This listing is a summary. Click 'Apply for this job' to view the complete posting and apply on USAJobs.gov.
Open: June 24, 2026 — Closes: June 30, 2026
Summary
This position is located in Big Bend National Park, in the Division of Science and Resource Management. Hiring Manager Contact: Herbert Young Jr. Herbert_Young_Jr@nps.gov
Major Duties
Major Duties: Serves as a senior principal advisor in the physical sciences for Big Bend National Park (BIBE) and the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River (RIGR). The physical scientist is responsible for program development and implementation related to geology, soils, hydrology, air quality, acoustics, paleontology, caves and karst formations, and related fields and activities. The incumbent provides program oversight for the vegetation and wildlife management programs. Develops and implements long range plans for the inventory, evaluation, documentation, preservation, research, and interpretation of physical sciences and other natural resources within the 801,000 acres of BIBE and within 245 miles of the Rio Grande River. Develops guidelines to deal with the more complex or unusual problems, or with novel, undeveloped or controversial aspects of physical sciences and other natural resources and their management. Incumbent coordinates the park's physical science and natural resource management strategies and programs with those on adjacent lands for the purposes of achieving broad ecosystem protection strategies and preventing human impacts. Negotiates cooperative and interagency agreements and other cooperative instruments needed to effectively carry out resource stewardship goals. Identifies research needs, prepares requests for proposals or statements of work, and provides oversight for research projects. Serves as a Contracting Officer's Representative for projects conducted through contracts, interagency agreements, and cooperative agreements. In cooperation with appropriate staff, researchers, and partners, the physical scientist designs, develops, tests, and implements scientific programs and monitoring protocols for the long-term monitoring of physical resources. Writes new monitoring documents that define monitoring techniques and develops methods for future refinements of protocols. Incumbent provides oversight on the collection of qualitative and quantitative data to monitor geomorphic conditions, sediment and flow dynamics in the Rio Grande River and tributaries. Incumbent supervises a variety of projects related to landscape restoration and its impacts on erosion, sediment dynamics, and channel morphology. Prepares management and scientific reports regarding the results of protection, mitigation, restoration, inventory, monitoring, and research activities. Summarizes new and conventional information for use by scientists, managers, park staff, cooperators, and partners. Incorporates appropriate Geographic Information System (GIS) technology into job to provide comprehensive and scientifically sound answers to inquiries from managers and others. Incumbent manages the overall operation of the park's air quality program. Provides supervision and guidance on the operation and maintenance of multiple instruments for a variety of national air quality monitoring programs.