Ocean Career: NOAA Physical Scientist

Physical Scientist

As a Physical Scientist, you will serve in one of three specialized capacities:
Cloud Science Lead, Enterprise Precipitation Science Lead, and Observing System Assessment Analyst.

Depending on the specific position, you will perform the following duties:

• Cloud Science Lead or Enterprise Precipitation Science Lead:
• Lead cloud or precipitation retrieval research and algorithm development to improve the use of satellite observations for weather analysis, forecasting, and other operational applications. Develop new and maintain/sustain existing algorithms and products, analyze data from a variety of sources, improve and originate approaches, methods, and procedures for processing Earth observations from remote sensing satellites. Create new applications using next generations of geostationary and polar-orbiting satellite data.
• Observing System Assessment Lead:
• Lead or co-lead the design, execution, and analysis of quantitative assessments to measure the impacts of current and future satellite and remote sensing observations. This role focuses on evaluating how these observing systems influence environmental prediction and decision support applications, particularly through data assimilations in numerical models.

Conditions of employment:

This position will be filled under the DOC Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). Under CAPS, positions are classified by career, pay plan, and pay band.

The ZP-4 is equivalent to the GS-13/14.

Key Requirements:

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Additional Information.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (sss.gov)
• Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

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.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience 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:

• 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

• 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.

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.

To qualify at the ZP-4 or GS-13 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-3 or GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

• Conducting or leading research to develop, evaluate, and apply remote sensing algorithms using Earth observation data;
• Designing and execution of modeling experiments with real and simulated observations to assess and improve the impact of satellite measurements on weather forecasting accuracy and environmental prediction systems;
• Providing project management support for research teams by establishing strategic objectives, prioritizing complex workloads, or evaluating technical performance; and
• Collaborating with partners or stakeholders to disseminate or integrate remote sensing products or data into weather prediction models.