Geographer

Full Job Description

This vacancy is for a Geographer position located at the U.S. Census Bureau Headquarters in Suitland, Maryland. The Census Bureau is accessible from the Metro Rail Green Line - Suitland Station.

This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Geographer, 0150-13, positions within the Census Bureau in the same geographical location with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

Minimum Education Requirement: A degree in geography or related physical or social science such as geology, meteorology, economics, statistics, sociology, anthropology, political science, history, cartography, computer science, urban studies, or planning that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields.

OR A combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major in geography, or a related field that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

AND Specialized Experience: For the GS-13, you must have one year of experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service.

Experience for this position includes: overseeing geospatial activities in conjunction with a staff composed of senior level geographers, and geographic specialists in the applications of geographic areas, data collection, and processing; conducting research to investigate the effects of alternative definitional criteria and methodological approaches in designing or modifying geographic programs; and developing and writing technical documents.

Education: Education cannot be substituted for Specialized Experience at this grade level.

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. After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required.

You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement, 03/20/2026, to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application. Major Duties:

• Schedule, monitor, and report on the status of activities for new and existing programs designed to update address, boundary, feature, and imagery data.
• Oversees individuals and project teams.
• Support geographic programs, activities and development of products and tools that update addresses, administrative, legal, and statistical boundaries, and features including their attributes and metadata within automated systems.
• Communicate and collaborate with stakeholders, management, peers, and colleagues to develop products and programs to meet customer needs.