Hydrologist

Summary This position is located in Everglades National Park, in the South Florida Natural Resource Center. Open to the first 100 applicants or until 11/04/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration. Responsibilities The incumbent serves as a Hydrologist in the Project Planning and Implementation group in the Restoration Sciences Branch of the South Florida Natural Resources Center (SFNRC) of Everglades National Park in Homestead, FL. The SFNRC provides in-park science and natural resources management support for four NPS units (Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, and Big Cypress National Preserve), as well as the South Florida Restoration programs of the Department of Interior (DOI). With the passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000, the federal government and the state of Florida partnered to implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The CERP is composed of 68 individual projects with more than half of these projects directly affecting NPS managed lands in South Florida. Participation by the NPS in the formulation and implementation of CERP is essential to meet the legislative and policy directives of the agency. The Project Planning and Implementation section is a team of project managers, hydrologists, ecologists, biologists, and engineers who engage in the planning, coordination, and execution of large-scale interagency restoration projects as well as monitoring and adaptive management plan design and reporting for these projects. We represent the agency on CERP and non-CERP project development, planning, implementation, and management activities. We provide analytical, technical, data analysis, and modeling expertise to the development of internal and complex multiagency restoration projects and planning. We also track restoration projects and their implementation including monitoring and adaptive management plan design and reporting. These projects include providing input for water management operations and implementation plans development of project management features, reviewing projected benefits and impacts of proposed project components, and evaluating alternative approaches to resolving environmental and hydrologic challenges affecting the NPS and related resources. Our team members are responsible for communicating results and issues with SFNRC, NPS, DOI leadership and partners. This position has responsibility for leading or participating on hydrologic studies of considerable scope and complexity or serving as a project leader or member of an interdisciplinary team. Plans, directs, performs and/or coordinates comprehensive hydrologic studies or significant components of extensive studies, that describe and interpret hydrologic conditions in order to define, analyze, forecast, or describe both natural and human-induced hydrologic changes in the area. Incumbent of the position is considered a discipline expert in the field of hydrology with an advanced level of professional competence who provides expert technical advice and assistance to land, resource, and facility managers, and other internal and external clients. Serves as a project leader or senior project member for complete hydrologic investigations by planning, conducting, and reporting on interpretive studies. Modifies established hydrologic techniques or procedures. Collects, interprets, analyzes and evaluates hydrologic data. Works on complex or controversial water issues whose solutions require a proven understanding of hydrology and one or more related disciplines such as hydraulics, geology, ecology, geochemistry, and the complexities of ground or surface water flow. Conducts planning, review, and evaluation of multibasin, multi-aquifer investigations which includes predictive water quantity and quality numerical modeling and adherence to all management-based water resource policies. Serves as subject matter expert for the supported state/region/supported organizations. Provides current information on policy, resource management, State or local water regulations, and technical requirements. May be called on to provide technical data, professional advice, or recommendations to leadership, serve as an expert witness in hearings, or respond to Congressional inquiries. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid drivers license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operators License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid drivers licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/04/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40 hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: BASIC REQUIREMENT: degree in physical or natural science, or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in any combination of courses in hydrology, the physical sciences, geophysics, chemistry, engineering science, soils, mathematics, aquatic biology, atmospheric science, meteorology, geology, oceanography, or the management or conservation of water resources. The course work must have included at least 6 semester hours in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus), and at least 6 semester hours in physics. OR Combination of education and experience-education–course work as shown in “A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Acceptable experience must have included performance of scientific functions related to the study of water resources, based on and requiring a professional knowledge of related sciences and the consistent application of basic scientific principles to the solution of theoretical and practical hydrologic problems. The following is illustrative of acceptable experience: field or laboratory work that would require application of hydrologic theory and related sciences such as geology, geo-chemistry, geophysics, or civil engineering to making observations, taking samples, operating instruments, assembling data from source materials, analyzing and interpreting data, and reporting findings orally and in writing. In some cases, professional scientific experience that is not clearly water resource experience may be acceptable if such experience was preceded by appropriate education in hydrology or by professional hydrology experience. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes contributions to hydrologic studies, which usually involve water resources investigations. At this level, Hydrologists have a very good knowledge of the principles of hydrology, or water resources, and their application, and the ability to independently perform scientific work. You must include hours per week worked. Volunteer Experience: 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. Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001). Education To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement. Additional Information A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive. A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Physical Demands: The work is typically performed in an office setting with no special physical demands. However, work may also be performed in the field which involves periods of walking, bending, climbing, or driving motor vehicles to worksites. The work may also involve some overnight travel for training, meetings, and site visits. Working Conditions: The work is usually performed in an office setting. However, work time may also be spent periodically visiting field sites. Field site visits are typically performed in either an outdoor setting subject to weather changes, diverse terrain, and safety hazards associated with working around complex features and/or construction, or an industrial setting subject to noise, fumes, and moving machinery. Both settings may require the use of personal protective equipment. Safety precautions and protocols are observed at all times and the scientist complies with safety instructions and regulations and ensures individual and others safety by promptly reporting unsafe acts, unsafe conditions, and accidents to the supervisor. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.