Deadline: Tue, 07/05/2022 - 12:00pm Employer: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Job Field: Fisheries Job Type: Full Time Location: California Location Detail: San Diego Job Description: This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC), Fisheries Resources Division (FRD) with one vacancy in San Diego, CA. Duties As an Interdisciplinary Research Fish Biologist OR Research Mathematical Statistician, you will perform the following duties: • Identify, conduct, and lead research emphasizing stock assessments, fish population dynamics, fish biology, and ecology. • Utilize advanced software, such as R, ADMB, and SS, to conduct stock assessments and related analysis to evaluate surveys and research studies in order to provide recommendations. • Develop improved mathematical, biological and statistical models and the incorporation of environmental covariates in stock assessments and forecasts. • Develop specialized reports, peer-reviewed papers and publications based on research products. • Represent the Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) on various committees and/or technical working groups. NOTE: The duties described are at the full performance level of the ZP-4 grade; the duties at the ZP-3 are developmental leading to the ZP-4 level. Qualifications: Requirements Conditions of Employment Must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply. Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check. Must be suitable for Federal employment. Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov) Qualifications requirements must be met by closing date of announcement. Due to COVID-19, the agency is currently in an expanded telework posture. NOAA received notice of reintegration to occur on April 25, 2022. As employees are permitted to return to the office, you will need to follow management’s guidelines on the expectation of reporting to the duty station listed on this announcement. You may be eligible to request to telework depending upon the terms of the agency’s telework policy. 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. Category Rating, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to this Public Notice. The ZP-3 is equivalent to the GS-11/12. The ZP-4 is equivalent to the GS-13/14. The Full Promotion Potential of this position is ZP-4. NOTE: * A three year probationary period for research positions may be required. * Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized. * This position is not in the bargaining unit * The ZP-3 and ZP-4 bands both require a Low Risk Security Clearance. 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. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position may be filled in either of the below series (0482 or 1529). Each series requires applicants to meet a Basic Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience OR substitution of education for experience OR combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following requirements: EDUCATION: To qualify at the 0482 series: Applicants must show that they have a degree with major study in biology, zoology, or biological oceanography that included at least 30 semester hours in biological and aquatic science and 15 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences. This course work must have included: At least 15 semester hours of preparatory training in zoology beyond introductory biology or zoology in such courses as invertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, histology, physiology, embryology, advanced vertebrate zoology, genetics, entomology, and parasitology; and At least 6 semester hours of training applicable to fishery biology in such subjects as fishery biology, ichthyology, limnology, oceanography, algology, planktonology, marine or fresh water ecology, invertebrate ecology, principles of fishery population dynamics, or related course work in the field of fishery biology; and At least 15 semester hours of training in any combination of two or more of the following: chemistry, physics, mathematics, or statistics. To qualify at the 1529 series: A. Degree: that included 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, of which at least 12 semester hours were in mathematics and 6 semester hours were in statistics. or B. Combination of education and experience -- at least 24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics, including at least 12 hours in mathematics and 6 hours in statistics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. AND 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 ZP-3 or GS-11: 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-2 or GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Assisting in population dynamics modeling of marine fish stock assessments; and Contributing to innovative statistical and mathematical models to analyze population dynamics or ecology. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Master's or equivalent graduate degree. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience as described above. NOTE: Only graduate education in excess of one year is qualifying for combination. To qualify at the ZP-4 or GS-13: 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: Leading population dynamics modeling of marine fish stock assessments; and Developing innovative statistical and mathematical models to analyze population dynamics or ecology. 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. Note: Your college transcript is used to verify successful completion of degree, or college course work. An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty. Additional information CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have met the minimum qualifications for the position. Information about CTAP and 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. Miscellaneous: How You Will Be Evaluated You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documentation to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. Veteran’s Preference does not apply to direct hire recruitment procedures. Any selections made under this notice will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Therefore, Current Federal employees would be given new appointments to the civil service and may have to serve a new probationary period under CFR 315.802 (b). NOTE: A one year probationary period will be required under the Direct Hire Authority unless you are a current Department of Commerce employee and are in the same line of work and with no more than a 30 day break in service. You may preview questions for this vacancy. Required Documents A complete application package includes a resume, required documents and completion of the vacancy announcement questionnaire. Please see this guidance: What to include in your resume At a minimum, your resume mustindicate your citizenship; if you are registered for Selective Service (if you are a male born after 12/31/59); job title(s) (include job series and grade, if federal); duties description; education; starting and ending dates (month and year); and hours worked per week. We recommend using the inbuilt USAJobs Resume Builder to ensure you do not miss any information. Your resume should describe your specialized experience and support your answers to the vacancy announcement questionnaire. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) documentation if applicable (see other information). Education. If this position requires proof of higher education, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website. You MUST provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation by the closing date of the announcement will result in lost consideration Salary: $74,574 - $163,279 per year Pay scale & grade ZP 3 - 4 How to Apply: How to Apply Your complete application, including required documents, must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. To apply on-line, you must complete and submit an application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://www.usajobs.gov. To begin, click the Apply Online button near the bottom of this screen and follow the prompts to register into your USAJOBS account, answer the questions, and submit all required documents. To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select Apply Online to continue. If you have problems completing your on-line application, including problems submitting your supporting documents, please contact the Help Desk by e-mail at mgshelp@monster.com or by phone at (866) 656-6831. The help desk is available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET For instructions on submitting your application in an alternate format, please contact the number listed in this vacancy announcement. Agency contact information Ryan Stanger Phone (703)-660-4749 Fax 000-000-0000 Email ryan.stanger@noaa.gov Address NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION Office of Human Capital Services 1305 East West Highway Floor 12 Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 United States Learn more about this agency
