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Summary What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position? This is a term appointment not to exceed 13 months with possible extensions up to a total of 10 years without further competition. Appointment to this position will not convey permanent status in the Federal service. Salary: GS07- $54,505 (Step 01) to $70,859 (Step 10); GS09 - $66,670 (Step 01) to $86,670 (Step 10); NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01. Responsibilities As a Geophysicist within the Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Science Center, some of your specific duties will include: Performs data acquisition, processing, archiving and retrieval activities for a geophysical network with channels of continuous magnetotelluric, seismic, or other geophysical data. Assists senior scientists in planning geophysical station locations, installation, and repairs to be conducted by field staff. Performs real-time and near real-time data acquisition. Use existing, in-house software to process and analyze geophysical data to extract subsurface data. Apply established procedures and existing computer programs for quality assurance and quality control of geophysical data. Prepare illustrative material for talks and reports, co-authors reports on results of investigations. Perform library scientific literature research. Operates a government owned or leased vehicle as an incidental driver. Physical Demands: Field work may require hiking distances of several kilometers over uneven surfaces, the use of proper personal protective gear, working in dusty, hot, humid, and extreme cold environments, occasional offroad driving of 4-wheel drive vehicles, traveling to remote field sites in helicopters or small fixed wing planes, and/or boats. Lifting of equipment and objects weighing up to 20 kilograms may be necessary. Work Environment: Field work may occasionally also involve encounters with snakes, bears, and other wilderness dangers. International field work may be conducted in culturally hostile areas. Requirements Conditions of Employment Key Requirements: Applicants must be U.S. Citizens. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record. Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam. Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position? Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued. You will be required to operate a government-owned or -leased vehicle in the performance of your official duties. Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements: (1) possess a valid State license, and (2) possess a safe driving record. If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid State license & a copy of your driving record. Taking and passing a pre-employment medical examination at Federal expense is required due to the physical demands of this job. A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination. Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system. Qualifications Definitions: EXPERIENCE: One year of work experience is twelve months working full-time (at least 35-40 hours per week). Part-time experience can be pro-rated (i.e., a year at 20 hours per week is credited as 6 months of experience). If your position consisted of mixed duties, experience credit is given for the percentage of time that you spent on qualifying duties (i.e., if you held a position for 2 years, full-time, consisting of 25% personnel work and 75% budget work, and then applied for a budget position you could calculate your experience as follows: 2 yrs = 24 months. 24 months x 75% [percentage of time spent on budget duties] = 18 months of qualifying experience.) UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: A year of undergraduate education is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of college study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite. GRADUATE EDUCATION: In the absence of specific graduate program information, a year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of graduate level college course work, or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Geophysicist, all grade levels. A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included at least 30 semester hours in mathematics (including calculus) and the physical sciences (geophysics, physics, engineering, geology, astronomy, meteorology, electronics, etc.). *OR B. A combination of education and experience -- at least 30 semester hours in mathematics (including calculus) and the physical sciences (geophysics, physics, engineering, geology, astronomy, meteorology, electronics, etc.), plus appropriate experience and/or additional education for a total of 4 years. The education or combined education and experience must be comparable in type, scope and thoroughness to that acquired through successful completion of a 4-year course of study as described in "A" above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE) For GS-07: In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-07 level: 1 year of successfully completed graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or the equivalent) in geophysics or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. *OR Superior Academic Achievement based on undergraduate study. (CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT). *OR one year of appropriate professional experience that is in or related to the duties of this position is qualifying if it is equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-5 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Examples of GS-5 level experience could include handling various types of sensitive instruments used in the measurement of geophysical phenomena, recording readings or measurements, and performing mathematical computations. This work experience would have involved receiving clear, specific, and detailed instructions as to the methods, procedures, and guidelines to use and would have required a knowledge of the basic principles and techniques of geophysics or physics, and mathematics. *OR a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and professional experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE) For GS-09: In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-09 level: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education (36 semester hours, 54 quarter hours or the equivalent) leading to a master's degree in geophysics or other directly related field of study or master's or equivalent graduate degree in geophysics or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. *OR one year of appropriate professional experience in geophysics that is equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service. Examples of such experience include performing a variety of observations, computations, compilations and analyses in assisting higher level Geophysicists in carrying out geophysical assignments. This work experience would have involved following established methods and procedures, or detailed instructions; using some judgment in applying basic principles and procedures and would have required a good general working knowledge of the principles and the theories of geophysics or physics, and mathematics and a good knowledge of the methods and techniques involved in the investigation and measurement of geophysical phenomena. *OR a combination of successfully completed progressive graduate level education as described above that is beyond the first year of graduate study and professional experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE) You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement. Education 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. Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs . Additional Information Other Information: Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position. Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties. Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position. USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations. The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361. DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify. The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. Agency Benefits: USGS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework in accordance with the DOI Telework policy and with supervisor approval. The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis. For additional information on our internal telework policy, please reference the Department of the Interior Telework Handbook at: https://www.doi.gov/telework/policies. Working for the U.S. Geological Survey offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; health, life, dental, vision, and long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.