Physical Scientist

Physical Scientist Department of Agriculture Forest Service Summary This position is loced within a Nional Forest. The incumbent is responsible for serving as an Avalanche Specialist as well as managing an Avalanche Center. The incumbent analyzes and interprets various meteorological and physical da upon which local and regional avalanche advisories are prepared for backcountry travelers and others in the forecast area. Overview Accepting applicions Open & closing des 07/01/2025 to 07/14/2025 Salary $29.28 - $29.28 per hour Pay scale & grade GS 9 Locions Many vacancies in the following locions: Locion Negotiable After Selection Jackson, WY Remote job No Telework eligible No Travel Required Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position. Relocion expenses reimbursed No Appointment type Temporary Work schedule Full-time Service Competitive Promotion potential None Job family (Series) Supervisory stus No Security clearance Drug test No Financial disclosure Bargaining unit stus Announcement number 26-TEMP1-R4-3817-9DT-MG Control number 839730400 This job is open to The public U.S. Citizens, Nionals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S. Videos Duties Provides leadership and guidance and maintains the Avalanche Center as outlined in the Forest Service Nional Avalanche Center (FSNAC) Business Plan. Carries out work planning and organizion such as planning work on a weekly basis, reviewing work schedules, planning for supplies and equipment, preparing accomplishment reports, etc. Prepares overall program budgets for the continuance and maintenance of the program. Directs and conducts field work and oversees the development of avalanche advisories and avalanche warnings. Conducts snow stability tests and records snowpack observions in the field. Using own judgment, and without supervision, interprets and evalues raw da dealing with snow stability and, in conjunction with other observions from field personnel, issues daily avalanche hazard advisories and warnings to the public. Using professional judgment and experience, determines when avalanche conditions have abed sufficiently to recommend terminion of existing avalanche warnings. Establishes procedures, work priorities, and general opering requirements necessary to redeem responsibilities for insuring accure avalanche advisories. Evalues Nional Weher Service products and observions to cree a daily mountain weher forecast, which is included in the avalanche advisories. Oversees and directs the maintenance and operion of avalanche weher stions within the forecast area. Inspects and performs routine user level maintenance and services on various weher stion equipment and instruments. Ghers and maintains da about snow conditions, weher, and condition trends using current technology. Performs such tasks as observing, recording, and transmitting mospheric and weher informion including air pressure, temperure, humidity, wind, precipition, and cloud. Performs such tasks as observing, recording, and transmitting ultraviolet conditions, snow stability, and analyzes and interprets weher da. Maintains professional knowledge of snow physics including snow metamorphism, the distribution pterns of common weak layers, the mechanics of slab failure and classificion of snow crystals. In the event of avalanche accidents or falities, aids in the preparion of detailed reports of the incident which include snow stability and avalanche informion, and facts and observions concerning the conditions leading up to the incident. In the event of avalanche accidents or falities, aids in the preparion of detailed reports of the incident which include the incident occurrence, and the rescue or recovery operions. Identifies the need for and coordines critical incident stress briefings for avalanche specialists and search and rescue personnel in connection with avalanche accidents and falities. Possesses excellent skills in alpine and cross country skiing in steep backcountry avalanche terrain in order to conduct field observions. Practices mountain and avalanche safety measures while collecting da in high-elevion and avalanche prone terrain. Directs, conducts and oversees avalanche educion and outreach efforts, including print, radio, television, internet and social media venues. Writes avalanche reled articles for the public in local newspapers, magazines and/or trade journals. Functions as a local point of contact for all media communicions regarding avalanches. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a US Citizen or US Nional. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Subject to sisfactory adjudicion of background investigion and/or fingerprint check. Direct Deposit Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing. Must be 18 years of age. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verificion check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, e-Verify. Applicant must possess excellent skills in alpine and cross-country skiing in steep backcountry avalanche terrain to conduct field observions. Practices mountain and avalanche safety measures while collecting da in high-elevion and avalanche prone terrain. Qualificions In order to qualify, you must meet the and requirements as defined below by the closing de of the announcement. For more informion on the qualificions for this position, the Your applicion and resume must clearly show th you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualificions based on educion. Provide course descriptions as necessary. You must possess the Basic Requirements identified below to be considered qualified for this position, which includes all positive educion requirements if applicable. Transcripts must be provided for qualificions based on educion. When using previous work experience to qualify for the position, your resume must clearly detail the approprie experience requirements. Basic Requirement: A. Educion Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree th included a major field of study in: physical science, and/or reled engineering sciences such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of merials, and electronics. OR B. Combinion of Educion and Experience - Educion equivalent to one of the majors shown above th included least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or reled engineering science, plus approprie experience or additional educion. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly reled educion in the amounts listed below. GS-09: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to least the GS-07 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include : Work involving the acquisition, processing, and disseminion of daily weher da from weher stions, climic grids, or maps of weher indicors; using snowboards, snow gauges/rain gauges or other ultrasonic depth sensors to determine snowpack conditions and stability; conducting backcountry weher forecasting, winter weher forecasting, avalanche-weher forecasting or mountain weher forecasting; and inside out skiing comfortably in all terrain, adjusting skiing technique to suit all snow conditions through Snowsport or snow-reled job requirements. OR A master's or equivalent gradue degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level gradue educion leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., th is directly reled to this position. OR Combinion of specialized experience and educion th together meets the qualificion requirements for this position. Only gradue educion in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level. The educion must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstre the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Selective Placement Factors Applicant must possess excellent skills in alpine and cross-country skiing in steep backcountry avalanche terrain to conduct field observions. Practices mountain and avalanche safety measures while collecting da in high-elevion and avalanche prone terrain. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through Nional Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizions (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 th transles directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. To receive considerion for this position, you must provide upded required documents and meet all qualificion requirements by the closing de of this announcement. Additional informion PLEASE NOTE: This vacancy is being used to fill positions for FY2026 Temporary Employment Hiring season. The expected start de for this position between October 19, 2025 to December 28, 2025. By selecting the "Locion Negotiable" option during the applicion process, implies your willingness to be considered for any official duty locion listed on this announcement and/or those duty locions not listed for this Regional announcement. Pay res vary depending on locion. The salary shown is for the Rest of the U.S. See for additional informion on pay res. This position is temporary, has a Not-to-Exceed de and filled for up to 6 months or as a not to exceed (NTE) 1 year, however an extension of the appointment may be possible without further competition. The appointment may also end early due to lack of work or lack of funds. Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their applicion, associed documents and applicable personal informion shared with other groups within the Region who have vacancies within the same occupional series, grade, full performance level and in any of the geographic locion(s) listed on the announcement. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive considerion. The duty stion for this position one of the duty locions listed in this announcement. Salary range as shown is the locality pay Rest of U.S. (RUS). Pay res vary by locion. Please the for additional informion on pay res. The USDA Forest Service has legislive authority to recruit and fill Permanent (Career/Career-Conditional), Temporary, and Term Appointments under the USDA Demonstrion Project. Under this authority, any U.S. citizen may apply. : To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/ICTAP candides must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP eligible must meet the agency's definition for a quality candide as provided in the How You Will Be Evalued section of this announcement to be If you are retired from the Federal Government and are selected for this vacancy, your retirement annuity may be offset from your pay. This position is not eligible for telework. Availability of government housing and federal day care facilities will vary by locion. Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE. 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 th are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window . 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 informion on the specific benefits offered. How You Will Be Evalued You evalued for this job based on how well you meet the qualificions above. You evalued in accordance with the cegory ring procedure as defined in the USDA Demonstrion Project Plan. Applicants who meet the basic minimum qualificion requirements established for the position placed in the Eligible cegory. Eligible applicants further evalued against criteria for placement in the Quality cegory. This evaluion is based on the level of your experience, educion, and/or training as determined by your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire. Applicants with veterans' preference are listed ahead of applicants who do not have veterans' preference within each cegory. Applicants who meet the minimum qualificion requirements established for the position referred to the selecting official. Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documention, a determinion is made th you have infled your qualificions and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurely reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your ring. Providing inaccure informion on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service. 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 th are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window . 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 informion on the specific benefits offered. Required Documents As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies. The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of considerion. : 1) personal informion such as name, address, contact informion; 2) educion; 3) detailed work experience reled to this position as described in the responsibilities section including work schedule, hours worked per week, des of employment (day/month/year); title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualificions. If educion is required or you are using educion to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the applicion if it includes your name and the necessary course informion; however, if you are selected, you required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Educion must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any educion was completed a foreign institute, you must submit with your applicion evidence th the institute was appropriely accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Educion as equivalent to U.S. educion standards. There are prive organizions th specialize in this evaluion and a fee is normally associed with this service. For a list of prive organizions th evalue educion, the website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translion. Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separion notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity terminion), SF-50 documenting separion (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty locion with your applicion per 5 CFR 330. Failure to provide all of the required informion as sted in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible ring or may affect the overall ring. If you are relying on your educion to meet qualificion requirements: Educion must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Educion in order for it to be credited towards qualificions. Therefore, provide only the tendance and/or degrees from . Failure to provide all of the required informion as sted in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible ring or may affect the overall ring. How to Apply Please view - a guide to the Forest Service applicion process. Read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this applicion process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing de of this announcement. Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. (MST), Monday - Friday. If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing de for an alterne method. All hardship applicion packages must be returned to Human Resources no ler than noon ET on the closing de of the announcement in order for it to be entered into the system prior to the closing de. This agency provides reasonable accommodion to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Contact the Agency Contact to request this. To begin, in USAJOBS click "Apply" and follow the instructions to tach your resume and supporting documents, complete the assessment questionnaire, and submit your applicion. NOTE : If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rher than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. You must verify th uploaded documents from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limition to the number of documents th can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g. SF-50s or veteran docs) into one or more files and scan for uploading into the applicion. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping like documents into files will simplify the applicion process. Documents must be in one of the following forms: GIF, JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG, RTF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). Uploaded documents may not require a password, digital signure, or other encryption to open. Agency contact informion HRM Contact Center Phone Address USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT Albuquerque, NM 87109 US Next steps Your applicion reviewed to verify th you meet the eligibility and qualificion requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluion or interviews are required, you contacted. Log in to your account to check your applicion stus. You must choose to turn on email notificions in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notificions th may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an applicion and do not submit it prior to the closing de, USAJOBS will send an email reminder th the closing de is approaching and your applicion is in an incomplete stus). Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Under the , agencies are not allowed to request informion about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified informion; assignment to nional security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other informion reled to an organizion's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the de of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the approprie informion to , subject line: Fair Chance Act. Fair and Transparent The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance. Required Documents The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of considerion. : 1) personal informion such as name, address, contact informion; 2) educion; 3) detailed work experience reled to this position as described in the responsibilities section including work schedule, hours worked per week, des of employment (day/month/year); title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualificions. If educion is required or you are using educion to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the applicion if it includes your name and the necessary course informion; however, if you are selected, you required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Educion must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any educion was completed a foreign institute, you must submit with your applicion evidence th the institute was appropriely accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Educion as equivalent to U.S. educion standards. There are prive organizions th specialize in this evaluion and a fee is normally associed with this service. For a list of prive organizions th evalue educion, the website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translion. Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separion notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity terminion), SF-50 documenting separion (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty locion with your applicion per 5 CFR 330. Failure to provide all of the required informion as sted in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible ring or may affect the overall ring. If you are relying on your educion to meet qualificion requirements: Educion must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Educion in order for it to be credited towards qualificions. Therefore, provide only the tendance and/or degrees from . Failure to provide all of the required informion as sted in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible ring or may affect the overall ring. How to Apply Please view - a guide to the Forest Service applicion process. Read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this applicion process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing de of this announcement. Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. (MST), Monday - Friday. If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing de for an alterne method. All hardship applicion packages must be returned to Human Resources no ler than noon ET on the closing de of the announcement in order for it to be entered into the system prior to the closing de. This agency provides reasonable accommodion to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Contact the Agency Contact to request this. To begin, in USAJOBS click "Apply" and follow the instructions to tach your resume and supporting documents, complete the assessment questionnaire, and submit your applicion. NOTE : If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rher than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. You must verify th uploaded documents from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limition to the number of documents th can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g. SF-50s or veteran docs) into one or more files and scan for uploading into the applicion. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping like documents into files will simplify the applicion process. Documents must be in one of the following forms: GIF, JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG, RTF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). Uploaded documents may not require a password, digital signure, or other encryption to open. Agency contact informion HRM Contact Center Phone Address USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT Albuquerque, NM 87109 US Next steps Your applicion reviewed to verify th you meet the eligibility and qualificion requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluion or interviews are required, you contacted. Log in to your account to check your applicion stus. You must choose to turn on email notificions in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notificions th may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an applicion and do not submit it prior to the closing de, USAJOBS will send an email reminder th the closing de is approaching and your applicion is in an incomplete stus). Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Under the , agencies are not allowed to request informion about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified informion; assignment to nional security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other informion reled to an organizion's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the de of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the approprie informion to , subject line: Fair Chance Act. Fair & Transparent The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance. Overview Accepting applicions Open & closing des 07/01/2025 to 07/14/2025 Salary $29.28 - $29.28 per hour Pay scale & grade GS 9 Locions Many vacancies in the following locions: Locion Negotiable After Selection Jackson, WY Remote job No Telework eligible No Travel Required Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position. Relocion expenses reimbursed No Appointment type Temporary Work schedule Full-time Service Competitive Promotion potential None Job family (Series) Supervisory stus No Security clearance Drug test No Financial disclosure Bargaining unit stus Announcement number 26-TEMP1-R4-3817-9DT-MG Control number 839730400 .,

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