Geographer Job in Alexandria, VA

Vacancy No. CERA255919487462HW Department U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Salary $101,401.00 to $156,755.00 Grade 12 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 1/13/2025 Close Date 1/22/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Alexandria, VA


Summary

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD Workforce, 5 U.S.C. Section 9905 to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

About the Position: Serves under broad general administrative direction of the Branch Chief who provides overall objectives and broad aspects of work assignments. Works directly with or for a Program Manager who provides technical supervision relative to work effort.

Duties

  • Serves as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Inland Electronic Navigational Chart (IENC) Program Geographer within the U.S. Army Geospatial Center (AGC) Survey Engineering and Mapping Technical Center of Expertise
  • Execute the production, maintenance, and distribution of navigational chart products based on the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) S-57-based IENC standard
  • Extraction, transformation, and loading of tabular information, geographic information, and hydrographic survey data
  • Support collection of waterway geospatial data among all districts for the charting of waterway conditions
  • Solve problems requiring versatility and innovation in adapting, modifying, or extending Engineering Manuals, guides, criteria, or normal field practices
  • Determine applicability of new and emerging hardware, software, and technological capabilities, as well as training opportunities for self and others

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • Able to obtain and maintain SECRET security clearance

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Geographer:
A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in geography; or related physical or social science such as geology, meteorology, economics, statistics, sociology, anthropology, political science, history, cartography, computer science, urban studies, or planning that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields. (You MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible)

OR

B. Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major in geography, or a related field that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. (You MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible)

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

GS-12 Specialized Experience:
One year of specialized experience which includes experience implementing specification developed by the Inland Electronic Navigation Chart Harmonization Group (IEHG), to include, but not limited to the IENC feature catalogue, IENC Encoding Guide, and IHO S-58 based compliance checks; experience with USACE Notice to Navigation Interests, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Light List, USCG Local Notice to Mariners, and experience with USCG buoy tender operations; using accurate and real-time display of vessel position relative to waterway features.

GS-13- Specialized Experience
One year of experience which includes experience implementing specification developed by the Inland Electronic Navigation Chart Harmonization Group (IEHG), to include, but not limited to the IENC feature catalogue, IENC Encoding Guide, and IHO S-58 based compliance checks; experience with USACE Notice to Navigation Interests, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Light List, USCG Local Notice to Mariners, and experience with USCG buoy tender operations; using accurate and real-time display of vessel position relative to waterway features; experience with inland navigation system to include rivers and locks chambers and states; experience presenting geographic information to develop and transfer to the field state-of-the-art technology for the nation's Inland Electronic Navigational Chart (IENC) Program.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/

Additional information

The incumbent serves as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Inland Electronic Navigational Chart (IENC) Program Geographer within the U.S. Army Geospatial Center (AGC) Survey Engineering and Mapping Technical Center of Expertise. The incumbent executes the production, maintenance, and distribution of navigational chart products based on the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) S-57-based IENC standard; assists in identifying and prioritizing technical issues related to navigational chart production requirements and delivery schedules where they may impact agreed upon milestones; accepts technical responsibility for developing or implementing solutions that comply with emerging Army standards and policies; innovates and considers the potential for emerging technologies to meet current operational needs, as well as future requirements, in a resource constrained environment; designs, develops, and implements supplemental geospatial capabilities, data creation and/or collection, as needed, to support Program objectives; perform duties with a focus on customer service. Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.

  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • One year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • This is a Career Program (CF) 18 - Engineer and Scientist position.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.

Benefits

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

  • Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
  • For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
2. Other supporting documents:
  • Cover Letter, optional
  • Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
  • This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 01/22/2025 to receive consideration

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12657462).
  • Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
  • It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
  • Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk
Address
RA-W6RNAA HQ USACE US ARMY GEOSPATIAL CENTER
DO NOT MAIL
Alexandria, VA 22315
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking (as applicable) for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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