Physical Scientist

This Physical Scientist position is with Office of the Secretary of the Interior (Department of the Interior) in Phoenix, AZ. You will serve as a Physical Scientist with the Department of the Interior (DOI) AVSO. The official duty station will be Lakewood, Colorado OR align with the selectee's current duty station. If applying to "location negotiable after selection", your official duty station will be based off your current DOI official duty station. The salary listed in the announcement is at the Rest of the United States (RUS) level. The geographical locality pay will be determined at the time of selection. Key duties: • This is a Merit Promotion announcement for career and career conditional AVSO employees, Career Transition eligibles (CTAP), and those who are eligible under the hiring paths listed above. Refer to Required Documents section for more information. Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Serves as an advisor liaison to the Appraisal and Valuation Office (AVSO) staff within the Department of the Interior's (DOI) Land Buy Back Program for Tribal Nations and its many Federal partners. Works with AVSO's Minerals Director to oversee Native American valuations, reviews, and assignments which frequently requires mineral and geological expertise throughout the projects' phases. Serves as technical authority for mineral valuations and valuations requested through the AVSO. Assists the Minerals Director in planning and conducting program sessions, information exchanges, and workshops for staff and Native American clients. Coordinates and assists in development and mentorship of junior staff concerning mineral evaluation techniques and matters unique to mineral markets. Directs and coordinates with organizations engaged in the development and implementation of plans and objectives to assure that actions are consistent with management initiatives. Qualifications: All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 09/03/2026 - unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: 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 Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown in 1 above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to the basic education requirements, to qualify at the GS-14 level you must meet the following: Specialized Experience: Applicants must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-13 level comparable in difficulty and complexity to perform the duties of a Physical Scientist. Qualifying specialized experience includes: reviewing technical mineral documents using professional practices of minerals assessment, market analyses, or minerals evaluation; utilizing detailed knowledge of analysis structures and evaluation standards and techniques; conducting processes using valuation practices and procedures and analyzing the impact of minerals values; providing technical instruction and recommendations on the development and maintenance of ArcGIS for Special Projects Teams; and developing and delivering informational presentations at hearings, conferences, and client and public meetings. Please note there are no educational substitutions at this grade level. Volunteer Experience: 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. View the full announcement and apply on USAJOBS.gov.