Summary You will serve as a Supervisory Physical Scientist .This position is located within the Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey, Rocky Mountain Region, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Service Center located in Lakewood, Colorado. This position will develop projects internal to the bureau or through partnerships with other agencies utilizing and synthesizing geophysical data to effectively respond to land and resource management and to societal issues. Responsibilities Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Provide supervision and leadership to center personnel by assigning and prioritizing work, assessing employee performance, providing guidance, and promoting professional development. Plan, coordinate and oversee complex geological, geophysical, and geochemical studies and investigations. Provide expert technical guidance in evaluating scientific data, resolving complex geochemical problems and develops recommendations. Oversee laboratory operations, geochemical instrumentation, field investigations, and scientific data collection and analysis. Evaluates geological and geochemical data to assess mineral and energy resources to support land and resource management decisions. Ensure scientific projects, contractor activities, and laboratory operations comply with established quality, safety, and regulatory standards. Prepare and review scientific reports, publications, and technical findings. Represents the organization in meetings with federal agencies and scientific stakeholders. Requirements Conditions of Employment Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit www.dhs.gov/EVerify/. Must have and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment. You must pass a physical examination. You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5-10 nights per month. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. This is a supervisory position that may require completion of a supervisory probationary period. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/24/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: A. Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. You must submit transcripts. -OR- B. Combination of education and experience: education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. -AND- To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level: Specialized Experience Requirement: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:Leading and overseeing geological, geophysical, or geochemical investigations; evaluating and interpreting complex scientific data; providing technical guidance to resolve scientific or operational challenges; and coordinating laboratory, field, or research activities to ensure accurate results and compliance with established standards. Volunteer Experience: 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 This position does not allow substituting education for experience. This position has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. How do I receive credit for a college degree obtained in a foreign university in another country? - OPM.gov Applicants must submit all necessary documents to a private U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials, commonly called a credential evaluation service. To be acceptable, the foreign credential evaluation must include/describe: The type of education received by the applicant; The level of education in relation to the U.S. education system, and state that its comparability recommendations follow the general guidelines of the International Education Standards Council; The content of the applicant's educational program earned abroad and the standard obtained; The status of the awarding foreign school's recognition and legitimacy in its home country's education system; and Any other information of interest such as what the evaluation service did to obtain this information, the qualifications of thee valuator, and any indications as to other problems such as forgery. Foreign credential evaluations that do not contain the above information or that state there is insufficient information provided by the applicant on which to base an evaluation should not be accepted. If the requested evaluation shows the foreign education to be legitimate and comparable to that expected of a candidate with U.S. credentials, it may be accepted at the discretion of the agency. Additional Information Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. Physical Demands: Some of the work takes place mostly in an office or laboratory setting; no special physical effort is required. While training personnel on new equipment or conducting field work, you may be expected to hike distances of up to several kilometers over uneven terrain while carrying equipment. Field work may require the use of proper personal protective gear, working in dusty, hot, humid, and extreme cold environments, occasional off-road driving of 4-wheel drive vehicles, traveling to remote field sites in helicopters or small fixed wing planes, and/or boats. The incumbent may be required to lifting equipment and objects weighing up to 20 kilograms. Work Environment: The position requires most work in office or laboratory settings with adequate heat, light, and ventilation. Office conditions do not require special safety precautions; laboratory conditions may involve corrosive or dangerous chemicals, exposure to a range of naturally occurring solids and fluids; field conditions may include extreme heat or cold, rain or snow, and hazardous conditions such as exposure to extreme temperatures, noxious or toxic gasses, ice or flooding. Fieldwork may occasionally also involve encounters with snakes, bears, and other wilderness dangers. International field work may be conducted in culturally hostile areas. All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, https://www.doi.gov/ethics/ethics-prohibitions. The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.
