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This position is located in Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. The employee provides ecological research, in order to extend unexplored aspects and theories, and to discover new understanding primarily focused on biogeochemical ecological science.
Please visit their website at: https://serc.si.edu/opportunities
Learn more about this agency07/08/2021 to 08/12/2021
$103,690 - $134,798 per year
GS 13
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Occasional travel - Occasional travel for meetings
No
Permanent - Federal
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent
Competitive
13
Yes
No
21R-SJ-306365-DEU-SERC
607680000
This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.
As a Research Ecologist (Biogeochemical Ecologist) the incumbent will perform the following duties:
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
Involves a combination of both prolonged active outdoor activity and prolonged sedentary office and/or laboratory activities. Depending on the nature of the research activity, may be necessary to: drive field vehicles; Occasionally hike over rough terrain; tolerate extremes of weather including heat, cold, wet, ice and snow; tolerate biting insects and toxic plants; Stand at laboratory counters to operate analytical instruments for prolonged periods; and sit for prolonged periods for operating computers in an office setting and meetings. For work in marine or aquatic systems, the incumbent may need ability to swim if required by safety regulations. Long periods of travel may be needed.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
Work is performed partly in the outdoors (Terrestrial, estuarine, marine ecosystems), and partly indoors in normal laboratory and office environment. When in the field, requires use of safety clothing to protect against weather elements and to protect against exposure to poisonous plants, biting insects and ticks (e.g., Wear appropriate clothing and use insect repellant) and other potential dangers. Precautions must be used to ensure safe procedures to operate vehicles and various instruments and apparatus, and to lift heavy loads. If scuba diving is needed, the incumbent must be able to meet certification requirement's for the Smithsonian Scientific Diving Program. Valid US Driver’s license required. Regional, national, and international travel may be required to attend meetings and conferences, to give presentations, and/or to conduct research.
Qualification requirements must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date.
For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on the web at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.
Degree: biology, or a related field of science underlying ecological research that included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in ecology, and 12 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences.
AND
Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. For this position Specialized experience is defined as research investigating biogeochemical ecology such as environmental science, geography, biology, or other related subject; obtaining research funding from competitive internal and/or extramural funding sources; publishing data-rich papers with regional and/or national application and significance; presenting research results to scientific and other audiences; and leading or managing coordination of research projects and teams.
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.
Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.
Flexible Spending Accounts - https://www.fsafeds.com/
Health Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/index.asp
Leave - http://www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.asp
Life Insurance - http://www.opm.gov/insure/life/index.asp
Long Term Care Insurance - http://www.ltcfeds.com
Retirement Program - https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:
Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:
Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.
Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.
Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.
This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three", but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.
Important Note:
The review of your resume will determine your final rating and should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.
Your application package should include the following documents:
Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. If you want to receive full credit for relevant experience your resume MUST contain the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), duties, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary.
USAJOBS has guidance on how to ensure that you submit a complete resume: If you have not written a Federal resume before, you may watch this Resume Writing Tutorial video on the USAJOBS YouTube channel, or read through a helpful Resume Writing FAQ article on the USAJOBS Help Site to learn what details you should, and should not, include in your resume. If any of the above information is not included in your resume we may not be able to fully credit you for your experience.
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.
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note:
At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed. Additional Information:
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/607680000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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