Job Title: Senior Scientist for Environmental Satellites

Summary

The National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) collects and provides the critical satellite Earth observations and other essential environmental information needed for disaster preparedness, all hazards response and recovery and the protection of the Nation's critical infrastructure and natural resources.
Learn more about this agency

Overview
Accepting applications

Open & closing dates
03/18/2024 to 04/17/2024

Salary
$147,649 - $221,900 per year

Pay scale & grade
ST 00

Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:

San Diego, CA

Boulder, CO

Honolulu, HI

Boston, MA
Show more locations (7)

College Park, MD

Silver Spring, MD

Stennis Space Center, MS

Asheville, NC

Norman, OK

Seattle, WA

Madison, WI Remote job
No

Telework eligible
Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes-You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.

Appointment type
Permanent -

Work schedule
Full-time -

Service
Competitive

Promotion potential
00

Job family (Series)
1301 General Physical Science

Supervisory status
No

Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information

Drug test
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk

Trust determination process
National security

Announcement number
23-NESDIS-12124850

Control number
780047100

This job is open to

Federal employees - Competitive service
Current or former competitive service federal employees.

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

Clarification from the agency
Applications will be accepted from all groups of Qualified Individuals/All-Sources (U.S. Citizens Only).

Videos

Duties
The STES ensures the NESDIS' science portfolio strikes a balance between use-inspired science, which focuses on meeting user needs, and innovative science, which focuses on driving the science- and observation-based applications forward where opportunity exists to better address NOAA's mission. The STES continually improves the application of environmental satellite science by guiding efforts of the NESDIS enterprise, for example through merging observations from multiple sources to produce seamless, consistent information products, or by the integration of new observations to improve NOAA's products and services. The incumbent leads efforts to develop more efficient algorithms and leverages new science conducted outside of NESDIS to provide decision makers with the most accurate and comprehensive insight possible. As the preeminent expert, the STES leads NESDIS' product development and applications research in areas that provide important data products to the National Weather Service for near real-time weather and marine forecasts and warnings, as well to other federal partners and public stakeholders for operational applications. The incumbent provides expert technical consultation to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Defense (DOD), other government agencies, universities, and private industry.
The STES acts as a spokesperson for NESDIS among top level scientists of NOAA and other agencies in meetings which identify significant projects and establish critical objectives. The incumbent serves as an internationally recognized expert in data management, standards, and related sciences, and has a thorough understanding of environmental satellites. The incumbent plays a major role in formulating and expanding NESDIS' responsibilities in national and international scientific assessments that support major elements of NOAA's healthy ecosystem programs and contribute to our understanding of climate, weather, oceanographic, geophysical, and other environmental processes.

Additional, duties of the Senior Scientist include:
1. Supporting the development of highly actionable and reliable environmental information across the entire Earth observing system.

2. Working with NOAA, NESDIS, and satellite communities to define the users' needs, operational requirements, methods to integrate information and products into operational use, and environmental satellite requirements for the NESDIS mission.

3. Serving as the chair of the working groups and assuring that environmental satellite data and products maintained by NESDIS are effective and supported by NESDIS' and NOAA's mission requirements.

4. Serving as a technical liaison with NASA, NSF and other scientific agencies to ensure NESDIS environmental satellite data and product initiatives have the required scientific capabilities.

5. Evaluating and recommending approaches to improve NESDIS satellite programs; identifying interdependencies and conducting detailed trend analysis; evaluating and recommending improvements in environmental satellite science and research to improve observation data processing, the integration of the products into operational use, the development of long-term climate records, and other products.

6. Communicating findings and recommendations to NESDIS leadership, to other NOAA scientists, and to users of environmental satellite data and products. Responsible for studying and projecting present and future scientific needs, establishing goals, formulating alternative policies and ways of meeting scientific based environmental satellite needs, and re-evaluating progress to assure that objectives are realized.

7. Directing systematic, critical, intensive investigation toward the development of new or fuller scientific knowledge of environmental satellite data and information services for use by the scientific community.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment
To meet the minimum requirements for this position, candidates must demonstrate their experience in their narrative responses to the Mandatory Professional/ Professional Technical Qualifications (MTQs/PTQs) questions and all narrative responses must be fully supported within their resume.
Experience must have been at a sufficiently high level of difficulty to clearly show that the candidate possesses the required professional/technical qualifications set forth below.
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.
Professional Technical Qualifications: Applicants must clearly demonstrate in their application materials that they possess technical attributes in the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs).

Key Requirements:
Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret with Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance. Newly appointed ST members must serve a 1 year probationary period. Position is subject to pre-employment background investigation. Public Financial Disclosure (OGE-278 filing within 30 days is required). Position is subject to random drug testing.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must possess all the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs). These qualifications would typically be acquired through education, experience, and training which reflect progressive development and achievement in leading teams and/or projects for a comprehensive business program in a complex organization. An individual's total experience and education must demonstrate the ability to perform the duties of the position.

All applicants will be evaluated by a panel to determine the degree to which they possess the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs). To be rated and considered for this position, applicants are requested to fully describe their experience in each of the following PTQs:

Professional Technical Core Qualifications (PTQs):

PTQ 1 - Comprehensive knowledge of environmental science, including satellite remote sensing, and at least 3 years of demonstrated experience in using applied science to provide timely, actionable, and reliable environmental data, products, and services across the Earth observing system.

PTQ 2 - Demonstrated knowledge and experience in supporting decision-making applications, models and/or research for environmental observation programs with extensive experience in planning and executing specialized programs that show outstanding applications attainments.

NOTE: Responses to PTQs must not exceed 2 pages per PTQ, for a total of 4 pages.

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.

Additional information

Background Investigation: This position is designated as TOP SECRET SENSITIVE COMPARMENTED INFORMATION and requires that a background investigation be conducted and favorably adjudicated in order to establish security eligibility.

Public Financial Disclosure: This position is covered under the Ethics in Government Act, which requires comprehensive financial disclosures from employees. The appointee will be required to file a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-278), within 30 days after his/her appointment, and then annually thereafter.

Qualifications Approval and Probationary Period: Persons newly selected for a career appointment to a Scientific and Professional position (ST) will be required to serve a one-year probationary period. If an employee has completed their 1 full year probationary period requirement under the current position they were competitively selected for, and were selected for a ST appointment, they will not need to complete a new probationary period.

Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required by P.L. 104-134 to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.

Drug Testing: Applicants tentatively selected for employment in any position are subject to designated and/or random pre-employment and employment urinalysis. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment and/or removed from employment with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce.

Selective Service: Male applicants born after 12/31/1959, who are required to register with the Selective Service under section 3 of the Military Selective Service Act, must be registered (or must have registered at the time they were required to do so) in order to be eligible for appointment. For more information, visit the SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM web site at http://www.sss.gov/default.htm.

Veterans' preference: Veteran's preference does not apply to ST positions.

False Statements: If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired, you may be fired after you begin work, or you may be subject to fine, imprisonment, or other disciplinary action.

SSN: You will be required to enter your full social security number (SSN) only to initially access and create an account at the OPM USAJOBS website; however, only the last four digits will appear in your resume. Please DO NOT put your SSN on pages within your application package. Privacy Act - Privacy Act Notice (PL 93-579): The information requested here is used to determine qualifications for employment and is authorized under Title 5 U.S.C. 3302 and 3361.

Signature: Before you are hired, you will be required to sign and certify the accuracy of the information in your application.

Application materials: The materials you send with your application will not be returned.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: The Department of Commerce provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify , the servicing Human Resources Specialist: Elizabeth Reese, either by e-mail atelizabeth.reese@noaa.govor by telephone at 240-394-5588. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis. TTY users may contact us via the Federal Relay Service, 1-800-877-8339.

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applicants are required to submit a narrative statement for each Professional Technical Qualification (PTQ) listed. Please keep in mind each PTQ are unique qualifications. Therefore, duplicate responses are not sufficient in determining if you meet that specific qualification. Failure to submit a narrative statement or address any of the PTQs is also considered incomplete and WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. As a result, you will be rated as "INCOMPLETE".

All applicants will be evaluated by an Executive Resources Board (ERB) rating panel of senior managers to determine the degree to which they possess the PTQs and best qualified candidates may undergo an interview and a reference check. The ERB rating panel will make recommendations on best qualified candidates to the appointing authority. Applicants will be evaluated on the quality and extent of their total accomplishments, experience and the PTQs.

Do not enter "Refer to Resume" to explain your answer. Applications directing the reader to search within the application or to "See Resume" are considered incomplete and WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Failure to submit a narrative statement or address any of the PTQs is also considered incomplete and WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. As a result, you will be rated as "INCOMPLETE".

Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:

-Best Qualified
-Well Qualified
-Qualified

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factor

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.
As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

1. Resume

2. Transcripts (Official or Unofficial) from the institution's registrar; dean or other appropriate official; or equivalent documentation which confirms completion of requirement for the required degree.

If you have completed any part of your education outside of the U.S., you must submit the evaluation of your foreign education that has been prepared by an accredited organization. Please refer to https://sites.ed.gov/international/working-in-the-united-states/ for more information.

3. For current Federal employees: You are encouraged to submit your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) that documents your current tenure, position title, series and grade level.

4. PTQ narrative responses should be attached under "Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs)".

Applicants who fail to submit requested documents and answer the mandatory questions WILL NOT receive consideration for this position. Application will result in an "Incomplete" rating.

If you are unable to upload documents, you may fax your documents using the instructions below. Please fax with the appropriate cover sheet. Please refer to the fax cover sheet for the fax number. Each document must be dialed and faxed in separately as each sheet includes an identification number, which ensures your document is processed correctly.

FAXING INSTRUCTIONS: Please fax legible documents using the appropriate cover sheet. Documents may be faxed at any time during the open period of this announcement by going to http://www.usajobs.opm.gov

1. Log into MYUSAJOBS
2. Click on "Applications"
3. Locate the vacancy you applied to
4. Under "Applicant Status" column, click on "More Information"
5. Select "View/Generate Fax Cover Sheet" and click "Continue"

Do not submit any additional information that is not required: Extraneous materials such as award certificates will not be considered.

If you do not have access to the internet, please contact the Human Resources Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.