Geodesist

Full Job Description

This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Geodetic Survey (NGS), with six vacancies in Silver Spring, MD; Corbin, VA; Chesapeake, VA; Boulder, CO; and Seattle, WA.

This position is also announced under vacancy number NOS ONGS-26-12880786-DE, which is open to all US Citizens or Nationals. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

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.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience OR substitution of education for experience OR combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified.

Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following requirements: To qualify for the 1372 series: EDUCATION: A.

Degree: geodesy; or 30 semester hours in any combination of geodesy, mathematics, physics, astronomy, engineering science, surveying, geodetic surveying, photogrammetry, or geophysics.

The course work must have included differential and integral calculus. OR B.

Combination of education and experience -- course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

AND 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 ZP-2 or GS-07 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-1 or GS-05 in the Federal service.

Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Participating in geodetic or geospatial activities; and Analyzing and evaluating geodetic or geospatial survey data.

OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: One full year of graduate-level education.

OR SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: As demonstrated by a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with one of the following.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your application clearly states how you meet the provision below: A grade point average (GPA) of 2.9 or higher based on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last 2 full years of undergraduate study; A GPA of 3.5 or higher based on a 4.0 scale for required courses completed in a major field of study, or those courses completed in a major field of study during the last two years of undergraduate study; Class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision of the college; Membership in a national Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies.

OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of graduate-level education and specialized experience.

To qualify at the ZP-3 or GS-11 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-2 or GS-09 in the Federal service.

Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Using geodetic or geospatial survey instrumentation or equipment to analyze and evaluate data; Maintaining or enhancing geodetic or geospatial survey software or equipment for data collection or modeling; and Preparing and presenting geodetic reports or information to internal or external stakeholders.

OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and professional experience.

Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements.

(Note: Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience.) Major Duties:

As a Geodesist, you will perform the following duties: As a Geodetic Data Scientist, support the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) by processing, adjusting, documenting, and loading geodetic survey observation data into the NGS Database.

Perform quality control and assessment to ensure the integrity of geodetic measurements.

Perform maintenance and testing of National Geodetic Survey (NGS) software to enhance data processing and assist with Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) orbit determination.

Create physical models to accurately describe the orbital mechanics of GNSS satellites and the propagation of their signals.

Plan projects and advise on the improvement of instrumentation or procedural methods, and ensure that special equipment is procured, modified, and installed Perform geodetic research to support the NGS mission, and present findings at scientific and professional conferences and in peer-reviewed scientific media.

NOTE: These duties are described at the full performance level of the ZP-3; the ZP-2 is developmental leading to such performance.