Research Geologist
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Duties
Summary
This position is located in the Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. The purpose of this position is to perform scholarly and professional research and curation in that portion of the National Collection embracing the earth sciences in the field of petrology, including collections of rocks and ores.
*The salary range listed above reflects the Museum’s authorized salary range for this position.*
Responsibilities
- Independently initiates, develops and personally participates in research and field work in petrology.
- Research consists of systematic and original studies or series of studies that result in scholarly publications.
- Through field work and acquisition of specimens and data, builds the collections in area of specialization.
- Prepares for publication of scholarly reports of descriptive, analytical, and theoretical nature based on her/his own field work.
- Serves as consultant and expert adviser on professional matters in her/his area of expertise.
Travel Required
Not required
Supervisory status
No
Promotion Potential
12
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Job family (Series)
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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
- May need to complete a Trial Period
- Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
- Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
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.
NOTE: The Smithsonian does not recognize academic degrees from schools that are not accredited by an accredited institution recognized by the Department of Education. Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from Federal employment to removal from Federal service.
- Unofficial school transcripts (undergraduate and graduate) must be submitted with your application package by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.
- If you have foreign education, you must show proof by the closing date of the vacancy announcement that education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Transcripts and proof of the evaluations must be submitted within your application package as indicated under “Required Documents”. Applicants may use the following websites http://www.naces.org/ or http://www.fceatlanta.com/ to obtain these evaluations.
Applicants that are referred for interviews may be asked to provide additional materials.
Qualifications
You must meet these Basic Education Requirements:A. Degree: geology, plus 20 additional semester hours in any combination of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological science, structural, chemical, civil, mining or petroleum engineering, computer science, planetary geology, comparative planetology, geophysics, meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, physical geography, marine geology, and cartography.
Or
B. Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
In addition to Basic Requirements above, you must meet one of the following:
Experience: You qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. For this position Specialized experience is defined as conducting research on petrological processes as evidenced by three or more first-authored peer-reviewed scientific publications.
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.
Or Education: Three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree related to the position may be substituted to meet the experience requirements.
Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the “Required Documents” section of this announcement.
Education
Additional information
Flexible Spending Accounts – http://www.fsafeds.com/fsafeds/index.asp
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 – http://www.opm.gov/retire/index.aspHow You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your resume that will be used to evaluate your experience, education, and/or training for the job related competencies below:
- Ability to conduct research in petrology (list publications, grants secured to support research, amounts and funding periods in USAJOBS resume).
- Ability to conduct research using diverse methodologies.
- Skill in working with diverse types of rocks.
- Ability to perform analyses of solid earth or planetary materials utilizing the types of equipment used in the field of mineralogy and petrology.
- Ability to communicate scientific information orally to audiences of various backgrounds, including scientists and the lay public.
If you are found qualified for this position and meet or exceed a predefined rating threshold based on the evaluation of your resume, you may be contacted by email to complete or submit additional assessments such as work samples, short essays, or other appropriate assessments within approximately one week of the job announcement closing. If you do not meet the rating threshold to move to the next evaluation stage, you will be notified promptly by email. All applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will receive a final rating within one of three category groups based on one or more stages of evaluation which measure 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, but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-veterans within each quality category. The Hiring Manager may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no veteran in that category is passed over to select a non-veteran in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Veterans 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: Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.
To preview questions please click here.
Background checks and security clearance
Security clearance
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Required Documents
Your application package should include the following documents:
- Detailed resume created in the USAJOBS Resume Builder.
- Proof of Veteran’s Preference – DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
- Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
- Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
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Benefits
A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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How to Apply
Click on the “Apply Online” button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note:
- You must apply for this position online through the ‘Apply Online’ button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
- You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process; OR You may manually fax required documents. Faxes are received by an automated system, not a physical fax machine. Documents that are faxed as part of the application process must be sent with the system generated cover sheet by the closing date. Documents faxed without the system generated coversheet are not retrievable and cannot be considered as part of the application package.
- The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
- If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.
Agency contact information
Jan Williams
Address
SMITHSONIAN
Office of Human Resources
POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517
Washington, District of Columbia
United States