SENIOR TECHNICAL PHYSICAL SCIENTIST

Summary You will serve as the Celestial Reference Frame Director (CRFD) Senior Technical Physical Scientist and be located at Naval Observatory (USNO) headquarters, in Washington DC.

The U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) is a fourth echelon command reporting to Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (COMNAVMETOCCOM) for operations, and the Commander, Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR) as the Type Commander. Click "Learn more about this agency" for more detail on USNO.

Duties You will advise the USNO Scientific Director on evolving requirements and the potential need for new programs to meet these requirements. | You will work with the Scientific Director to prioritize and program those resources in accordance with requirements and emerging future community needs. | You will monitor and oversee development of system concepts and maturation of the capabilities through all phases of capability development and will manage all CRF programs based on future evolving DoW needs. | You will provide scientific leadership for future CRF developments within the CRFD and will plan, execute, and review relevant research in CRF and Earth Orientation (EO) including establishing standards of quality for the research conducted at USNO. | You will interface routinely with high-level DoW personnel, mission partners, and Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) stakeholders to facilitate the dissemination of CRF and Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP) standard products. | You will interface with stakeholders to define parameters, focus areas for investigation, assessments, and validation of processes. | You will work with appropriate DoW personnel to establish evolving DoW requirements for celestial information and to implement necessary improvements in DoW capabilities. | You will make technical presentations at conferences to program managers and to those at the highest executive levels to ensure CRF requirements are established, and products and their use, are clearly understood. | You will act as a liaison for DoW with national and international programs and lead multiagency collaborations to solve technical challenges and ensure data product requirements are met. | You will represent the USNO at national and international scientific forums and be a member of international and national scientific working groups concerned with Celestial Reference Frames and Earth Orientation.

Qualifications

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, your resume must show that you possess the Technical Qualifications (TQ) related to this position - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES. Resumes over the 2-page limit will be disqualified. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualification(s). If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications:

TQ 1. Demonstrated experience in Celestial Reference Frames (CRF) and Earth Orientation, including practical applications, conventional scientific/technical standards, and international collaboration standards.

TQ 2. Comprehensive theoretical and technical knowledge of DoD requirements for CRF and Earth Orientation, with the proven ability to research, evaluate, and advocate for capabilities that improve the security, integrity, and operations of CRF programs.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PROF

AND

1301 General Physical Science Series

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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. Education Applicants must meet the following positive education qualifications requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual:

For 1301 General Physical Science Series:

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.

-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. How you will be evaluated This recruitment will utilize the following technical assessment tools: Structured Resume Review and Structured Interview.

In order to qualify for this position, you must thoroughly address all Technical Qualifications (TQs) within your two (2) page resume. Separate narrative statements will not be accepted or reviewed. Applicants who fail to clearly demonstrate sufficient possession of the TQs in their resume will be determined ineligible for further consideration.

When the application process is complete, your resume will be reviewed to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. Your application package will be reviewed by a rating and ranking panel to evaluate your TQs. Qualified candidates will be placed into one of three categories:

• Best Qualified: Candidates demonstrating mastery, possessing exceptional skills and experience that significantly exceeds the minimum requirements.
• Well Qualified: Candidates demonstrating solid, reliable proficiency, possessing strong skills and experience above the minimum requirements.
• Minimally Qualified: Candidates meeting the basic minimum experience requirements for the position.

Generally, only best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager. Sometimes well qualified and minimally qualified candidates are referred. The highest-qualified candidates may be invited to participate in a structured interview. The Ad Hoc Executive Resources Board (AERB) will review the results and make final selection recommendations to the approving authority.

If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may be found ineligible/not qualified.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. How to apply To apply for this position, you must complete this application and submit any required documents specified in the Required Documents section and submit by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.

Follow the prompts to select and upload your resume and/or other required documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the "Include Personal Information" section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.

You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.

It is applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and uploaded, (i.e., resume and other required documents) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application.

Application packages will NOT be accepted via mail. Due to security processes, mail delivery takes approximately 2-3 weeks to process at which time the vacancy announcement will be closed, and no further consideration will be given to additional application packages. Other information This position is a Senior Scientific position in the federal government. Senior Scientific and professional employees are in non-executive positions whose duties are broad and complex enough to be classified above GS 15 level. Senior level positions involve performance of high-level research and development in the physical, biological, medical, or engineering sciences.

This position is not covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

A relocation incentive is generally a single payment intended to offset some of the relocation costs experienced by the selectee. A relocation incentive may be authorized.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf.

There are three key documents that contain important information about your rights and obligations. Please read and retain these documents:

• Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights, for those who undergo an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history record check for personnel vetting, which includes Rap Back
• FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI this is the same statement used when your fingerprints are submitted as part of your background investigation, and
• SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov), applicable to those who hold a sensitive position or have eligibility for access to classified information

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy Statement: http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/index.cfm

Employment Information Resources - Resource Center: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to

Males born after 12-31-1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx)