SENIOR TECHNICAL PHYSICAL SCIENTIST

Summary

You will serve as the Celestial Reference Frame Director (CRFD) Senior Technical Physical Scientist and be located at Naval Observatory (USNO) headquarters, in Washington DC.

Duties

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• You will advise the USNO Scientific Director on evolving requirements and the potential need for new programs to meet these requirements.
• You will work with the Scientific Director to prioritize and program those resources in accordance with requirements and emerging future community needs.
• You will monitor and oversee development of system concepts and maturation of the capabilities through all phases of capability development and will manage all CRF programs based on future evolving DoW needs.
• You will provide scientific leadership for future CRF developments within the CRFD and will plan, execute, and review relevant research in CRF and Earth Orientation (EO) including establishing standards of quality for the research conducted at USNO.
• You will interface routinely with high-level DoW personnel, mission partners, and Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) stakeholders to facilitate the dissemination of CRF and Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP) standard products.
• You will interface with stakeholders to define parameters, focus areas for investigation, assessments, and validation of processes.
• You will work with appropriate DoW personnel to establish evolving DoW requirements for celestial information and to implement necessary improvements in DoW capabilities.
• You will make technical presentations at conferences to program managers and to those at the highest executive levels to ensure CRF requirements are established, and products and their use, are clearly understood.
• You will act as a liaison for DoW with national and international programs and lead multiagency collaborations to solve technical challenges and ensure data product requirements are met.
• You will represent the USNO at national and international scientific forums and be a member of international and national scientific working groups concerned with Celestial Reference Frames and Earth Orientation.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a US Citizen.
• Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
• Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
• You will be required to complete ethics orientation within three months of appointment and submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-278e within 30 days of appointment.
• Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain a U.S. Passport.
• You must be willing to submit to and successfully complete a Counterintelligence (CI) scope polygraph examination.
• This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.

Qualifications

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, your resume must show that you possess the Technical Qualifications (TQ) related to this position - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES. Resumes over the 2-page limit will be disqualified. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualification(s). If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications:

TQ 1. Demonstrated experience in Celestial Reference Frames (CRF) and Earth Orientation, including practical applications, conventional scientific/technical standards, and international collaboration standards.

TQ 2. Comprehensive theoretical and technical knowledge of DoD requirements for CRF and Earth Orientation, with the proven ability to research, evaluate, and advocate for capabilities that improve the security, integrity, and operations of CRF programs.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PROF

AND

1301 General Physical Science Series

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Education

Applicants must meet the following positive education qualifications requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual:

For 1301 General Physical Science Series:

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.

Additional information

This position is a Senior Scientific position in the federal government. Senior Scientific and professional employees are in non-executive positions whose duties are broad and complex enough to be classified above GS 15 level. Senior level positions involve performance of high-level research and development in the physical, biological, medical, or engineering sciences.

This position is not covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

A relocation incentive is generally a single payment intended to offset some of the relocation costs experienced by the selectee. A relocation incentive may be authorized.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf.

There are three key documents that contain important information about your rights and obligations. Please read and retain these documents:

• Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights, for those who undergo an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history record check for personnel vetting, which includes Rap Back
• FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI this is the same statement used when your fingerprints are submitted as part of your background investigation, and
• SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov), applicable to those who hold a sensitive position or have eligibility for access to classified information

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.