Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Hydrologic Technician

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Southwest Alaska Network (SWAN)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in Katmai National Park and Preserve.

Please visit SWAN's website for more information.

Government housing may be available.

This is a permanent, career seasonal position. Please see the "additional information" section to read more about this. This position is not year-round.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
10/11/2018 to 10/25/2018
Salary
$23.16 to - $30.11 per hour

The salary includes a 5.30% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA)

Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
King Salmon, AK
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
7
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
AK-1537-KATM-18-10225256-DE
Control number
511754300

Duties

Help

The National Park Service (NPS) serves as a steward for the preservation of America's national parks and their resources. In 1998, the NPS initiated a natural resource Inventory and Monitoring Program. The purpose of the program was to develop a baseline inventory of significant natural resources in national parks and to monitor these natural resources over time. The program includes more than 270 national parks organized into 32 networks. The Southwest Alaska Network (SWAN) consists of five Alaskan parks (Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, Alagnak National Wild River, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve).

The SWAN is hiring a permanent career seasonal crew leader responsible for implementing its freshwater monitoring protocol in the field. The protocol covers a range of water quality and water quantity parameters (e.g., temperature, pH, turbidity, stage, discharge) measured in lakes and streams using various types of equipment (e.g., sondes, temperature loggers, pressure transducers, ADCPs). The crew leader will also implement SWAN air quality and freshwater contaminants protocols. Previous motorized boat handling experience is a plus. For more information regarding SWAN monitoring, please see https://www.nps.gov/im/swan/monitoring.htm.

Some specific duties of the job include:

  • Collecting various types of hydrologic data in the field using standard methods, practices, and procedures;
  • Using judgment to adjust the methods, practices, and procedures, when necessitated by conditions in the field
  • Calibrating, programing and troubleshooting electronic water quality/quantity data recording devices;
  • Using standard computer software - including GIS and hydrologic database software - to input, retrieve, organize and summarize data;
  • Undertaking quality control procedures to identify gaps and inconsistencies in data;
  • Conducting basic statistical and spatial analyses;
  • Producing technical and non-technical written reports and oral presentations summarizing routine phases of water quality investigations;
  • Working with diverse individuals under a variety of conditions, including remote wilderness settings;
  • Leading a field crew to safely conduct hydrologic monitoring.
For questions about the duties of the position or the duty location, please contact Krista Bartz at 907-644-3685 or krista_bartz@nps.gov.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use based on the collateral duty requiring firearms in the back-country or other locations for non-law enforcement reasons such as protection from animals.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license.
  • You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle.
  • Motorboat operation is required.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays and overtime.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight for 15 nights or more per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in Federal service that is directly related to the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience for this position include the following types of duties: collecting field data for natural resource-based projects or studies; calibrating, programing, maintaining and troubleshooting hydrologic monitoring equipment such as water quality sondes; using computer software applications (including specialized hydrologic database software) to store, retrieve, organize and summarize data; performing preliminary statistical and spatial analyses on hydrologic datasets; communicating monitoring results, orally and in writing.

OR

Education: At least one year (18 semester hours or equivalent) of graduate level course work. Coursework must be directly related to the position.

OR

Combination of Specialized Experience and Education: To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.

Volunteer 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.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies."

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

Work schedule: The work schedule provides for at least 26 weeks (13 pay periods) of full-time work and up to 26 weeks (13 pay periods) of non-duty/non-pay time per year. It is anticipated that this position will be in a non-duty/non-pay status from 16 weeks (8 pay periods) to 26 weeks (13 pay periods) between November and April of each service year. It is possible that work time can be extended. When your services are not required due to lack of work, lack of funds, weather conditions or for other reasons, you will be placed in a non-work/non-pay status. You will have the option to continue your health coverage while in non-pay status.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Relocation expenses will not be paid.

Alaska currently does not have a state income tax or statewide sales tax.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Applies Technology to Tasks
  • Hydrology
  • Manages and Organizes Information
  • Teamwork
  • Technology Application

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.