Physical Scientist

About the role

You will serve as a Physical Scientist with National Park Service. Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work from approximately mid-January through mid-December, and you will be in a non-pay status for the remainder of the year (2 pay periods / 4 weeks).

What you will do

• Serve as a technical advisor in the physical sciences for Timpanogos Cave National Monument.
• Responsible for program development and implementation related to geology, caves and karst formations, soils, hydrology, hydrogeology, air quality, acoustics, paleontology, and related fields and activities.
• Prepare management and scientific reports regarding the results of protection, mitigation, restoration, inventory, monitoring, and research activities.
• Following established procedures and within a defined scope, conduct scientifically credible protection, mitigation, and restoration projects needed to prevent resource damage and to minimize human impacts.
• Work closely with park education staff to incorporate new information into park and partner education programs.
• Area/Housing Information: Timpanogos Cave National Monument is located on Utah State Hwy 92 in American Fork Canyon, 10 miles east of exit 284, I-15.
• The monument is surrounded by the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, which includes several wilderness areas.
• It is located 10 minutes away from nearby cities of Cedar Hills, Highland, Lehi, Pleasant Grove, and American Fork.
• There are plenty of premier outdoor activities that can be experienced near the monument such as camping, hunting, fishing, snow skiing, boating, rock-climbing, mountaineering, caving, and hiking.
• Schools with grades kindergarten through 12 are in all of the nearby cities.
• A wide selection of housing options, shopping facilities, hospitals, movie theaters, banks, churches, and universities are available all along the Wasatch Front.
• The State's main metropolitan population cities including Provo, Salt Lake City, and Ogden are all within a 1-hour drive radius.
• The Headquarters office elevation is 5,600 feet.
• Temperatures can range from below 0 in the winter to above 100 degrees F in the summer.
• Government housing is not available.
• For more information about Timpanogos Cave National Monument, please visit: Timpanogos Cave National Monument (U.S. National Park Service).

Requirements

• 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 ***
• First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
• You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards.
• A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home.
• You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
• You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
• Vertical Caving Experience - Demonstrate the ability to safely and efficiently travel in the vertical environment negotiating Alpine Single Rope Technique (SRT) rigging components including rebelays, redirects, and traverses within 1 year of appointment. *Additional Requirements located under qualifications*

Education

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.

For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: ***

How you will be evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment(s) required for this position. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. Your resume must not exceed 2 pages.

Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of the USA Hire Assessment, if required.

All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

DUE WEIGHT: You MUST submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official.

The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, you must submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration or your score may be lowered. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP).

To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.

Documents you must provide

• Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates in month-year format (include month/day/year format if needed for 52 weeks of experience), and indicate hours worked per week (or full-time).
• Your resume must clearly show how long you have held each grade/rank.
• Resumes must not exceed 2 single-sided pages and resumes longer than 2 pages will not be accepted.
• The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text.
• All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression.
• Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed.
• Your 2-page resume must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements.
• Resume Builder: *** Complete All Required Assessments.
• Performance Appraisals and Awards: All applicants must submit their most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record and signed by a supervisor.
• If the performance appraisal is not dated within the last 18 months OR no performance appraisal is available, you must submit a statement as to why it is not available (including if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level).
• All College Transcript(s), if qualifying based on education.
• Eligibility Documentation: Current and former Federal employees must submit latest SF-50 (i.e. Promotion, Separation, Within Grade Increase (WGI)) showing tenure 1 or 2 in block 24, grade, and if applicable, an additional SF-50 showing the highest grade or promotion potential held.
• Time in grade will be determined by reviewing your resume and required SF-50s.
• If your SF-50 showing highest permanent grade held has an effective date within the past year, your resume must clearly show that you held that grade for one year.
• Do not submit award SF-50s.
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA): If you are applying under LMWFA, you must submit ALL Appointment AND Termination SF-50s for EACH appointment verifying the Position Occupied code 1-Competitive Service (block 34); AND Documentation of satisfactory performance for each period of temporary employment claimed, such as, performance evaluations, memorandum of record, whereas the supervisor(s) documented an acceptable performance level for a specified rating/employment period.
• CTAP/ICTAP eligibles MUST submit proof of eligibility including a copy of the agency notice, most recent performance rating, and most recent SF-50 showing your position, grade level, and duty location.
• For more information visit: Career Transition Programs (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL).
• Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.
• It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
• Do not submit photographs with your application package.
• Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents.

What to expect next

Please refer to your USAJOBS account for application status; the Human Resources Office cannot respond to individual status inquiries. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position.

After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application. You can find your path with the Department of Interior at *** Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration.

We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses, through reference and/or background checks, and/or verification of your education. If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the Human Resources Office posting this announcement.

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. Physical Demands: The position may require strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, climbing, and lifting and carrying heavy objects. Some activities will occur in physically dangerous areas or settings.

Documentary research and report writing work is sedentary, entails the ability to concentrate and write for long periods of time. Work Environment: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather.

Assignments may be performed in potentially hazardous areas including steep slopes, rocky terrain, volcanoes, caves, fire lines, arctic environments, swamps, deserts, and forests. Flying in fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters is possible.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application.

Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis.

If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision.

You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement.

To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (***).

All 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, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.