly evolving and cutting-edge R&D efforts into operational use.
• Experience demonstrating oral and written communication skills sufficient to document his/her technical work into actionable policy, planning, and procedural documents for publication in professional journals.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1300/general-physical-science-series-1301/

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Education

Applicants must meet the following positive education qualifications requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual: Applicants must possess

Basic Requirements

• 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
• 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.

Transcripts are required

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

During the application process you will have the ability to opt‑in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions in the local commuting area. Depending on the hiring organization and the position being filled, job requirements (e.g., security clearance, travel, drug testing, financial disclosure filing, bargaining unit status, etc.) may vary. Other hiring managers filling similar positions may offer relocation expense reimbursement and/or may offer recruitment incentives for new employees, depending on funding availability and in accordance with policy. If you opt‑in and are referred on a certificate, your resume will be available to other hiring managers for 180‑days from the date the job announcement closes. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf

ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category (score 85) or higher. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application: 1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/

Military Spouse Preference applicants will be placed at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined Best Qualified (BQ). A BQ military spouse possesses knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies comparable to others who meet the competitive referral criteria for the specific position.

PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade or the grade held immediately prior to separation.

This is a Special Sensitive position, which requires to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI security clearance. The incumbent is required to hold Top Secret Clearance based on a current T5. Periodic updates of the T5 will be initiated at four and one half year intervals to determine the eligibility of the incumbent to continue to be granted access to SCI material and data. Position has been designed as a critical position IAW AR 600-85.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.