Supervisory Hydrologic Technician

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); Grayling (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 116,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Grayling, MI seeks a Supervisory Hydrologic Technician to lead the Grayling Field Office and supervise data collection, analysis, and reporting of surface water, groundwater, and water-quality data.

The role oversees real-time data management, quality control, and preparation of information for Water Data for the Nation, while training staff and guiding program development and budget planning.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience is not specified; federal qualifications apply.
• Experience supervising field staff and managing hydrologic data collection projects.
• Ability to train and mentor personnel in field techniques and data processing.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and schedule staff for collecting, analyzing, and preparing hydrologic data.
• Oversee real-time data management and quality control for national data displays.
• Train staff in field data collection techniques and hydrologic computation methods.
• Direct complex hydrologic field efforts ensuring data continuity and accuracy.
• Represent USGS in meetings and workshops and assist with program development and budgeting.

Skills

Supervisory experience

Real-time data management

Field data collection

Hydrologic computation

Data quality control

Training/mentoring staff

Tools

Water Data for the Nation

Hydrologic instrumentation

Job description

Summary

This position serves as the Supervisory Hydrologic Technician in the Upper Midwest Water Science Center (UMWSC) which is in the Midcontinent Region of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), located in Grayling, MI. This position serves as the Grayling Field Office Supervisor and reports to the Supervisory Hydrologist Eastern Data Chief of the Upper Midwest WSC.

Salary

GS-12 Salary: $89,508 (Step 01) to $116,362 (Step 10)

Eligibility

• Internal to an agency
• Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement
• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL): Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants
• Clarification: This is a Merit Promotion announcement for current and former career and career conditional USGS Employees, Career Transition eligibles (CTAP & ICTAP) and those who are eligible under the hiring paths listed above. Refer to Required Documents section for more information.

Duties

• Supervises and schedules staff responsible for collecting, analyzing, and preparing surface water, groundwater, and water‑quality data, ensuring adherence to USGS guidelines and accuracy standards.
• Oversees real‑time data management, quality control, and timely updates for hydrologic information displayed on Water Data for the Nation, maintaining data integrity and reliability.
• Trains and mentors personnel in field data collection techniques, hydrologic computation methods, instrumentation, and supporting computer applications, fostering technical development.
• Directs and reviews complex hydrologic field efforts, including data collection, computation, and analysis while ensuring accuracy and continuity of records.
• Acts as liaison and advisor to hydrologic organizations, participates in program development, prepares workplans and budgets, and represents USGS at meetings and technical workshops.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E‑Verify employment verification check.
• Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record; applicants required to operate a government‑owned or -leased vehicle in the performance of duties.
• Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre‑employment medical exam.
• Must complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1‑year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 10/09/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time‑in‑Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non‑award SF‑50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF‑50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD‑214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, 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.

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

Experience

• Planning and conducting the computation and collection of data from approximately thirty or more gaging stations between field work and/or data review, determining stage‑discharge relations, computing rating tables and mean daily, monthly and annual discharge rates from these stations
• Acting as a party chief for site installations and making measurements of flood flows under extremely difficult conditions, including knowledge of indirect measurement options post flood events
• Collecting data including that required to compute flood flows by the slope‑area method, by measurement of flow over dams, by flow through culverts and by flow over embankments
• Possesses working knowledge and expertise in completing area velocity discharge records
• Lead training or discussions for their individual field office or assisting with Center wide programs to help new staff or the Center move forward field data collection efforts or records finalization
• Demonstrates awareness of office budgeting constraints and methodologies to inform program decisions and adapt approaches to field operations

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.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

Foreign Education

To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications

Additional Information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case‑by‑case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive. A continued service agreement may be required if it is determined you are eligible for a permanent change in duty station (PCS), recruitment, or relocation incentive.

All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.

Physical Demands: Work regularly requires considerable dexterity, agility, and strenuous physical exertion. Field assignments involve climbing and/or working from tall ladders and scaffolding, or other elevated structures; working on uneven, slippery, or steep terrain such as streambanks, rocky embankments, wetlands, or flood-affected areas; and lifting and carrying or deploying equipment that frequently weighs 50 pounds or more. The incumbent must often bend, crouch, or work in confined or restricted spaces to install, maintain, or repair hydrologic instruments. Many tasks require sustained periods of standing, wading in fast-moving or deep water, or operating in adverse weather conditions such as extreme heat, rain, cold, or high humidity. These physical demands are essential to complete hydrologic measurements, instrument servicing, and site inspections safely and effectively.

Work Environment: Work is performed in both office and field settings. Office duties are carried out in a typical environment requiring no special safety precautions. Field work, however, routinely exposes the incumbent to a wide range of environmental and weather conditions, including extreme heat or cold, heavy rain, high humidity or snow. Field assignments often involve work near or in rivers, canals, wetlands, and storm-impacted areas where footing may be unstable, slippery, or steep. The incumbent may encounter aggressive dangerous wildlife, biting insects, dense vegetation, poisonous plants, and other natural hazards. Field sites may also involve risks such