Summary

The position of Chief Scientist is in the Office of Public Health Science (OPHS), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). OPHS provides expert scientific analysis, advice, data, and recommendations on all matters involving public health and science of concern to FSIS.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Senior executives

Individuals looking for an executive-level job and who meet the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs).

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all qualified applicants.

Duties

Ensures Agency policies have a sound scientific basis, assesses the effectiveness of strategies and interventions to insure food safety, and contributes scientific expertise in food safety and food security emergencies.
Cultivates and maintains contacts in the medical and scientific community as well as with industry, with consumer groups, and with professional and academic institutions.
Interfaces with officials from Federal, State and local public health and agricultural offices, providing information on and insight into matters of meat, poultry and egg product safety and public health.
Participates in conferences, meetings, hearings, and presentations involving broad national or global problems or issues of considerable consequence or importance regarding public health and food safety.
Coordinates all OPHS scientific program efforts, especially those that cross program lines; serves as primary contact for all activities; and is the recognized spokesperson on key food safety and public health initiatives.
Performs critical analyses of key technical programs and program components to ensure conformance with major program policies and to identify options available for attaining optimum scientific effectiveness.
Develops, presents, and negotiates for acceptance of OPHS strategy on critical food safety and public health issues.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

You must be a Citizen or US National.
Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
In accordance with Office of Government Ethics regulations concerning conflict of interest, the incumbent will be required to submit a financial disclosure report within 30 days of their effective date of appointment and annually thereafter.

Qualifications

The application process used to recruit for this position is RESUME-ONLY. DO NOT submit separate Technical Qualifications in lieu of a resume.
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. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

To apply for this position, you need only submit a resume which CANNOT exceed TWO (2) pages using 0.8-inch margins and an 11-point font. Any resume that exceeds the maximum length of two (2) pages will be removed from consideration. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualification(s). If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.

Failure to meet the basic qualification requirement and address all Technical Qualification factors within your resume will result in your application being disqualified.

There is NO requirement to prepare a narrative statement specifically addressing the Technical Qualifications (TQs).

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs):
Please give examples and explain the complexity of the knowledge possessed and the sensitivity of the issue you handled. The Mandatory Technical Qualifications are listed below. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the GS-14/15 grade level in the federal service or its equivalent in the private sector. Applicants must clearly demonstrate in their resume that they meet the following technical qualification(s). Failure to meet basic qualification requirements and to submit narratives for the Mandatory Technical Qualification factors will automatically disqualify an applicant.

Demonstrate your ability to guide and mentor teams of scientists working on critical food safety and public health initiatives. Emphasize your ability to set strategic direction, foster cross-agency collaboration, and inspire innovation, resulting in the swift development and effective communication of practical solutions that create measurable impact and advance scientific knowledge and processes. Highlight your leadership philosophy in leading others through change, adapting quickly to evolving circumstances to deliver results.

Time in grade requirements does not apply to SL positions.

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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility (including educational) requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

Additional information

Consideration for competitive selection for this position is open to all persons within the area of consideration who meet the basic qualifications. Race, color, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, religion, marital or family status, disability, and other non-merit factors will not be considered.

1. This position is covered under the post-employment restriction of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). This law also requires the selectee to file an Executive Personnel Financial Disclosure Report (Standard Form 278), within 30 days of appointment.

2. Applications sent in U.S. Government postage-paid envelope and submitted through Federal Agency courier services will not be considered.

3. The 1993 Hatch Act Reform Amendments prohibit oral and written political recommendations for Federal jobs.

4. Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with the Selective Service System before they can be employed by an executive agency of the Federal government. This requirement does not apply to Agency employees appointed before November 8, 1985.

5. All application forms are subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act and become the property of USDA. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication or program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).

Reasonable Accommodation: This agency provides reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency at 202-260-8128. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.

Effective January 1, 2010, OPM must authorize any employment offers we make to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

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.

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.

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.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated on the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience, and education. Your application will be rated and ranked by an Executive Review Board (ERB) Panel, using only the information submitted within the application package. Applicants who do not demonstrate in their application sufficient possession of the TQs will be determined ineligible for further consideration.

Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages in length.

Applicants may be required to participate in selection interviews.

Required Documents

Your resume should contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements as stated in this vacancy announcement. It is recommended that you include the following information:

2-page TQ based Resume. DO NOT submit Technical Qualifications in lieu of a resume.
1. 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information;2) education;3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) all supervisors' phone numbers and if they may be contacted; and 5) starting and ending dates of employment (month and year); 6) salary; 7) information about honors, awards, and special accomplishments.
Current or former Federal civilian employees, please provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action).

Education (if applicable): A copy of your transcript(s) or a separate course listing showing the course title, department, hours earned (quarter or semester), and grade (if applicable). If you have completed any part of your education outside of the U.S., you must submit the evaluation of your foreign education that has been prepared by an accredited organization. The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) can provide a list of who can evaluate your foreign education. For additional information, visit DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

ONLY SUBMIT THE MATERIALS REQUESTED BY THIS ANNOUNCEMENT

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

- Complete Resume
- Other supporting documentation as required. Please see the "REQUIRED DOCUMENTS" section to determine if there are other documents you are required to submit.

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin. Failure to submit the required documentation by 11:59 pm EST of the closing date will result in loss of consideration. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday).

Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office during business hours well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages with supporting documents must be submitted no later than noon on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing. This agency provides reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact us if you are requesting this.

It is important that you are complete and thorough in your resume. Please be sure to include and address all TQs in your resume.

Candidates who do not submit complete application packages as indicated in this announcement will not be considered. Please be sure to remove all PII (e.g. SSN, DOB, etc.) from all documentation. Spell out Acronyms the first time used.

The following instructions outline our application process.

Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.

Step 2: Create a resume with USAJOBS or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).

Step 3: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application" to continue.

NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.

Please be sure to include the announcement number in your application. Also, please omit your social security number from all pages of your application. Please do not submit documents that are not requested in the vacancy announcement.

Agency contact information

Cindy Romani

Email: cindy.romani@usda.gov

Address: Food Safety and Inspection Service
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20250
US

Next steps

To verify the status of your application, sign in to your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to.

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.

Chief Scientist Job