Summary

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), Oil Spill Preparedness Division (OSPD), Response Research Section (RRB) in Sterling, VA OR Leonardo, NJ.

Salary range for Sterling, VA is: $85,447 to $187,093

Salary range for Leonardo, NJ is: $88,005 to $192,694

Duties

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This position is located within the Department of the Interior, .

At the full performance level (GS-14) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Provides authoritative advice on off shore oil spill prevention, planning, preparedness, intervention, containment, response, and research needs to senior agency staff , Federal and state agencies, off shore operators, and the emergency response community.

2. Coordinates the Branch's efforts in setting research goals, the design of technical approaches and tool development, budgeting, project scheduling, technique development, synthesis, and documentation of processes and outcomes.

3. Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies; and coordinates work efforts with other BSEE offices and external organizations monitoring progress and evaluating outcomes.

4. Advises and collaborates with various industry, academic and government research entities.

5. Designs studies or research projects to address gaps in data and knowledge. Collaborates with other technical experts to identify and evaluate technology innovations and practices, and to determine scope of work.

6. Serves as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) for high-risk oil spill research projects or other contracts within the Division. Writes statements of work and/or statements of objectives; conducts market research; prepares government cost estimates and requisitions; analyzes contract scope, cost, and duration, recommending changes to the Contracting Officer (CO)when necessary.

Salary Information

First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lower salary range of the grade level.

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.

You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.

You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.

You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

To qualify for this position you must meet the (1) Basic Educational Requirements AND (2) Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying.

(1) Basic Educational Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS FOR GS-0801, GENERAL ENGINEER:

A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

-OR-

B. Combination of education and experience: college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration or licensure Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration.

2. Written Test Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) 2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

3. Specified academic courses Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.

4. Related curriculum Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR GS-1301, PHYSICAL SCIENTIST:

1. 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-

2. Combination of education and experience: education equivalent to one of the majors shown above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience, or additional education.

In addition to meeting the educational requirements above, your resume must clearly reflect ALL of the experience (or education for the GS-11) listed below. You must be clear and concise in describing your experience - HR will not make assumptions.

To qualify for the GS-11, your resume must reflect one year of professional experience equivalent to the GS-09 level:

1) Assisting in developing and/or conducting research;

2) Scientific design and research and/or engineering principles; AND

3) Applying the principles, procedures, and tools aligned with data generation, data usage, data processing and data analysis.

OR

Education: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

OR

Qualifying Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of successfully completed graduate education (only successfully completed education beyond the second year (or 36 semester hours) is creditable towards meeting this requirement) and specialized experience equivalent to the GS- 9 level that is related to the position and total 100% of the requirement for this grade level.

To qualify for the GS-12, your resume must reflect one year of professional experience equivalent to the GS-11 level

1) Assisting in developing scientific research in coordination with team members;

2) Applying scientific design and research and/or engineering principles;

3) Designing scientific experiments to study topics related to basic science and technology;

4) Tracking and analyzing research proposals and resulting contracts, making changes/recommendations, and monitoring and tracking the status of contracts; AND

5) Identifying research gaps in science.

To qualify for the GS-13, your resume must reflect one year of professional experience equivalent to the GS-12 level:

1) Serving as a team lead for a multi-faceted research project involving the theory and application of oil spill response techniques (i.e., mechanical containment, in situ burning, chemical treatments, remote sensing) with closely related goals and objectives;

2) Applying Oil Spill Prevention and Preparedness Regulations;

3) Serving as principal investigator designing, conducting, and evaluating scientific research;

4) Engaging with regulated community, industry representatives, academia and federal, state, and local partners during conferences and meetings; AND

5) Independently identifying problem areas subject to resolution by research, formulating design of research projects, preparing progress briefings, and evaluating final reports on the results of completed research projects in oil spill related topics.

To qualify for the GS-14, you resume must reflect one year of professional experience equivalent to the GS-13 level:

1) Delivering subject matter expertise, recommendations, or inputs on state or Federal regulations or policies associated with oil spill mitigation methods in the marine environment; 2) Serving as a technical authority regarding the theory and application of oil spill mitigation and countermeasures as well as serving as a Project Manager and Principal Investigator for research projects and program activities involving resolving resource constraints; 3) Providing expert advice regarding oil spill planning, preparedness, and response matters (containment, cleanup strategies, and equipment); 4) Applying detailed principles and methods for developing, implementing, overseeing, assessing, and reporting on the proper safeguarding and protection of sensitive (but not classified) information that describes business, technical, and support strategies, including the relationship between the acquisition phases, work efforts, and key program events (i.e., decision points, contract awards, test activities, etc.); 5) Preparing and/or reviewing analyses of research and disseminating reports or results; AND 6) Authoritatively communicating with internal and external stakeholders including industry, academia, and Federal, state, and local partners.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.

Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. 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: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

Additional 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.

If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period (as applicable) during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

- your performance and conduct;

- the needs and interests of the agency;

- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and

- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.

Notice of Financial Disclosure Report Requirement: The position to which you will be appointed is subject to a financial disclosure reporting requirement and you will be required to complete a new entrant Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of your appointment.

Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict of interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report.