Physical Scientist - Direct Hire Authority

US National Park Service; Orick (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

US National Park Service's Redwood National Park is seeking a Physical Scientist to develop and implement programs across geology, soils, hydrology, hydrogeology, air quality, acoustics and related physical sciences. You will support stewardship of redwood forests, watersheds and coastal resources through scientific analysis and landscape-scale restoration.

The position requires a full-time commitment with eligibility for federal benefits.

Qualifications

• One full year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-09 in the Federal service.
• Experience in abiotic resource protection, restoration, monitoring and management in park settings.
• Ability to develop and implement long-term monitoring protocols and management plans.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement programs in geology, soils, hydrology, hydrogeology, air quality and acoustics.
• Support stewardship of redwood forests, watersheds, and coastal resources through scientific analysis.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and contribute to landscape-scale restoration efforts.

Skills

Geology

Hydrology

Air quality

Geomorphology

Education

Physical science degree or related

Tools

GIS

Remote sensing

Job description

You will serve as a Physical Scientist with Redwood National Park and responsible for developing and implementing programs related to geology, soils, hydrology, hydrogeology, air quality, acoustics, and related physical sciences. The incumbent supports the stewardship of internationally significant redwood forests, watersheds, and coastal resources through scientific analysis, interdisciplinary collaboration, and landscape-scale restoration efforts

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

Basic Educational Requirements for GS-1301 series: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following:

• A. 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. 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-

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

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

Experience: To qualify, 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 performing duties for the protection, restoration, monitoring, and management of abiotic resources in park areas or similar operations in the specific areas of geology, soils, hydrology, air quality, climate, and/or geomorphology. This would involve experience in writing major portions of management plans, developing and implementing long-term monitoring protocols, preparing specific action plans to protect and manage physical or abiotic resources, collaborating or coordinating actions with others to provide broad strategies for abiotic resource protection, preparing requests for proposals, and managing budgets. You must include hours per week worked on resume.

-OR-

Education: Successful completion of three full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent graduate degree at an accredited college or university that is directly related to the field.

-OR-

Combination of education and experience as listed above. Successful completion of a combination of graduate education (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D.) and experience as described above. To combine experience and education, divide the total months of full-time experience by 12. Then divide the number of completed graduate education credits/semester hours beyond the second year by 18 (27 quarter hours). Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Only education in excess of the first 2 years of graduate level (36 semester hours) work is creditable. You must include hours per week and transcripts.

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.

Requirements Continued...

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.