Physical Scientist

Physical Scientist

Department: Department of Commerce

Location(s): Boulder, Colorado, Fort Collins, Colorado, College Park, Maryland, Silver Spring, Maryland, Suitland, Maryland, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, Asheville, North Carolina, Madison, Wisconsin

Salary Range: $74678 - $133142 Per Year

Job Summary: This announcement is recruiting for the Stennis Space Center, MS duty location. For the purpose of filling positions in multiple locations in the future, the certificate(s) from this announcement may also be used to fill positions in Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO, College Park, MD, Suitland, MD, Silver Spring, MD, Fort Collins, CO, and Madison, WI. Candidates who would like immediate consideration for this position should select the Stennis Space Center, MS duty location when applying.

Major Duties:

• This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), with 1 vacancy in Stennis Space Center, MS. As a Physical Scientist, you will perform the following duties: Manage diverse and heterogeneous environmental data systems and use applications to analyze and disseminate environmental data. Develop data acquisition, processing, and storage strategies, and establish permanent data archiving procedures. Provide strategic leadership for environmental data management and develop products and services for internal and external customers using data management software and applications. Analyze, evaluate, and interpret complex data needed to determine and predict a variety of factors. Develop, produce, and deliver interpretive products as required to communicate analyzed data. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: Must be able to obtain and maintain a Non-Critical Sensitive security clearance to carry out duties requiring access to Confidential and/or Secret documents, systems, or attend meetings. This is due to the sensitivity of oceanographic and/or atmospheric data collected by the U.S. Military which may compromise National Security projects, issues, or engagements. This position is subject to both pre-employment and random drug testing as a condition of employment. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received. 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: Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/ BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience OR substitution of education for experience OR combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following requirements: To qualify for the 1301 series: EDUCATION: 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. -AND - SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government. 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. To qualify at the ZP-3 or GS-11 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-2 or GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Collecting environmental data via airborne, shipboard or uncrewed platforms (e.g., UxS/radar) or managing environmental datasets for one or more of the following: scientific quality, metadata standards, or long term archival; Analyzing environmental datasets to develop scientific products and services, utilizing modern programming languages (e.g., Python, R, or similar) or industry-standard data formats (NetCDF, HDF5, or equivalent); and Collaborating with technical or non-technical stakeholders to identify requirements and implementing databases, websites, or web services to make data easy for others to find and use. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of successfully completed graduate-level education and specialized experience may be used to meet the total experience requirements. Note: Only graduate-level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience.

How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the blue "Apply Online" button. If you are not a registered USAJOBS user, please create a new account and follow the instructions to complete your application process. If you are a registered user, login to access your existing USAJOBS profile. As a registered user, select a stored resume and select one or more of your stored documents to attach to your application. Check the "Certification" box and click the "Apply for this position now!" button located at the bottom of the screen. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. If you experience technical difficulties during the online application process, please contact the USAJOBS helpdesk Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-30