Supervisory Hydrologic Technician

Summary

You will serve as a Supervisory Hydrologic Technician with Geological Survey.

This position serves as the supervisor for the Marion Field Office as part of the Hydrologic Network Operations Section for the USGS Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center. The incumbent is responsible for managing and directing all field office operations, including technical direction and administrative supervision of the field office staff.

GS-12 Salary: Salary: $89,508 (Step 01) to $116,362 (Step 10)

Duties

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As a Supervisory Hydrologic Technician within the Pennsylvania Water Science Center, some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

• Manages hydrologic monitoring-based program used for investigation and management of complex hydrologic needs.
• Supervises multiple staff collecting hydrologic data to meet program goals.
• Collects and analyzes discrete and continuous measurements or samples of physical and chemical properties of water from a variety of hydrologic systems. Constructs and maintains water resource monitoring stations and electrical systems used to collect, store, and transmit continuous measurements of physical and chemical properties of water
• Communicates and provides training in technical information related to hydrologic monitoring to subordinates, other Center staff, a wide variety of cooperative agencies and the public.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.

• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• You must pass a physical examination.
• You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will 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.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

This is a supervisory position that may require completion of a supervisory probationary period.

Qualifications

Qualifications:

For GS-12:

Applicants must meet the following to qualify for the GS-12 level:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service. Examples of such experience may include: planning and conducting the computation and collection of data from approximately thirty or more gaging stations; determining stage-discharge relations, computing rating tables and mean daily, monthly and annual discharge rates from these stations. Acting as a party chief and making indirect measurements of flood flows under extremely difficult conditions. Collecting data including that required to compute flood flows by the slope-area method, by measurement of flow over dams, by flow through culverts and by flow over embankments. Obtaining hydrologic data from published and unpublished sources and conducting hydrologic studies relative to the frequency of flood and droughts. Planning and coordinating a ground water survey program for an area that may be either a small area with complex features or a larger area with planning and coordinating problems related to the scope of the ground water survey operations.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 10/22/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

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.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.

Physical Demands/Work Environment:

Physical Demands: Work regularly requires considerable dexterity, agility, and strenuous physical exertion. Field assignments involve climbing and/or working from tall ladders and scaffolding, or other elevated structures; working on uneven, slippery, or steep terrain such as streambanks, rocky embankments, wetlands, or flood-affected areas; and lifting and carrying or deploying equipment that frequently weighs 50 pounds or more. The incumbent must often bend, crouch, or work in confined or restricted spaces to install, maintain, or repair hydrologic instruments. Many tasks require sustained periods of standing, wading in fast-moving or deep water, or operating in adverse weather conditions such as extreme heat, rain, cold, or high humidity. These physical demands are essential to complete hydrologic measurements, instrument servicing, and site inspections safely and effectively.

Work Environment: Work is performed in both office and field settings. Office duties are carried out in a typical environment requiring no special safety precautions. Field work, however, routinely exposes the incumbent to a wide range of environmental and weather conditions, including extreme heat or cold, heavy rain, high humidity or snow. Field assignments often involve work near or in rivers, canals, wetlands, and storm-impacted areas where footing may be unstable, slippery, or steep. The incumbent may encounter aggressive dangerous wildlife, biting insects, dense vegetation, poisonous plants, and other natural hazards. Field sites may also involve risks such as flooding, fast moving water, ice, heavy equipment, traffic, or exposure to irritant or toxic chemicals used in hydrologic monitoring. Travel to remote or difficult-to-access locations is common. As a supervisor, the incumbent is responsible not only for personal safety but also ensuring that subordinates adhere to established safety procedures and employ proper protective equipment. Field duties may require the use of hard hats, gloves, boots, googles, respirators, life jackets, or other specialized safety gear. The supervisor ensures that all subordinates are trained in safety protocols, follow hazard-mitigation practices, and maintain situational awareness during data collection, instrument installation, and site-inspection activities.

The duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

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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.

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.

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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.