Meteorologist

Full Job Description

This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Weather Service (NWS), National Hurricane Center (NHC) with one vacancy in Honolulu, HI.

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/ BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience 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 1340 series: EDUCATION: A.

Degree: Meteorology, Atmospheric Science, or other natural science major that included: 1.

At least 24 semester (36 quarter) hours of credit in meteorology/atmospheric science including a minimum of: Six semester hours of atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics;* Six semester hours of analysis and prediction of weather systems (synoptic/mesoscale); Three semester hours of physical meteorology; and Two semester hours of remote sensing of the atmosphere and/or instrumentation.

2. Six semester hours of physics, with at least one course that includes laboratory sessions.* 3. Three semester hours of ordinary differential equations.* 4.

At least nine semester hours of course work appropriate for a physical science major in any combination of three or more of the following: physical hydrology, statistics, chemistry, physical oceanography, physical climatology, radiative transfer, aeronomy, advanced thermodynamics, advanced electricity and magnetism, light and optics, and computer science.

* There is a prerequisite or corequisite of calculus for course work in atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics, physics, and differential equations.

Calculus courses must be appropriate for a physical science major. 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 GS-14 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 GS-13 in the Federal service.

Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Providing forecasts regarding the path, intensity, and potential impacts of hurricanes on a national level; Applying research to improve the understanding of hurricane formation, behavior, and forecasting techniques; and Conveying weather information and forecasts to the public, emergency management agencies, and other stakeholders.

Major Duties:

As a Meteorologist, you will perform the following duties: Primary responsibility for all tropical and subtropical cyclone forecasts and warnings for United States civilian and military interests.

Serve as the supervisor of the Nation's hurricane warning service when on duty as the hurricane specialist. Help direct the tropical cyclone related activities of all affected Weather Forecast Offices.

Directly supervise all National Hurricane Center (NHC) personnel and is the overall station manager at NHC in the absence of the Director and Deputy Director and Branch Chiefs when tropical or subtropical cyclones are in progress.

Check the effectiveness of the tropical cyclone forecast and warning system and institute or recommend remedial action when indicated. Provide briefings to decision makers, media and other users.

Serve as the Nation's spokesman and authority on all in-progress tropical cyclone forecast and warning matters.

Participate, as time allows, in development, testing and evaluation of tropical cyclone applications. Participate in the development, testing, and evaluation of tropical cyclone applications.

Conduct applied research on tropical and subtropical cyclones aimed at improving the Nation's hurricane warning service by investigating the ability to formulate broad-scale attacks on areas of major importance in the hurricane warning service affecting national interests.

Analyze performance of the hurricane warning service and institutes or recommends changes or alternative methods when appropriate.

Represent NHC in communicating tropical weather, tropical cyclone, and associated information to a wide spectrum of users, including the media and government officials at all levels, orally and in writing, for operational and nonoperational purposes.

Conduct post-storm analysis to determine the final best track of and compose Tropical Cyclone Reports for tropical and subtropical cyclones as assigned.

Learn more about NWS and its mission here: https://www.noaa.gov/www.noaa.gov/regional-collaboration-network/regional-videos.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: Work is primarily sedentary, and may involve rotating shifts on weekends and holidays.

The incumbent may take only limited annual leave during the hurricane season (May 15 - November 30); therefore, most annual leave must be taken during the off-season.

The incumbent must have the stamina to work rotating shifts, often including extra hours without days off for extended periods under stressful conditions and be able to stand the rigors of foreign travel, sometimes in developing countries.

During the hurricane season and during off-season tropical cyclones, the incumbent is considered an emergency employee and is subject to the requirements of that designation.

Academic training at the graduate level in meteorology is highly desirable.

Fluency in Spanish and/or French, experience in numerical model development, ability to speak clearly to media and large groups, computer programming skill, and business administration background are assets.