Clarification from the agency

All US Citizens Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible (PPP DoD MRNG) Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible (PPP DoD MSP) Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement (PPP DoD MRNG Dis) Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible (PPP DoD RG)

• Select methods and procedures to be followed in conducting geological, hydrogeological and hazardous toxic and radioactive waste (HTRW) studies and projects in arriving at adequate solutions to problems encountered.
• Investigates prospective undeveloped quarry sites, existing commercial quarries and sand pits in vicinity of large civil projects.
• Plans, scopes and oversees investigations for assigned projects. Selects the most appropriate geological techniques for materials to be encountered.
• Prepare and present technical data on feasibility of proposed foundations and materials design, groundwater conditions, and stability of structures.

Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation NACI-TIER-1.
• This position requires the completion of a pre-employment Physical Examination and an annual examination thereafter to ensure the continued, required level of physical health and ability or fitness to perform the duties of the position.
• This position requires the incumbent to be included in the Medical Surveillance Program and attend 40 hours of Hazardous, Toxic, Radioactive, and Waste (HTRW) training and updates.
• This position requires the wearing of protective equipment, e.g., safety shoes, safety glasses, etc., are required on project sites and other protective equipment, such as respirators may be periodically required.
• Appointment to this position is subject to a one year probationary period unless the appointee has previously met this requirement.
• There are physical requirements associated with this position. Wearing of protective equipment, e.g., safety shoes, safety glasses, etc., are required on project sites. Other protective equipment, such as respirators may be periodically required.
• Must be willing and able to participate in the medical surveillance program and attend 40 hours of hydrogeological and hazardous toxic and radioactive waste HTRW training and updates.
• Must possess and maintain a civilian driver’s license.
• Must obtain and maintain government credit card.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and 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 Geologist:
A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in geology, plus 20 additional semester hours in any combination of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological science, structural, chemical, civil, mining or petroleum engineering, computer science, planetary geology, comparative planetology, geophysics, meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, physical geography, marine geology, and cartography.

OR

B. Combination of Education and Experience: Course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.(Note:Acceptable experience may have been gained through geological field or laboratory work that provided a means of obtaining professional knowledge of the theory and application of the principles of geology and closely related sciences, e.g., geophysics, geochemistry, or hydrology. Such work generally must have involved making close observations, taking samples, handling various types of instruments and equipment, assembling geologic data from source materials, and analyzing and reporting findings orally and in writing. In some situations, professional scientific experience in other fields may be accepted in part as professional geological experience. Such experience must have been preceded by appropriate education in geology or by professional geological experience, and must have contributed directly and significantly to the applicant's professional geological competence. To receive credit for geological experience obtained in positions that are not full-time professional geological positions, the applicant is responsible for indicating clearly the actual time or percentage of time devoted to geologic duties within such positions, and for giving adequate descriptions of the geologic functions.) In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

GS-07: Specialized Experience:
One year of specialized experience which includes 1.) Utilizing instruments and equipment to select sampling locations for testing. 2.) Assist in performing limited geological studies and investigations for subsurface exploration programs relative to geological and hydro-geological problems which may include foundations, landslides, channel design, and hazardous toxic and radioactive waste (HTRW) etc in projects. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05).

OR

Education:
One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: geology.

OR

Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:(1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR(2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR(3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/).ORCombination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.

GS-09 Specialized Experience:
One year of specialized experience which includes 1.) Utilizing instruments and equipment to select sampling locations for testing. 2.) performing limited geological studies and investigations for subsurface exploration programs relative to geological and hydrogeological problems which may include foundations, landslides, channel design, and hazardous toxic and radioactive waste (HTRW) etc in projects. 3) assisting in preparing appropriate portions of plans, specifications, design memoranda and various other reports for the execution of projects. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).

OR

Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: geology.

OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Requirements continued in Education section.

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. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

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.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

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.

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 must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
• For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
• Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
• 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 additional information, to include formatting tips, 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.

Next steps