Description

Summary

This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Weather Service (NWS), National Hurricane Center (NHC) with one vacancy in Honolulu, HI.

Duties

As a Meteorologist, you will perform the following duties:

• Primary responsibility for all tropical and subtropical cyclone forecasts and warnings for United States civilian and military interests. Serve as the supervisor of the Nation's hurricane warning service when on duty as the hurricane specialist. Help direct the tropical cyclone related activities of all affected Weather Forecast Offices. Directly supervise all National Hurricane Center (NHC) personnel and is the overall station manager at NHC in the absence of the Director and Deputy Director and Branch Chiefs when tropical or subtropical cyclones are in progress. Check the effectiveness of the tropical cyclone forecast and warning system and institute or recommend remedial action when indicated. Provide briefings to decision makers, media and other users. Serve as the Nation's spokesman and authority on all in-progress tropical cyclone forecast and warning matters. Participate, as time allows, in development, testing and evaluation of tropical cyclone applications.
• Participate in the development, testing, and evaluation of tropical cyclone applications. Conduct applied research on tropical and subtropical cyclones aimed at improving the Nation's hurricane warning service by investigating the ability to formulate broad-scale attacks on areas of major importance in the hurricane warning service affecting national interests. Analyze performance of the hurricane warning service and institutes or recommends changes or alternative methods when appropriate.
• Represent NHC in communicating tropical weather, tropical cyclone, and associated information to a wide spectrum of users, including the media and government officials at all levels, orally and in writing, for operational and nonoperational purposes.
• Conduct post-storm analysis to determine the final best track of and compose Tropical Cyclone Reports for tropical and subtropical cyclones as assigned.

Learn more about NWS and its mission here: https://www.noaa.gov/www.noaa.gov/regional-collaboration-network/regional-videos.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• Work is primarily sedentary, and may involve rotating shifts on weekends and holidays.
• The incumbent may take only limited annual leave during the hurricane season (May 15 - November 30); therefore, most annual leave must be taken during the off-season.
• The incumbent must have the stamina to work rotating shifts, often including extra hours without days off for extended periods under stressful conditions and be able to stand the rigors of foreign travel, sometimes in developing countries. During the hurricane season and during off-season tropical cyclones, the incumbent is considered an emergency employee and is subject to the requirements of that designation.
• Academic training at the graduate level in meteorology is highly desirable. Fluency in Spanish and/or French, experience in numerical model development, ability to speak clearly to media and large groups, computer programming skill, and business administration background are assets.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Key Requirements:

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Additional Information.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
• Qualification requirements must be met by closing date of the announcement.
• If you are a Federal employee applying for a promotion (under merit promotion procedures) you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Additional Considerations:

• One year probationary period may be required.*
• This position requires a Moderate Risk Security Clearance.
• Background investigation will be required. Continued employment is subject to applicant's successful completion of security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, for those required to serve a 1-year probationary period, we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• Your performance and conduct;
• Needs and interests of the agency;
• Whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• Whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of then Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.

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-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/

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 1340 series:

EDUCATION:

A. Degree: Meteorology, Atmospheric Science, or other natural science major that included:

1. At least 24 semester (36 quarter) hours of credit in meteorology/atmospheric science including a minimum of:

• Six semester hours of atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics;*
• Six semester hours of analysis and prediction of weather systems (synoptic/mesoscale);
• Three semester hours of physical meteorology; and
• Two semester hours of remote sensing of the atmosphere and/or instrumentation.

2. Six semester hours of physics, with at least one course that includes laboratory sessions.*

3. Three semester hours of ordinary differential equations.*

4. At least nine semester hours of course work appropriate for a physical science major in any combination of three or more of the following: physical hydrology, statistics, chemistry, physical oceanography, physical climatology, radiative transfer, aeronomy, advanced thermodynamics, advanced electricity and magnetism, light and optics, and computer science.

* There is a prerequisite or corequisite of calculus for course work in atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics, physics, and differential equations. Calculus courses must be appropriate for a physical science major.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience: course work 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 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:

• Providing forecasts regarding the path, intensity, and potential impacts of hurricanes on a national level;
• Applying research to improve the understanding of hurricane formation, behavior, and forecasting techniques; and
• Conveying weather information and forecasts to the public, emergency management agencies, and other stakeholders.

Education

Substitution of education for specialized experience is not applicable to this vacancy.

NOTE: Applicants currently occupying a 1340 series position in the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and applying under competitive merit promotion procedures are covered under the "Exception" clause and DO NOT need to submit transcripts.

This position has a positive Education Requirement. You are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) by the closing date of this announcement or you will be disqualified from further consideration. 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. We may only consider documentation provided prior to the closing date of the announcement. Please see degree and experience requirements in the Qualifications section.

Note: An official college transcript will be required before you can report to duty.

Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation.

Additional information

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of the American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

ICTAP and CTAP Candidates: Eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition.

ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

1. 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;
2. 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;
3. Copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:

1. 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).
2. Copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", noting current position, grade level, and duty location;
3. Copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

Non-Competitive Reinstatement to a Higher Grade/Band than Previously Held MUST submit the following documents:

1. SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action": You must provide the most current Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) that verifies career/career-conditional status, title, series, and highest grade level held on a permanent basis for your previous position, AND the SF-50 that verifies your separation date; AND
2. Performance Appraisal: Most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable.

NOAA participates in e-Verify, 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.

The Federal Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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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.