SUPERVISORY PHYSICAL SCIENTIST

U.S. Fleet Forces Command; Mississippi; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Fleet Forces Command seeks a Branch Head of the Littoral Hydrography Branch to lead a combined civilian and military workforce in littoral and airborne hydrographic operations in support of Navy Fleet requirements.

You will plan, assign, direct, and evaluate branch work, manage resources, and ensure hydrographic products meet standards while directing complex surveys worldwide, including small-boat operations.

Qualifications

• Specialized experience planning, executing, and evaluating hydrographic surveys.
• Ability to communicate technical information to diverse audiences and leaders.
• Experience making technically sound decisions on survey planning and product delivery.
• Providing technical guidance and training to hydrographers and staff.
• Experience leading technical personnel and setting priorities and schedules.

Responsibilities

• Lead and supervise a combined civilian and military workforce in littoral hydrographic operations.
• Plan, direct, evaluate, and set priorities for branch work and resources.
• Direct complex hydrographic surveys in ports and littoral waters worldwide.
• Implement new survey technologies and quality-control procedures.
• Deploy up to 50% of the year as Hydrographer-in-Charge and coordinate with partners.

Skills

Hydrographic surveys

Survey data processing

Quality control

Technical leadership

Decision making

Education

Physical science degree

Engineering or math degree

Tools

Survey systems

Hydrographic equipment

Job description

Duties

• You will serve as Branch Head of the Littoral Hydrography Branch, leading and supervising a combined civilian and military workforce responsible for littoral and airborne hydrographic operations in support of U.S. Navy Fleet requirements.
• You will plan, assign, direct, and evaluate Branch work; establish priorities and schedules; manage personnel and resources; and ensure hydrographic and bathymetric products meet applicable technical and quality standards.
• You will direct complex hydrographic surveys in ports, harbors, and littoral waters worldwide, including small-boat survey operations, data collection, processing, quality control, and product delivery.
• You will evaluate and implement emerging hydrographic survey technologies, data-processing methods, and quality-control procedures to improve Branch capabilities, efficiency, and the technical quality of hydrographic and bathymetric products.
• You will deploy worldwide for up to 50 percent of the year as Hydrographer-in-Charge and coordinate survey missions with foreign-government representatives, the Department of State, U.S. Navy commands, and other U.S. Government agencies.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• 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
• 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 obtain and maintain an interim and/or final 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.
• 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.

Qualifications

Your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-12 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 applying professional physical-science principles and practices to plan, execute, and evaluate hydrographic, survey operations; collecting, processing, analyzing, quality-controlling, and delivering survey data and products; and troubleshooting complex hydrographic and/or bathymetric data issues.
• Experience communicating technical and operational information orally to a variety of audiences, such as coworkers, supervisors, customers, partner organizations, or senior leaders; briefing survey plans, technical findings, mission status, risks, or recommendations; and supporting shared understanding and mission execution.
• Experience independently making and documenting technically sound decisions regarding hydrographic survey planning, data collection, processing, quality assurance, and product delivery; establishing priorities and schedules; monitoring progress; and ensuring work products meet applicable standards, mission requirements, and established timelines.
• Experience providing technical guidance and training to hydrographers, scientists, and other personnel in hydrographic survey operations, data processing, quality-control procedures, and the use of survey systems and equipment.
• Experience leading or supervising technical personnel by establishing priorities and schedules; assigning and monitoring work; evaluating performance or providing performance feedback; resolving work-related issues; and identifying workforce and training requirements.

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

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

• 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.

***TRANSCRIPT(S) MUST BE INCLUDED IN YOUR APPLICATION***

Additional information

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

Several vacancies may be filled.

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.

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.

Veteran's preference does not apply when selecting individuals under this specific hiring authority. However, if you claim veteran's preference, you will be required to submit supporting documentation with your application as described in the Required Documents section below.

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.

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.

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.