Supervisory Hydrologic Technician

Careerwebsite; Michigan; On-site; USD 90,000 - 116,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Geological Survey in Grayling, MI seeks a Supervisory Hydrologic Technician to lead field operations and data management. The role oversees staff, ensures data quality, and coordinates program activities across the Upper Midwest Water Science Center.

The position requires one year of specialized experience at GS-11 and involves training, budgeting, and representing USGS at technical workshops. A probationary period may apply upon appointment.

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-11 required.
• Experience must include planning and data collection at multiple gaging stations, site installations, and hydrologic data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Supervises and schedules staff 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.
• Trains and mentors personnel in field data collection techniques, hydrologic computation methods, instrumentation, and supporting computer applications.
• 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.

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.

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

Duties

USGS - This is a Merit Promotion Announcement for career and career conditional USGS Employees, Career Transition eligibles (CTAP), and those who are eligible under the hiring paths listed above. Refer to Required Documents section for more information.

As a Supervisory Hydrologic Technician within the Upper Midwest Water Science Center, some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

• Supervises and schedules staff responsible for collecting, analyzing, and preparingsurface water, groundwater, and water-quality data, ensuring adherence to USGSguidelines 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

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 the 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.

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.

This is a supervisory position that may require completion of a supervisory probationary period.

Conditions of Employment

• 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. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.

• Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record. You will be required to operate a government-owned or -leased vehicle in the performance of your official duties. Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements: (1) possess a valid State license, and (2) possess a safe driving record. If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid State license & a copy of your driving record.
• Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam. Taking and passing a pre-employment medical examination at Federal expense is required due to the physical demands of this job.
• You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.

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.

Experience

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

Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: . You must include hours per week worked.

1) 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

2) 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

3) 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

4) Possesses working knowledge and expertise in completing area velocity discharge records

5) 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

6) Demonstrates awareness of office budgeting constraints and methodologies to inform program decisions and adapt approaches to field operations

Volunteer Experience

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 50pounds 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 as flooding, fast moving water, ice, heavy equipment, traffic, or exposure to irritant or toxic chemicals used in hydrologic monitoring. Travel to remote or difficult-to-access locations is common. As a supervisor, the incumbent is responsible not only for personal safety but also ensuring that subordinates adhere to established safety procedures and employ proper protective equipment. Field duties may require the use of hard hats, gloves, boots, googles, respirators, life jackets or other specialized safety gear. The supervisor ensures that all subordinates are trained in safety protocols, follow hazard-mitigation practices, and maintain situational awareness during data collection, instrument installation, and site-inspection activities.

The duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

Expand Hide additional information

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.

Benefits

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.

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.