Supervisory Interdisciplinary Biologist/Physical Scientist/Mathematical Statistician in SOUTH AFRICA

Summary

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?

The government-wide direct hire authority for Biologist/Physical Scientist/Mathematical Statistician 0401/1301/1529 is being used to fill this position.

Salaries can be found using this link: 2024 Rest of US Pay Table

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies in other U.S. Geological Survey offices.

Learn more about this agency This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
  
  

Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

• The public
  
  

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

DutiesThe incumbent serves as a supervisor for the data-intensive "Applied Data Science" team within the Data Science Branch of the Integrated Information Dissemination Division (IIDD)-Water Mission Area (WMA). The incumbent has ultimate responsibility for the strategy and workforce development of the team's capabilities. The skills of employees under the supervision of this position include research code development, data analysis, machine learning, high-performance computing, data engineering, and MLOps. The team under supervision of this position work with large volume data that are rich in complexity, including high resolution time-series observations, freeform text, imagery, and geospatial components. This position will be an integral part of the IIDD and WMA and will participate in team, division, and Bureau working groups.

Duties

As a Supervisory Interdisciplinary Biologist/Physical Scientist/Mathematical Statistician within the Water Resources Mission Area (WMA), some of your specific duties will include:

• Leading projects within one or more core set of capabilities: reproducible workflows, data visualization, data science modeling, and/or web analytics).
• Conducting research as needed to support studies and prepare written products to convey research-based knowledge and information to a variety of audiences.
• Collaborating with experts in other domains or agencies to develop strategies for improving efficiency, quality, understanding, and accessibility of USGS-WMA science.
• Developing and implementing approaches or software tools that improve delivery, analysis, or modeling of large volumes of structured and unstructured data using modern software languages and methods.
• Planning the work, establishing work standards, and providing job priorities for the Applied Data Science Team.
  
  

The incumbent may operate a government vehicle as an incidental driver to attend off-site planning meetings and collaborative programming sessions.

RequirementsConditions of EmploymentKey Requirements:

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
• This position requires completion of a one year supervisory probationary period, if one has not previously been completed.
• Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
• More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
  
  

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

• This vacancy is limited to the first 50 applications received and will close at midnight Eastern Time on the day this application limit is reached regardless of the closing date specified in this vacancy announcement. Any application received prior to midnight Eastern Time of the day the application limit is reached will be accepted and considered. You are strongly encouraged to submit all required supporting documents at the time of application should the vacancy close earlier than stated in this announcement due to the applicant limit being reached. Supporting documents will not be accepted once the vacancy announcement closes.
• Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
• A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• Applicants for this position must meet the following requirements: (1) possess a valid State license, and (2) possess a safe driving record. If selected, you will be required to provide proof of a valid State license & a copy of your driving record.
• Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
  
  

Qualifications

This is an interdisciplinary position that may be filled as a Biologist 0401/Physical Scientist 1301/Mathematical Statistician 1529.

0401 SERIES BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Biologist, all grade levels.

• Degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. *OR* B. Combination of education and experience--courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above (24 semester hours or the equivalent in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position), 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)
  
  

1301 SERIES BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Physical Scientist, all grade levels.

• 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 science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.
• OR
• A combination of education and experience--education equivalent to one of the majors shown in "A" above (24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science, engineering, or mathematics) that included at least 24 semester hours or the equivalent in physical science and/or related engineering science as described above, 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)
  
  

1529 SERIES BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Mathematical Statistician, all grade levels.

• Degree: that included 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, of which at least 12 semester hours were in mathematics and 6 semester hours were in statistics.
• OR
• Combination of education and experience -- at least 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, including at least 12 hours in mathematics and 6 hours in statistics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
  
  

Requirements

In addition to meeting one or more of the basic education requirements as stated above, applicants must meet the following to qualify for the GS-13 level:

One year of appropriate professional experience that is in or directly related to the duties of the position to be filled is qualifying if it is equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Specialized Experience

In addition to meeting one or more of the basic education requirements as stated above, applicants must meet the following to qualify for the GS-13 level:

Skills

One year of appropriate professional experience that is in or directly related to the duties of the position to be filled is qualifying if it is equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. This experience may include:

• Demonstrated experience analyzing and communicating findings from large and/or complex datasets.
• Experienced working with research code development (R or Python), data analysis, machine learning, high-performance computing, data engineering, and/or MLOps.
• Experience working on interdisciplinary teams.
• A demonstrated ability to organize the work of others and contribute to effective planning and execution of project deliverables.
  
  

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 .
  
  

Additional information

Other Information

• Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
• Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
• USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
• The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
• DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
• The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.
• THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
• The duty station of this position may remain that of the selectee or may be any USGS location that is agreed upon by the selecting official and the selectee. If the agreed upon location results in the relocation of the selectee, the travel, transportation, and relocation expenses are not authorized.
  
  

Agency Benefits:

• The duty station of this position may remain that of the selectee or may be any USGS location that is agreed upon by the selecting official and the selectee. If the agreed upon location results in the relocation of the selectee, the travel, transportation, and relocation expenses are not authorized.
• For additional information on our internal telework policy, please reference the Department of the Interior Telework Handbook at: https://www.doi.gov/telework/policies.
• Working for the U.S. Geological Survey offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; health, life, dental, vision, and long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.
  
  

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.