Physical Scientist

Full Job Description

This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), Office of Satellite Products and Operations (OSPO), Satellite Products and Services Division (SPSD) with two vacancies in College Park, MD.

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 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 1301 series: EDUCATION: 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.

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- 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-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: Analyzing and processing environmental products in combination with auxiliary data products to support the issuance of environmental services (e.g., airborne volcanic ash, fires, marine pollution, tropical cyclones, or other environmental features); and Analyzing data and utilizing information technology by using scripting languages (such as Linux shell scripting, Python, Geographic Information System (GIS), etc.) and innovative technologies (including databases, cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), etc.).

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

OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of successfully completed graduate-level education and specialized experience may be used to meet the total experience requirements.

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

As a Physical Scientist, you will perform the following duties: Prepare interpretive satellite-based analyses, products, or services to support National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S.

Government, and global customer requirements for operational environmental support.

Follow guidance on goals, restrictions, and work plans to execute projects that will enhance the quality, utility, or dissemination of branch data and products using coding (e.g., Python, Geographic Information System (GIS), etc.) or innovative technologies (e.g., cloud computing).

Perform work in analyzing and interpreting satellite-based data from all sources, including Secret level classified imagery from national sources to generate non-classified products for hazard mitigation.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: Must be able to obtain and maintain a Non-Critical Sensitive security clearance to carry out duties requiring access to Confidential and/or Secret documents, systems, or attend meetings.

Required to perform shift work, including some holidays, nights, weekends, and out of normal working hours.