Supervisory Hydrologic Technician

About the role

You will serve as a Supervisory Hydrologic Technician for the Upper Midwest Water Science Center which provides a broad range of data products, analyses, and expert advice in the hydrologic sciences. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.

Responsibilities

• Supervises and schedules staff responsible for collecting, analyzing, and preparing surface water, groundwater, and water-quality data, ensuring adherence to USGS guidelines and accuracy standards.
• Oversees real-time data management, quality control, and timely updates for hydrologic information displayed on Water Data for the Nation, maintaining data integrity and reliability.
• Trains and mentors personnel in field data collection techniques, hydrologic computation methods, instrumentation, and supporting computer applications, fostering technical development.
• Directs and reviews complex hydrologic field efforts, including data collection, computation, and analysis while ensuring accuracy and continuity of records.
• Acts as liaison and advisor to hydrologic organizations, participates in program development, prepares workplans and budgets, and represents USGS at meetings and technical workshops.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• 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 have and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• You must pass a physical examination.
• You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
• Must be at least 18 years of age or older to operate government vehicles.
• Serve a 1-year probationary period; continued employment depends on agency certification that it advances the public interest.
• Work regularly requires considerable dexterity, agility, and strenuous physical exertion; field assignments involve climbing, working from ladders/scaffolding, uneven/slippery/steep terrain, lifting/carrying equipment ≥50 lbs, bending/crouching in confined spaces, and exposure to extreme weather conditions.

Qualifications

• Specialized Experience Requirement: at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS‑11 level in the Federal service (public or private sectors).
• Specialized experience includes:
  • Planning and conducting computation and collection of data from ≈30+ gaging stations; determining stage‑discharge relations; computing rating tables and mean daily, monthly, and annual discharge rates.
  • Acting as a party chief for site installations and measuring flood flows under difficult conditions, including knowledge of indirect measurement options post‑flood.
  • Collecting data for flood‑flow computation via slope‑area method, flow over dams, flow through culverts, flow over embankments; working knowledge of area‑velocity discharge records.
  • Leading training or discussions for a field office or assisting with programs to advance field data collection efforts or records finalization.
  • Awareness of budgeting constraints and methods to help make program decisions and adjust field efforts.
• Volunteer experience (paid or unpaid, including National Service programs) is credited and can build relevant competencies.
• Education: This position does not allow substituting education for experience.
• Additional information: Additional vacancies may be filled from this announcement; recruitment or relocation incentives may be offered on a case‑by‑case basis; a continued service agreement may be required if eligible for PCS, recruitment, or relocation incentive.

Pay

Salary Range (Per Annum): $89,508 (Step 1) to $116,362 (Step 10). First‑time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.