Physical Scientist

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Duties

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Oil Spill Preparedness Division, Preparedness Verification Branch, Gulf of Mexico OSP Section in Jefferson, LA.

At the full performance level (GS-13) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provides guidance, expert advice, training, and instruction to staff of the Branch on technical review and evaluation of oil spill response plans (OSRPs), plan holder training and exercises, unannounced exercises, oil spill response equipment and associated maintenance, training and use records; and ensures all activities are in accordance with national policy.
• Conducts technical review and evaluation of OSRPs, conducts and evaluates unannounced exercises; inspects and evaluates oil spill response equipment and associated maintenance, training and use records; and engages in other oil spill program activities. Administers enforcement processes or refers cases for civil penalty review as appropriate.
• Leads, assists, or instructs others in the development and execution of government initiated unannounced oil spill exercises; may conduct exercises and/or serve as an evaluator.
• Prepares and reviews a broad range of complex correspondence to answer or solicit information from lessees, operators, oil spill removal organizations, Federal and state agencies, and the general public.
• Serves as the lead BSEE representative on Regional Response Teams (RRT), Area Committees, and incident specific RRT calls, providing support, advice and expertise to the National Response System on matters pertinent to oil spill planning, preparedness, and response.
• Attends meetings and conferences with BSEE personnel; Federal, state, and industry representatives; and the general public concerning the implementation of relevant regulations, policies, and requirements of the OSRP review and approval process.
• During actual spills the incumbent deploys to incident command posts and serves in designated positions within the Incident Command Structure. Assesses engineering, technical and scientific needs during a spill response and helps coordinate agency support to the Incident Command.
  
  

BSEE has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Salary Information

GS-11: (Step 01) $72,553- (Step 10) $94,317

GS-12: (Step 01) $86,962- (Step 10) $113,047

GS-13: (Step 01) $103,409- (Step 10) $134,435

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.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination.
• You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
• You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
• Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.
  
  

Qualifications

Physical/Medical Requirements:

Field work involves conducting equipment inspections, unannounced exercises, auditing operator-led training and exercises, sometimes offshore on vessels. This requires regular and recurring physical exertion related to frequent inspections and surveys. This physical exertion includes considerable standing, walking, climbing, bending, crouching, stretching, reaching or similar movements. All field activities require some form of agility and dexterity. Offshore deployments may involve extended travel on vessels over water, and vessel-to-vessel transfers, and the infrequent need to climb into/out of emergency evacuation devices. Spill response equipment inspections may involve overhead operations, movement of heavy machinery, and other activities that require the incumbent to look in all directions and be continuously and clearly aware of surroundings.

The incumbent may also be required to deploy to command posts during oil spill incidents and may require travel away from the duty station for long periods in excess of a week. Incident deployments are typically located in office environments and may require working more than 12 hours a day.

This position may be subject to medical evaluations and monitoring to ensure safety in the performance of duties. The agency is in the process of developing the applicable policies. Incumbent is required to successfully complete assigned role-based training, such as water survival and hands-on oil spill response field operations on a regular and recurring basis as described in Bureau policy.

Work Environment: Work is primarily performed in an office setting with occasional trips to offshore locations, storage yards, and incident command posts. Travel by auto, plane, helicopter or boat is required.

The in-office work environment involves normal everyday risks or discomforts typical of an office setting. Field work exposes the incumbent to adverse conditions such as weather, temperature extremes, and higher accident potential when offshore or in outdoor equipment yards and warehouse environments. The incumbent will typically spend 30-40 days per year conducting field work. Some work conditions may expose the incumbent to high noise levels, marine and other wildlife. The employee wears hardhats, safety glasses, safety-toe shoes, hearing protection, selected uniforms for the environment and takes on other various safety precautions.

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.

• Basic Educational Requirements:
  
  

Submission Of Transcripts Is Required.

In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, applicants must meet the Education Requirements described below:

• 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

• Combination of education and experience -- course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
• Specialized Experience
  
  

Gs-11

To qualify for the GS-11, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

• Independently collecting, analyzing, and reporting on scientific or technical data.
• Adhering to oil spill response (or other incident management) operations, policies, laws, regulations and statutes relative to contingency planning.
• Participating in various compliance activities, such as organized exercises/drills, training, or equipment inspections required by regulation, law, or policy.
  
  

Must meet all.

• OR-
  
  

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

• OR-
  
  

Combination of education and experience: Appropriate combination of education and experience that totals 100%. Note: Only graduate level education in excess of 36 semester hours may be applied toward the combination at this grade level.

Gs-12

To qualify for the GS-12, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

• Utilizing oil spill (or other incident management) planning, preparedness, response concepts and strategies, including assessment of the behavior and environmental effects of contaminants.
• Conducting technical reviews, evaluations and drafting spill response (or other incident management) contingency plans for compliance with applicable Federal, state and/or local laws, regulations, and policy requirements.
• Conducting field inspections of spill containment, control, and cleanup equipment.
• Conducting or evaluating spill response (or other incident management) contingency planning exercises or training in alignment with applicable Federal, state, and/or local laws or regulations.
  
  

Must meet all.

Gs-13

To qualify for the GS-13, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

• Managing regulatory oversight and technical advisement of spill response (or other incident management) requirements - i.e., planning, preparedness, and response strategies, including considerations for unique regional scenarios.
• Designing, conducting, and evaluating Unannounced Exercises in alignment with the Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP), National Preparedness for Response and Exercise Preparedness (PREP) Guidelines, or similar program.
• Operating within an Incident Command Structure during incident responses or response exercises.
• Engaging with regulated community, industry representatives, general public and Federal, state, and local partners during conferences and meetings.
• Advising regulated community and other stakeholders in development and revision of spill response (or other incident management) plans or strategies.
  
  

Must meet all.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

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.

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. In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior. This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment. DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity. Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work. All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.

NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.

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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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational and specialized experience requirements. Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official. All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated by a resume. If, upon review, it is determined that your resume and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be removed from consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on how well you meet the qualifications listed above.

If you are a status applicant (current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former permanent Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility in the competitive service), or are eligible under a special appointing authority and you are selected under this vacancy, you may be subject to serving a new one-year probationary period.

To preview the assessment questionnaire click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12447592