Physical Scientist

Summary

You will serve as a Physical Scientist with National Park Service Southeast Region, Office of Natural Science Studies located in Homestead, Florida. This is a Career/Career-Conditional appointment with a fulltime work schedule. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Duties

At the full performance level GS-09 the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: The incumbent serves as a technical advisor in the physical sciences for one or more parks. The physical scientist is responsible for program development and implementation including field activities related to geology, soils, hydrology, hydrogeology, air quality, acoustics, paleontology, caves and/or karst formations. As directed, develops and prepares segments of the resources management plan dealing with the physical sciences. In concert with the supervisor or a higher graded specialist, prepares specific actions plans needed to manage and protect the physical components of natural resources. Unusual or difficult problems are discussed with the supervisor before carrying out assignments. Develops and maintains liaisons and effective working relations with related groups and individuals, agencies, and the public. Attends management and professional conferences and other events for the purpose of exchanging information and advancing advocacy for park stewardship. Carries out statistically valid data collection protocols for the monitoring of physical resources and the results of protection, mitigation, and restoration projects. Performs data collection using technology such as field electronic data collectors. Performs data entry. Conducts analysis of standard data. Makes recommendations to higher graded staff. Incorporates appropriate GIS technology into job to provide comprehensive and scientifically sound answers to inquiries from managers and others. Uses automatic methods of data collection, analysis or illustration. Inputs data into digital form and uses computer applications for data analysis, manipulation, and presentation.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 10/16/2026-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. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirement AND/OR Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying. Basic Educational Requirements: Please Note: This position requires specific educational coursework to qualify. You MUST provide transcripts (unofficial are acceptable) in order to verify that the educational requirements have been met. This information must be received by the closing date of the announcement. Failure to provide this information may result in you receiving an "INELIGIBLE" rating. 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: 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. -AND- In addition to meeting the Basic Educational Qualification requirements, applicants must have either A. Specialized Experience or B. Education (directly related) or C. Combination of Education and Experience to qualify for the grade to which you are applying. A. Specialized Experience: To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Performing assigned hydrology tasks; AND Processing field data utilizing database management and recording techniques; AND Performing program management to include administration of budgets, contracts, and personnel; AND Utilizing principles and techniques associated with measuring physical resources together with modifying or adapting standard techniques, processes, and procedures to access, select, and apply precedents and devise strategies to achieve program goals. You must include hours per week worked MUST MEET ALL. -OR- B. Education: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. -OR- C. Combination of education and experience as listed above. To combine education and experience, first take . Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week and transcripts. Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Successfully completed a bachelor's degree in a directly related field AND meet one of the following: (1) Class Standing: rank in the upper 3rd of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on the completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (GPA): earn a GPA of (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) based on 4 years of education, or based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum -or- (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field, or the required courses completed during the final two years. Note: GPA will be rounded to the one decimal place, for example, 2.95 = 3.0, 2.94 = 2.9; OR (3) Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society. 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

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show p