Physical Scientist (Seasonal)

Summary The typical defined season is not to exceed 6 months between March - November but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: April - May 2027. Open to the first 30 applicants or until 10/26/2026, whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration. Responsibilities Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Collect field data contributing to the basic natural or cultural resources inventory of a park or a monitoring program to assess status and trends of resources condition. Operate and troubleshoot problems with natural resource and/or physical science monitoring installations including power supply, datalogger, sensors, calibration, etc. Assist with preparation of management and scientific reports regarding the results of protection, mitigation, restoration, inventory, monitoring, and research activities. Use mapping grade and/or survey grade GPS/GNSS equipment, such as Trimble and/or use mobile devices and applications, such as Collector for ArcGIS, to collect and record field data. GS-09: Design and develop appropriate geospatial data outputs and products such as paper maps, web mapping applications, graphics, and reports. Requirements Conditions of Employment Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-1959 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit Home | E-Verify Occupancy of government quarters may be required. Government housing may be available but is not guaranteed. Use find a park to contact specific parks for more information on government housing. You may be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and/or shift work. You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle. You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license will be required in such cases. You must be at least 18 years of age or older to operate government vehicles. You may be required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority. You must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/26/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your 2 page resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. 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. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet both the Basic Educational Requirements and the Minimum Qualifications for the grade(s), you are applying for: Basic Educational Requirements (GS-1301-07/09): In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: A. 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. You must submit transcripts. -OR- B. 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. -AND- To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level: Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following: Collecting field data contributing to a basic natural or cultural resources and/or physical science inventory or monitoring program; assist in the preparation of grafts, charts, tables and reports; conducting routine calculating, plotting, and checking of numerical data; preparing graphs and data profiles; maintaining quality records to support the quality system and generating updates of these records; and assisting with routine analyses for quality assurance activities. You must provide hours per week worked and from/to (month/year) dates on your resume. -OR- Education: Successful completion of at least one (1) year (18 semester hours) of graduate level education in a directly related field. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. NOTE: You must include a copy of your transcripts. -OR- Combination of directly related education and experience. For Example: I have six (6) months of specialized experience as described above (50% of experience), and at least one semester (9 semester hours) of college graduate study in a directly related field from an accredited institution (50% of education). The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include a copy of your transcripts and hours per week worked and from/to (month/year) dates on your resume. To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level: Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following: Collects field data contributing to a basic natural or cultural resources and/or physical science inventory or monitoring programs; Performs a variety of technical tasks, such as selecting samples, interpolating missing data, uncovering clear discrepancies, solving minor problems and performing scientific analyses; Assisting with drafting workplans and implementation strategies; Assisting with designing and/or implementing data collection protocols in the field to monitor natural or cultural resources and/or physical sciences and maintaining monitoring equipment; contributing to summary reports that explain the results of natural resource monitoring projects; assisting with research through literature review, fieldwork, or onsite studies about natural resources of a park or habitat area; using spatial data in a geographic information system (GIS) to analyze and document results. You must provide hours per week worked and from/to (month/yr) dates on your resume. -OR- Education: Successful completion of at least two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a directly related field. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (Two years of graduate education is 36 semester hours.) NOTE: You must include a copy of your transcripts. -OR- Combination of directly related education and experience. Only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level. For example, I have six (6) months of the specialized experience (50% of experience), and 27 semester hours of directly-related graduate level college study in an accredited institution (50% of education). The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include a copy of your transcripts and hours per week worked and from/to (month/year) dates on your resume. Volunteer Experience: 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. 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. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification Additional Information A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The salary range on this vacancy does not grant an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. Click here for the OPM Salaries and Wages to calculate locality pay. Temporary Appointment: This is a temporary seasonal appointment not to exceed 1039 hours. The appointment is expected to end upon completion of the season's work. Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE 1039 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS). If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment combined total of 1039 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1039 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility. The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1039 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1039 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM. Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations. 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. All Department of Interior (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, https://www.doi.gov/ethics/ethics-prohibitions.