What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position? Salary GS-07: $46,696 (Step 01) to $60,703 (Step 10) GS-09: $57,118 (Step 01) to $74,250 (Step 10) NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

Duties

As a Hydrologist within the Southwest Biological Science Center, some of your specific duties will include: - Edits, quality checks, and analyzes water-quality data. - Maintains and updates databases using a variety of software, serves the data to the public, and provides water quality expertise to other researchers. - Calibrates multi-parameter water quality probes, laboratory specific conductance probes, and maintains water quality instruments. - Field work maintaining seven primary multi-parameter water-quality stations and numerous secondary stations in river settings will consume approximately 25-35% of the incumbent's time. The majority of the work is in remote, backcountry, settings requiring access by multi-week river trips, helicopter, overnight hiking, and lengthy day hikes. - Summarizes research results for distribution/communication to a variety of audiences including manuscripts and technical reports for publication. - Operates a government vehicle as an incidental driver. Note: Above duties are for the GS-09 level. For the lower grade level, the selectee will perform a wide range of tasks described in the above duties, but at a lower level of work designed to further develop and refine the knowledge and skills of the individual. Assignments will typically combine productive work with on-going training and instruction. Supervision received at the lower level will be closer with oversight and review being provided more frequently. Physical Demands: The work regularly combines both office and field assignments. Field work requires physical exertion, such as long periods of standing, or recurring and considerable walking, stooping, bending, crouching, crawling, and climbing such as in regular and periodic construction activities and field inspections. Work may also include frequent lifting of moderately heavy items weighing less than 50 pounds. Field assignments may also involve operating small watercraft, driving motor vehicles to work sites, some of which may be remote, and include overnight stays in remote locations. Work Environment: The work involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks, discomforts, and unpleasantness such as: high noise levels, infectious materials, or toxic or irritating chemicals; travel in safety approved small aircraft and water craft; high winds and low or high temperatures; infestation of dangerous reptiles or poisonous plants, snakes, or insects; adverse weather conditions; noxious fumes; flammable liquids; or radiation. The work involves performing tasks in close proximity to rotating heavy mechanical and electrical machinery and may involve working within confined spaces for extensive periods of time. Work will require hiking into remote areas.

Requirements

Qualifications

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Hydrologist, all grade levels. A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in physical or natural science, or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours or the equivalent in any combination of courses in hydrology, the physical sciences, geophysics, chemistry, engineering science, soils, mathematics, aquatic biology, atmospheric science, meteorology, geology, oceanography, or the management or conservation of water resources. The course work must have included at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus), and at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent in physics. **OR B. A combination of education and experience-course work as shown in "A" above (30 semester hours or the equivalent in any combination of courses as specified in "A" above which must include at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus), and at least 6 semester hours or the equivalent in physics), plus appropriate experience and/or additional education for a total of 4 years. The education or combined education and experience must be comparable in type, scope and thoroughness to that acquired through successful completion of a 4-year course of study as described in "A" above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE) For GS-07: In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-07 level: 1 year of successfully completed graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or the equivalent) in hydrology or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. **OR Superior Academic Achievement based on undergraduate study. (CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT). **OR one year of appropriate professional experience that is in or related to the duties of this position is qualifying if it is equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-5 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Examples of GS-5 level experience could include taking measurements and collecting information; learning to take proper samples; conducting routine calculating, plotting, and checking of numerical data; preparing graphs and data profiles; and accomplishing routine analyses. This work experience would have involved receiving clear, specific, and detailed instructions as to the methods, procedures, and guidelines to use. **OR a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and professional experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE) For GS-09: In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-09 level: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education (36 semester hours, 54 quarter hours or the equivalent) leading to a master's degree in hydrology or other directly related field of study or master's or equivalent graduate degree in hydrology or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. **OR one year of appropriate professional experience in hydrology that is equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service. Examples of such experience include performing a variety of observations, computations, compilations and analyses in assisting higher level Hydrologists in carrying out hydrologic assignments. This work experience would have involved following established methods and procedures, or detailed instructions; using some judgment in applying basic principles and procedures, and would have required a good general working knowledge of the principles and the theories of hydrology. **OR a combination of successfully completed progressive graduate level education, as described above, that is beyond the first year of graduate study and professional experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE) You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

• 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 .

Contacts

• Address RIVER ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Mail Stop 600 Reston, VA 20192 US
• Name: Michelle Liu
• Phone: 916-278-9449
• Email: [email protected]