General Information: In order to be eligible to receive consideration for this position, you must be able to: (1) report to the duty station location listed in this vacancy announcement, if selected; and (2) be available to work the schedule identified. Salary: GS-03 $15.61(Step 01) to $19.17 (Step 10); GS-04 $15.93 (Step 01) to $22.03 (Step 10). NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

Duties

The USGS Colorado Water Science Center is seeking a student working towards a degree in Physical Science, Civil Engineer, Environmental Science, Mathematics, or closely related field to gain practical experience inspreadsheet software, using water quality monitoring equipment, survey equipment, attention to detail, basic GIS skills, and/or a basic understanding of hydrology. As a Student Trainee (Hydrology) you will serve in a trainee capacity, performing routine and recurring development assignments to acquire knowledge and understanding of functions, principles, practices, and methods used in the area of hydrology. Duties include: Knowledge of one or more computer systems and automated databases in order to enter, transfer, retrieve and manipulate hydrologic data. Performs maintenance and servicing of routine sensing and recording equipment. Sequentially applies standard hydrologic data collection and office computation procedures in order to collect and/or compute and compile hydrologic data. Lab: Fills, emptying and processes dishes through dishwater, operates and cleans autoclave, maintains lab, disposing of dishwashing chemicals, cleans lab benches, and organizes and performs required thermistor checks for entire office. Field data collection: wades rivers and streams, learns to perform discharge measurements, assists in the collection of water quality samples and assists with water quality monitor cleaning visits. Operating a government-owned or -leased vehicle in the performance of your official duties. Physical Demands: Work is physically demanding and includes walking, bending, climbing, and lifting of equipment up to 100 pounds when in the field, sometimes during adverse weather conditions. Work performed in the office is sedentary. Work Environment: The work is primary performed outdoors and involves moderate or sometimes extreme exposure to the discomforts of rain, cold/hot weather, and rapidly running or ice streams and rivers. Special safety precautions are required in many cases, and the employee typically ears life jackets, special safety boots, waders, and reflecting rain gear.

Requirements

Qualifications

Eligibility Requirements In order to be eligible for an appointment under the Pathways Internship Program: You must be a student accepted for enrollment or enrolled in a degree or certificate program on a full- or half-time basis as defined by the school (certificate program means post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum); AND Enrollment is with a qualifying educational institution such as a high school or state-approved homeschool; or 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; AND Students currently enrolled must be in good academic standing maintaining a 2.0 grade point average on a cumulative basis; AND The duties of this position should be related to your academic or career goals. You must continue to meet these eligibility requirements throughout the duration of your appointment under the Pathways Internship Program. Students who successfully complete the internship program may be eligible for conversion to a permanent appointment or a term (1-4 years in duration) appointment without further competition. Eligibility requirements for conversion: must be a U.S. Citizen; complete at least 640 hours of work experience acquired through the Internship Program (*may waive up to a total of 320 hours under specific conditions); successfully complete your degree or certificate requirements from a qualifying institution; meet the qualification requirements for the position to which you will be converted; meet agency-specific requirements as outlined in the Participant's Agreement; and must have performed successfully in your position as documented through performance evaluations. *NOTE: To learn more about the conditions under which a portion of the work experience hours may be waived, visit https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/students-and-recent-graduates. Qualification Requirements This internship is geared toward students majoring in one of the following areas of study: physical or environmental sciences. DEFINITIONS: UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: A year of undergraduate education is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of college study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite. EXPERIENCE: One year of work experience is twelve months working full-time (at least 35-40 hours per week). Part-time experience can be pro-rated (i.e., a year at 20 hours per week is credited as 6 months of experience). If your position consisted of mixed duties, experience credit is given for the percentage of time that you spent on qualifying duties (i.e., if you held a position for 2 years, full-time, consisting of 25% personnel work and 75% budget work, and then applied for a budget position you could calculate your experience as follows: 2 yrs = 24 months. 24 months x 75% [percentage of time spent on budget duties] = 18 months of qualifying experience.) GRADUATE EDUCATION: In the absence of specific graduate program information, a year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of graduate level college course work, or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. GS-03: Applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-3 level: 1. Six months of general experience of any kind that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position or that has provided the applicant with a general knowledge of hydrologic practices and procedures; **OR 2. One full year of successfully completed education above the high school level that included at least one course in subjects such as engineering, industrial technology, construction drafting, surveying, physical science, biology, or mathematics. **OR 3. A combination of post-high school education and general experience that together equates to 100% of the qualification requirement. GS-04: Applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-4 level: 1. Six months of general experience and 6 months of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-3 level in the Federal service that is in or related to the duties of this position. General experience is any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position to be filled, OR experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation for which the applicant is applying. Specialized experience may include work as a technician or aid in engineering, earth, physical, or natural science, forestry, soil conservation, or surveying; trades or crafts work in maintenance or construction of facilities or equipment related to hydrology; drafting; or construction estimating if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Examples of GS-3 level work assignments include: 1) Performing minor repairs at gaging stations, to water level recorders and other equipment used in hydrologic investigations; 2) Assisting in making measurements of stream flow or making simple current meter measurements on small streams; 3) Recording routine measurements of water levels at specified observations wells; 4) Collecting water quality samples and assisting in making laboratory determinations of water quality parameters by predetermined methods; 5) Maintaining and assisting in readying current meters and sampling equipment for field work. **OR 2. Applicants may substitute successful completion of two full years of study that included at least 12 semester hours, or the equivalent, in any combination of courses such as engineering, industrial technology, construction drafting, surveying, physical science, biology, or mathematics. **OR 3. A combination of successfully completed post-high school education and specialized and/or general experience may be used to meet the qualification requirements for the GS-04 level. NOTE: When crediting education to meet any part of the experience requirement, such education must include the appropriate number of directly related credit hours required in any combination of courses such as engineering, industrial technology, construction drafting, surveying, physical science, biology, or mathematics. When crediting this education, you must prorate the number of hours of directly related courses required as a proportion of the total education to be used. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE EDUCATION AND 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.
• Foreign Education: 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 COLORADO WATER SCI CTR 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Mail Stop 600 Reston, VA 20192 US
• Name: Sinar Santillano Oliveros
• Phone: 303-236-9585
• Email: [email protected]