Physical Science Technician

Summary The Pacific West Region is recruiting for summer seasonal Physical Science Technician, GS-1311-5/6/7 positions intended to assist permanent staff with Physical Science Technician field work. Open to the first 350 applicants or until 12/06/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration. Learn more about this agency Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. Dependent on the duty location, you may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license. Dependent on the duty location, you will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Dependent on the duty location you will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to travel overnight away from home depending on your duty location. Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid if the selectee lives outside of the local commuting area and is otherwise eligible for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by 11:59 PM (EST) when the applicant limit is reached which may be sooner than the closing date of this announcement-12/06/2024. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one year of full-time specialized experience comparable to at least the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience may include: collecting air, water and/or soil samples; preparing samples for processing; monitoring procedures which must conform to timely and established protocols; entering scientific data common to the laboratory environment into a database, or perform similar work in support of laboratory record keeping and document control; writing portions of scientific or technical papers and reports that document research projects; and, operate and maintain equipment such as digital camera, GPS, water quality sensors, particulate sampler, and haze recorder. Resume must include hours/week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major study (or at least 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours) in any combination in astronomy, physics, chemistry, hydrology, engineering, electronics, geology, oceanography, or other appropriate field of physical science. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester/45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in an accredited college or university. You must include a copy of your transcripts at the time of application. -OR- Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours (or equivalent) earned towards a bachelor's degree, in excess of 60 semester hours, and divide by 60 semester hours (or equivalent). 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 months/years and hours per week worked and a copy of your transcripts at the time of application. To qualify for this position at the GS-06 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: planning logistics for field sampling and handling of air, water, and/or soil samples; preparing analytical samples; conducting analytical test and measurement procedures to determine the physical and chemical properties of gases, liquids, and/or soils; understanding air flow patterns and atmospheric processes which affect the distribution of various air pollutants; maintaining accurate records of analyses to support validity of findings for reports and summaries; maintaining laboratory records of sample logs, instrument calibrations, acquisition of standards, laboratory safety requirements, chemical inventories, and other appropriate laboratory functions; and, summarizing data and writing reports that present clear and concise explanations of the scientific experimental results. You must include months/years and hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one full year (18 semester or 27 quarter hours) of directly related graduate education with a major study in physics, chemistry, hydrology, geophysics, geology, oceanography, metallurgy, or other appropriate field of physical science. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school you attended has determined to represent one year of study. If this information cannot be obtained from your school, we will consider 18 semester/26 quarter hours to be equal to one year of full-time study. You must include a copy of your transcripts at the time of application. -OR- Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the total qualifying graduate education and convert it to a percentage of the total educational requirement. 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 months/years and hours per week worked and a copy of your transcripts at the time of application. To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Examples of specialized experience include: 1) collect environmental monitoring data (e.g., water quality and quantity, weather statistics, air quality, cave ecosystem metrics, etc.); 2) set up remote environmental monitoring equipment (e.g., weather stations, acoustic monitors, water quality sondes, etc.); and 3) draft reports for physical science research or natural resource-based studies. You must include months/years and hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one full year (18 semester or 27 quarter hours) of directly related graduate education with a major study in physics, chemistry, hydrology, geophysics, geology, oceanography, metallurgy, or other appropriate field of physical science. You must include a copy of your transcripts at the time of application. -OR- Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours (or equivalent) earned towards a graduate degree and divide by 18 semester hours (or equivalent). 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 months/years and hours per week worked and a copy of your transcripts at the time of application. ICTAP/CTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special prior­ity selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Education To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Additional information Questions about this job: Devil's Postpile National Monument [email protected] Mount Rainier National Park [email protected] North Cascades National Park [email protected] Sequoia Kings Canyon National Parks [email protected] Yosemite National Park [email protected] A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1040 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS). If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1040 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1040 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility. The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1040 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1040 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM. Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations. 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. Read more 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 window Learn more about federal benefits. Review our 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.