Supervisory Hydrologic Technician

Summary

You will serve as a Supervisory Hydrologic Technician with the Geological Survey in Lakewood, CO. This is a GS-12 position with a salary range of $98,800 (Step 01) to $129,742 (Step 10).

Duties

As a Supervisory Hydrologic Technician within the Colorado Water Science Center, specific duties will include:

• Serves as field office supervisor responsible for planning, assigning, reviewing, and ensuring satisfactory completion of administrative and technical work performed by assigned staff.
• Provides performance management, coaching, mentoring, training support, and technical direction while promoting teamwork, equitable treatment, and a safe work environment.
• Coordinates staff, equipment, travel, schedules, and resources; monitors project and network status; and resolves operational risks or technical issues to meet program objectives.
• Develops and maintains cooperative working relationships with Federal, Tribal, State, and local partners and USGS programs to support hydrologic networks and water-resource information needs.
• Uses Aquarius Time-Series or similar systems to perform hydrologic record analysis, approval, and audit functions, including evaluation of time-series data, corrections, shifts, ratings, and supporting computations within established deadlines.
• Reviews hydrologic data and staff work products; provides technical feedback; identifies training needs; and supports continuous improvement in technical quality.
• Operates a government or leased vehicle as an incidental driver.

Requirements

• Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• A physical examination will be required, or a statement regarding physical ability will need to be completed. You must maintain physical fitness standards throughout employment.
• You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
• This is a supervisory position that may require completion of a supervisory probationary period.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 08/26/2026. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience in activities such as:

• Planning and conducting the computation and collection of data from approximately thirty or more gaging stations; determining stage-discharge relations, computing rating tables and mean daily, monthly and annual discharge rates from these stations.
• Acting as a party chief and making indirect measurements of flood flows under extremely difficult conditions.
• Collecting data including that required to compute flood flows by the slope-area method, by measurement of flow over dams, by flow through culverts and by flow over embankments.
• Obtaining hydrologic data from published and unpublished sources and conducting hydrologic studies relative to the frequency of flood and droughts.
• Planning and coordinating a ground water survey program for an area that may be either a small area with complex features or a larger area with planning and coordinating problems related to the scope of the ground water survey operations.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs and other organizations. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The work regularly requires considerable dexterity, agility, and strenuous physical exertion such as climbing and/or working from tall ladders and scaffolding; work in areas where footing is treacherous such as slippery riverbanks, steep rocky terrain, or fast-moving water; lifting heavy objects weighing 23 kilograms (50 pounds) or more or crouching or crawling in restricted areas.