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US Geological Survey
Geographer/Physical Scientist
Career Insights for GIS Analyst
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Based on Virginia data
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What they do
A GIS Analyst gathers data that can be used in geographic information system (GIS) maps or products. Gathers data from existing maps and reports; gathers information on people, plants, animals, buildings, natural terrain and elevation.
$82,115 / year median in Virginia
+5% projected growth
Job Description
Summary You will serve as a Geographer/Physical Scientist National Civil Applications Center. This position serves as the Chief, Partnership Branch and concurrently as the Civil Applications Committee (CAC) Executive Secretary. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 to 3 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. GS-14 Salary $143,913
Experience as a senior expert in work for which technical problem definitions, methods and/or data were highly incomplete, controversial, or uncertain and whose evaluations and recommendations were accepted by others as those of a technical expert in remote sensing. At this level, scientists typically represent an authoritative source of consultation for other scientists and program specialists, are called upon to resolve issues that significantly affect science programs, make long range and controversial proposals and defend their findings and recommendations in public or high-level forums. You must include hours per week worked
- $187,093.
Qualifications Qualifications:
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/23/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. To receive credit for experience, 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. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.Minimum Qualification Requirements :
To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirement AND Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying.Basic Educational Requirements :
In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: GS-0150: A.Degree:
geography; or related physical or social science such as geology, meteorology, economics, statistics, sociology, anthropology, political science, history, cartography, computer science, urban studies, or planning that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields. You must submit transcripts.- OR•B.
Combination of education and experience:
courses equivalent to a major in geography, or a related field that included at least 24 semester hours in geography or related fields, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. You must include transcripts GS-1301 : A.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. You must include transcripts- OR•B.
Combination of education and experience:
education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. You must include transcripts- AND•To qualify for this position at the GS-14 grade level:
Specialized Experience Requirement:
One year of appropriate professional experience that is in or directly related to the duties of the position to be filled is qualifying if it is equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Examples of such experience may include: Leading and managing interagency committees and working Groups; Executing policy oversight and compliance functions; Managing requests and processes for sensitive data collections; Representing an organization in high-level engagements.Experience as a senior expert in work for which technical problem definitions, methods and/or data were highly incomplete, controversial, or uncertain and whose evaluations and recommendations were accepted by others as those of a technical expert in remote sensing. At this level, scientists typically represent an authoritative source of consultation for other scientists and program specialists, are called upon to resolve issues that significantly affect science programs, make long range and controversial proposals and defend their findings and recommendations in public or high-level forums. You must include hours per week worked
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. Education This position does not allow substituting education for experience. This position has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.Foreign Education:
To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education.https:
//www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification Additional information Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. Related Non-Federal experience or related experience as retired members of the uniformed services may be credited towards computing entitlement to leave accrual, at managerial discretion, providing that experience meets certain criteria. This provision allows new employees to earn annual leave at a higher rate than would otherwise be allowed. (5 Code of Federal Regulations, 630). All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, https://www.doi.gov/ethics/ethics-prohibitions. Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level. This is an interdisciplinary position.Position may be filled by:
Geographer, GS-0150 or Physical Scientist, GS-1301 The duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster. 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. Review our benefits 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. How you will be evaluated You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of any additional assessment(s) required for this position. Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into the following categories: Best Qualified- applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position Well Qualified
- applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job Qualified
- applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
Federal Resume:
https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include Complete All Required Assessments . All college transcript(s) , if qualifying based on education. Please submit both undergraduate and graduate level transcripts, as applicable. Veterans Preference Documentation, if applicable. Veterans must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (member 4 copy) or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Parent or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.va.gov/records/ or call 1-800-827-1000. If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active-duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation. Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (I/CTAP): If you are applying under I/CTAP, you MUST submit proof of eligibility including 1) copy of the agency notice, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc.; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be well qualified.For more information visit:
USAJOBS Help Center- Career Transition Programs (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL). Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted. Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials
- you must remove your image from all documents.
NATL CIVIL APPLICATIONS CTR 12201
Sunrise Valley Drive Mail Stop 600 Reston, VA 20192 US Next steps You may check the status of your application at any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account as we will not be responding to inquiries about the status of applications as long as the system has been updated. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application. You can find your path with the Department of Interior at https://careers.doi.gov/ . Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration. We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses, through reference and/or background checks, and/or verification of your education. If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the Human Resources Office posting this announcement. Overview Accepting applications Posted this week- Apply today Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 23, 2026 Location 1 vacancy in the following location: Reston, VA No matching locations found. Work site options Telework eligible Yes—as determined by the agency policy. Remote job No Relocation expenses reimbursed No Salary $143,913
- $187,093 per year Pay scale & grade GS 14 Promotion potential None Learn more about pay scale and grade Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job. Work schedule Full-time Travel Required Occasional travel
- You may be expected to travel for this position.