Physical Science Technician

Summary

This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Office of Coast Survey (OCS), with one vacancy in Gulfport, MS. This position is also announced under vacancy number NOS OCS-26-13070814-DE, which is open to all US Citizens or Nationals. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

Duties

As a Physical Science Technician, you will perform the following duties: Carry out, monitor, coordinate and control all aspects of shallow water hydrographic survey field operations to support both routine nautical chart updates and rapid response to navigational emergencies. Responsible for the installation, integration, calibration, and operation of hydrographic survey equipment such as multibeam echosounders, side scan sonars, Global Positioning System (GPS) and inertial positioning systems, conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) sensors, and sound speed profilers. Ensure small boat vessels meet operational safety standards. Acquire, process, and analyze survey data. Identify and correct data quality issues, equipment malfunctions, and operational survey deficiencies. Recommend improvements to standard operating procedures. Develop technical documents including hydrographic survey reports and standard operating procedures. Create geospatial information products to present and disseminate survey information. Conduct training in safety, vessel operations, and survey procedures. Note: These duties are described at the full performance level of the ZT-3; The ZT-2 is developmental, leading to such performance. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: This position requires the operation of a Federal motor vehicle. Must have a valid driver's license. Transports survey equipment, including towed vessel and trailers, via government vehicle. Must be able to obtain, and maintain, a Class A Commercial Driver's License (CDL) for the purpose of towing the survey launch. Up to 60% travel required in support of field operations, depending on survey priorities. Must be able to conduct hydrographic survey operations and working with geographic information systems (GIS). Mobility agreement required. Must be able to obtain and maintain a valid state driver's license to operate a government vehicle in completion of assigned tasks i.e. site visits, field research, etc. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: This position has physical requirements. Must be able to lift 50 lbs while on a small boat operating in light chop. This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band. The ZT-2 is equivalent to the GS-05/06/07/08. The ZT-3 is equivalent to the GS-09/10. The ZT-3 is the full performance level of the position.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/ EDUCATION: There is no positive education requirement for this position. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government. 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. To qualify at the ZT-2 or GS-05 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZT-1 or GS-04 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Assisting in performing maintenance and repair of survey vessel or equipment; and Assisting in processing or compiling data from hydrographic surveys. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Successful completion of a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in an appropriate field of physical science, or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as physical science, engineering, or any branch of mathematics, except financial and commercial mathematics. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience equivalent to that described above. Note: Only post-high school education in excess of two years leading to a bachelor's degree is qualifying for combination. To qualify at the ZT-3 or GS-09 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZT-2 or GS-08 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Participating in the maintenance, repair, or operation of hydrographic survey equipment (e.g. multibeam echosounders, side scan sonars, etc.); Assisting in the acquisition, processing, and analysis of survey data; and Contributing to the development of hydrographic survey reports or standard operating procedures. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Master's or equivalent graduate degree in an appropriate field of physical science, engineering, or any branch of mathematics (except financial and commercial mathematics) or 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of successfully completed graduate-level education and specialized experience may be used to meet the total experience requirements. Note: Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade may be combined with experience.

Education

College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., Bio 101, Math 210, etc.), name of accredited institution, course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken. Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work. An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty. Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation.