Duties
The position of Deputy Assistant Director, Office of Science and Technology directs the activities of ATF Laboratory Services and Financial Investigative Services. Laboratory Services consists of the Quality Programs Office, the (3) Forensic Science Laboratories, and the Fire Research Laboratory. This position is located in Beltsville, MD
- Directs the operations of the field to provide the maximum service while maintain appropriate professional,
technical, and quality standards and carrying out a program of research into new methods that will improve
the services to the operating programs.
- Determines kind and type of forensic equipment and external services purchased and used
by the laboratory staff, and by Special Agents.
- Manages all administrative and program matters, including budget formulation, allocation of human and material resources, implementation of technological solutions, timely and accurate submission of reports, and related matters.
- Plans and directs the exchange of scientific data between laboratory elements
and counterparts in government, industry and academic institutions.
- Serves as liaison officer between the Bureau and the scientific and financial communities, including
laboratories and technical officials of other agencies, colleges and universities, national and international
scientific and technical societies and technical groups from industry.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
1. You must be a United States Citizen or National.
2. Veterans' preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service.
3. Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st, 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
4. You will be required to complete a pre-employment security investigation and background check for the security level designated for this position.
5. You may also be subject to post-employment conflict of interest restrictions under 18 USC 207 (c).
6. You will be required to undergo a drug screening and obtain favorable results prior to being appointed.
7. You may be subject to a one-year probationary period effective from the date in which you are appointed.
8. This position requires you to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 278) upon entry, and annually thereafter in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
9. You must meet all minimum qualifications to be deemed eligible. Only experience obtained by closing date of this announcement will be considered.
As a basic requirement for entry into the SES, applicants must provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level management capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the Mandatory Technical Qualifications and Executive Core Qualifications.
Qualifications
The application process used to recruit for this position is RESUME-ONLY. Applicants must show clear evidence of their demonstrated leadership ability by addressing the the Executive Core Qualifications(ECQs) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) embedded within their resume. The resume-based application must not exceed 2 pages (1-sheet double-sided or 2 sheets one-sided)
**Note: Applicants who have completed the SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and have had their ECQs certified by OPM must provide a copy of their certificate as part of their application. Candidates must still satisfy the MTQs of the position.
To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Technical Qualification (TQ) related to this position within your resume - Resumes over the 2-page limit will be deemed ineligible and will not receive further consideration. Separate narratives will not be accepted or reviewed. 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.
We recommend that your resume emphasize your level of responsibilities, the scope and complexity of the programs managed, and your program accomplishments, including the results of your actions. You will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required of the position and on the extent your application demonstrates that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of the Deputy Assistant Director (Forensics). Please be sure to give concrete examples of your experience and demonstrate the complexity of the knowledge you possess.
EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): All new entrants into the Senior Executive Service (SES) under a career appointment will be assessed for executive competency against the following five mandatory ECQs. If your 2-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs and TQs, you may not receive further consideration for the position.
ECQ1- Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding: Involves demonstrating knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.
ECQ2- Driving Efficiency: Involves demonstrating the ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.
ECQ3- Merit and Competence: Involves demonstrating knowledge, ability, and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.
ECQ4- Leading People: Involves demonstrating the ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable.
ECQ5- Achieving Results: Involves demonstrating the ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.
For this position, the following Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) have been established and should be addressed within the resume application.
MTQ1: Demonstrated success leading multi-site forensic laboratory systems, national scientific programs, or large-scale technical enterprises operating under rigorous international quality/accreditation frameworks (e.g., ISO/IEC 17025)
MTQ2: Proven experience directing advanced scientific research, technology assessment, method validation, or digital infrastructure overhauls (e.g., AI integration, advanced telemetry, data analytics) within a forensic or law enforcement environment.
MTQ3: Extensive leadership experience managing complex investigative support programs, such as forensic financial auditing, forensic intelligence systems, or engineering/scientific support to criminal investigations.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
EEO Statement: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a parent, genetic information, disability, age, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism. If you believe you have been subjected to discrimination, you must contact the ATF EEO office within 45 calendar days of when the alleged harm occurred at 202-648-8760 or eeointakemailbox@atf.gov. Please see DOJ Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you receive the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.
Legal and Regulatory Guidance
- Social Security Number - Your Social Security Number may be requested under the authority of Executive Order 9397 to uniquely identify your records from those of other applicants who may have the same name. As allowed by law or Presidential directive, your Social Security Number is used to seek information about you from employers, schools, banks, and others who may know you.
- Privacy Act - Privacy Act Notice (PL 93-579): The information requested here is used to determine qualifications for employment and is authorized under Title 5 U.S.C. 3302 and 3361.
- Signature - Before you are hired, you will be required to sign and certify the accuracy of the information in your application.
- False Statements - If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or you may be subject to fine, imprisonment, or other disciplinary action.
- Selective Service - If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.
"Federal Regulations state no ATF employee, his/her spouse, or his/her minor child shall have, directly or indirectly, any financial interest, including compensated employment, stock, or proprietary interest in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms or explosives industries. You should be aware that you may be asked to relinquish any ownership of or interests in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms or explosives industries before a determination can be made whether access to ATF information, information technology systems, and/or facilities can be authorized."
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.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application will first be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications. A rating and ranking panel of senior executives will review your application and evaluate your qualifications for this position. It will determine the extent to which your professional and volunteer experience, education and training, and awards or professional recognition indicate you possess the required executive and technical experience. Candidates determined to be highly qualified will undergo at least one interview. Prior to selection, candidates will undergo a reference check.
Note: All applicants must thoroughly address the Mandatory Technical Qualifications. Current and former SES members, and other applicants who have already been certified by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Review Board (QRB), are not required to address the Executive Core Qualifications. However, they must provide documentation of certification in the form of a SF-50 showing career SES status or an OPM issued SES qualification certificate.
Required Documents
It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of required documents below and submit the necessary documentation to prove you possess the required specialized experience for this position. IF YOU OMIT ANY OF THE REQUIRED INFORMATION, YOU RUN THE RISK OF BEING FOUND INELIGIBLE FOR THE POSITION.
RESUME- ALL APPLICANTS:
To reduce possible disqualification due to a lack of verifiable information, you should include all six of the following elements for every job entry listed in your employment history.
If any element is omitted, the HR Specialist may be unable to determine your eligibility, resulting in your removal from consideration with an ineligible rating:
- Official Position Title: State your exact federal or corporate title to establish the professional level of your experience. For example, Division Chief, Group Supervisor, etc.
- Employer Name and Contact Information: Provide the company/agency name and a valid phone number or email address for verification purposes.
- Start and End Dates: List the exact month and year for both the start and end of each employment period to verify you meet the time-in-grade and minimum duration requirements for specialized experience.
- Hours Worked Per Week: Explicitly indicate if the position was full-time or state the exact number of hours worked per week if part-time. (Specialized experience is credited based on a 40-hour work week; failure to provide hours means your experience cannot be quantified or credited.)
- Pay Plan/Series/Grade: For all federal positions held, you should explicitly state your Pay Plan (i.e., GS, GL, etc.), Series (i.e., 1811, 1801, 2210, etc.) and Grade (e.g., GS 01-15). It should be expressed as following example GS-1811-14). If a position was in the private sector or was volunteer work, explicitly state "N/A - Private Sector" or "N/A - Volunteer" so the HR Specialist can accurately assess your equivalent level of experience.
Applicants who fail to submit all required information and documents will not receive consideration for the position.Your complete online application and any required supplemental documentation must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. It is also your responsibility to ensure all documents are received on time and the materials are readable. If applying on-line poses a hardship to any applicant, please contact us at the telephone number listed on this announcement. Applicants must contact us prior to the closing date to speak to someone who can provide assistance for on-line submission. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Paper applications submitted without prior approval from the agency point of contact may be handled as incomplete.
Important Compliance Rules: Two-Page Absolute Limit: Resumes must be limited to two pages or less. USAJobs will only allow candidates to upload 2-page resumes. However, any resumes in excess of 2-pages will result in immediate disqualification.
Most Recent Submission Counts: Only the most recent resume submitted under the "Resume" document type will be evaluated for rating and qualification determinations.
SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):
- Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
- Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
- Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
- Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
- SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.
The page of your performance evaluation that indicates your overall, current rating of record and the date of that rating. Actual written narrative submissions are not required. A copy may be asked for at a later time.