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 has a positive 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:
A. Degree: 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.
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
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 GS-13 level:
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 GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:
- Supporting the development and maintenance of coupled earth system model dynamics and associated computer-based technologies to improve environmental forecasts and services;
- Coordinating with partners on coupled earth system models research and development activities; and
- Participating in the transition of techniques and research to operations for coupled earth system models.
To qualify at the GS-14 level:
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 GS-13 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:
- Coordinating research and development of coupled earth system models for weather, sub-seasonal or seasonal predictions;
- Leading and advancing operational modeling systems, such as testing and evaluating the impact of research innovations on model analysis and forecast skill on coupled earth system modeling systems and conducting long-term reanalysis and reforecast experiments using coupled earth system models; and
- Collaborating with the scientific community to accelerate research to operations transition of advances in coupled earth system models on forecast and model applications.
