General Information Salary: $44,057 (Step 01) to $57,280 (Step 10). NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01. This announcement is open to Recent Graduates, and Future Recent Graduates who will complete degree requirements prior to 07/31/2023.

Duties

As a Hydrologic Technician with the New Jersey Water Science Center, some of your specific duties may include: Collect, process, and analyze surface-water, groundwater, tide elevation, and atmospheric data from gaging stations, wells, tide gages, and weather/precipitation gages. Perform installation, maintenance, servicing, and troubleshooting of sensing, recording and communications equipment and instrumentation. Perform water-quality sampling of both surface and groundwater. Enter, retrieve, edit, and analyze simple surface, ground, and water quality data using a variety of databases, spreadsheets, and graphics software. Perform technical analysis of the hydrologic data collected. Document procedures used to compute records and conduct quality-assurance review of data summaries to ensure accuracy, uniformity, and compliance with technical standards. Prepare summaries and basic data reports of results of field activities, including the preparation of materials for publication. Operate a government vehicle as an incidental driver. Operate and/or maintains motorized watercraft. Physical Demands: The work regularly requires considerable dexterity, agility, and strenuous physical exertion such as: climbing and/or working from tall ladders and scaffolding; work in areas where footing is treacherous such as slippery or icy riverbanks, steep rocky terrain, cableways, or fast-moving water; lifting heavy objects weighing 23 kilograms (50 pounds) or more or crouching or crawling in restricted areas. Work Environment: Office conditions do not require special safety precautions; field conditions may include extreme heat or cold, rain or snow; hazardous conditions such as ice or flooding; or exposure to irritant or toxic chemicals. Work may require the use of personal protective equipment such as masks, coats, boots, goggles, respirators, or life jackets.

Requirements

Qualifications

Eligibility Requirements In order to be eligible for an appointment under the Pathways Recent Graduate Program you must meet the following requirements: You must be a recent graduate who has completed, within the previous two years, an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution such as an accredited technical or vocational school; a 2- or 4-year college or university; a graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or a post-secondary home school curriculum. Note: Certificate program is defined as post-secondary education in a qualifying educational institution equal to at least one academic year of full-time study that's part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum. Veterans: Veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation begin their 2-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty; however, eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed 6 years from the date on which the degree or certificate was obtained. The date of release or discharge from active duty should be later than the date the degree or certificate was obtained. Future Recent Graduate: You must be currently enrolled in a qualifying degree program as described above AND expect to complete your degree requirements no later than July 31, 2023. If you do not complete your degree requirements by July 31, 2023, you will be ineligible for consideration under this program. **Qualification Requirements GS-05:To qualify for the GS-05 level, applicants must have specialized experience, education, OR a combination of specialized experience and graduate education as defined below. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the Federal service that is in or related to the duties of this position. Examples of GS-4 level work assignments include: Making adjustments and minor repairs to water level recorders, or other equipment used in water investigations; Following well-defined methods and designated formulas; computing, extracting, compiling, and presenting geological or hydrologic data in prescribed tabular or graphic form; Computing mean daily gage heights from water stage record charts, editing record tapes, and making corrections based on field notes. **OR Education: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in an appropriate field of science (i.e., geology, chemistry, physics, geophysics, biology, ecology, mathematics, soils, forestry, meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, physical science, atmospheric science) engineering, construction, or industrial technology, or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours, or the equivalent, in any combination of courses such as engineering, industrial technology, construction drafting, surveying, physical science, biology, or mathematics. **OR Combination of specialized experience and education: A combination of successfully completed post-high school education and specialized experience may be used to meet the qualification requirements for GS-5. Only progressive education in excess of the first 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours (i.e., beyond the first two years) of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION & SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE). You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

Education Requirements:

• 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 completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. 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: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .
• The Recent Graduate Program lasts for 1 year. Participants who successfully complete the Recent Graduate Program may be eligible for conversion to a permanent appointment or a term (1-4 years in duration) appointment without further competition.

Contacts

• Address NEW JERSEY WATER SCI CTR 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Mail Stop 600 Reston, VA 20192 US
• Name: Dee Wilkerson
• Phone: 703-648-7483
• Email: [email protected]