Summary This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Office of Coast Survey (OCS) Center of Excellence (COE) for Operational Ocean and Great Lakes Mapping with one vacancy in Durham, NH. This position is also announced under vacancy number NOS OCS-25-12664648-ST, which is open to Status Candidates. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both. Responsibilities This position will assist the newly established Center of Excellence with training, development, and technical activities in support of NOAA's mapping missions. As a Physical Science Technician, you will perform the following duties: - Ensure continuous and efficient operation of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) mapping platforms. Provide timely support of operational hydrographic equipment and systems, in-house and third party software, the integrations of these systems and software, and best practices for its use. Conduct training on new systems and technologies undergoing transition to operational use and existing operational systems and technologies. Deliver hands-on training and classroom instruction on hydrographic and ocean mapping technology and operation as part of a comprehensive training program. - Initiate, test, and evaluate new technologies for use in hydrographic surveying, such as sonars, positioning systems, uncrewed systems (UxS), and data acquisition and processing systems. Plan and perform field testing of new systems, technologies, and procedures and analyze and report on the results. - Identify and diagnose problems in the operation of hydrographic and ocean mapping systems deployed on hydrographic and ocean mapping ships and uncrewed survey vessels. Establish and implement strategies, with input from system vendors and specialized experts, to bring or restore the systems to optimal performance. POSITION REQUIREMENTS: This position requires the operation of a Federal motor vehicle. Incumbent must be able to obtain and maintain a valid state driver's license to operate a government vehicle. Position requires driving a government vehicle for field work, movement of equipment and/or supplies between buildings, acquisition of supplies, or meetings at other locations. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: Physical Scientist Technicians engaged in the technical support mission are deployed to NOAA field units up to 40 days per year. The employee must work aboard small boats on inland and near coastal waters in extreme environmental conditions and choppy seas. Personnel deploying in small boats for operations will have to ascend and descend a rope ladder. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: This position has physical requirements. Incumbent must be able to work aboard a moving vessel and occasionally lift equipment that weighs up to 50 lbs. All persons embarked on a NOAA ship must be able to perform normal work functions and possibly personal emergency response functions while the ship is underway. During an abandon ship event, personnel will have to don a survival suit and/or descend a rope ladder to a life raft or rescue craft. A person at sea should be able to don a survival suit in one minute while fully clothed without having to remove their shoes. To deploy on a NOAA vessel, personnel must complete a NOAA Form 57-10-01 Health Services Questionnaire and be medically cleared by NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. Employees must be capable of working up to 12 variable hours per day while deployed to field units for up to 40 days including weekends. Requirements Conditions of Employment This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). This system replaced the Federal GS pay plan and structure. Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band. The ZT-3 is equivalent to the GS-09/10. *A one year probationary period may be required. *Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized. *Payment of recruitment incentives may be authorized. *This position is not in the bargaining unit. Key Requirements: Applicants must be U.S. Citizens. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information. Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov) Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position? A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination. 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 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 ZT-3 or GS-09 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZT-2 or GS-08 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: - Using, developing, testing, or evaluating technologies or procedures used in ocean mapping or oceanographic systems; and - Conducting field testing of ocean mapping systems or oceanographic technologies. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree in an appropriate field of physical science. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience as described above. Note: Only education in excess of one full year of graduate education is qualifying for combination. Education College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution is equivalent to U.S. education standards with your resume. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process. If course content cannot be easily identified from the title of the course as listed on your transcript, you must submit an official course description from the college/university that reflects the content at the time the course was taken. Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated visit: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation Transcripts--If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. Please ensure that all documentation is legible. Additional Information CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents: A copy of your specific RIF notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice). A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", noting current position, grade level, and duty location; A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential. ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents: A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate; notice of disability annuity termination; certification from your former agency that it cannot place you after your recovery from a compensable injury; or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement; A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc; A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential. NOAA participates in e-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.