Environmental Scientist

This is a Direct Hire Public Notice. Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.

This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Response and Restoration (ORR), with one vacancy in Gloucester, MA or New York, NY.

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.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS: This position requires the operation of a Federal motor vehicle. This position requires occasional travel for meetings, site visits and responding to incidents. Depending upon the location, incumbent will either be using a car rented under travel orders or possibly a Government vehicle from the motor pool.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following requirements:

To qualify for the 0401 Series:
Education:
A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

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-4 or GS-13 level:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must 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:

• Building consensus with internal and external partners and stakeholders regarding environmental impacts;
• Participating in natural resource damage assessments for oil spills, hazardous substances or vessel groundings; and
• Assessing environmental injury and conducting restoration planning for surface waters and coastal resources.

Responsibilities:

As an Environmental Scientist, you will perform the following duties:

• Manage the implementation of current and future natural resource damage assessments to evaluate and restore the ecological and recreational services provided by coastal and estuarine resources injured by hazardous waste releases, oil and chemical spills, and vessel groundings.
• Obtain funds from responsible parties either through settlement or court order for natural resource restoration. Lead the effective functioning and work of a multidisciplinary National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) team that includes the overall planning, strategy development, case decisions, and timely and efficient execution of the work identified as appropriate to conduct natural resource damage assessment and restoration planning.
• Design and conduct successful scientific assessments of injury to biological organisms and habitats caused by oil and chemical spills, chronic contamination due to hazardous material releases, and physical impacts. Execute the Natural Resource Damage Assessment process as defined in Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Clean Water Act.
• Develop and improve methods for assessing injury to biological resources and scaling appropriate restoration projects as compensation for lost environmental services. Maintain familiarly with scientific and technical developments that are pertinent to damage assessment and restoration. Build relationships with state, local and federal stakeholders as a critical aspect of this position.