Summary
TOUGH WORK. VITAL MISSION. Challenge yourself! You have the power to help combat drug trafficking. Be a part of DEA! It's tough work, but a vital mission. Whatever your background or expertise, your work at DEA will be tremendously rewarding because it will have a daily impact on national security and the quality of life of all Americans.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
All U.S. Citizens
Duties
This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Diversion Control Division (DC), Chemical and Evaluation Section (DOE).
This position's primary purpose is to provide authoritative scientific guidance in establishing the agency position regarding drug abuse and drug and chemical control issues.
As a Drug Science Specialist, your typical work assignments may include:
- Serving as a technical specialist in physical sciences and related regulatory areas, working with a scientific team that reviews complex scientific information in areas involving complex fact patterns, policies, programs, or regulations that are not well defined.
- Analyzing and recommends changes to key policies related to coordinating a regulatory review, compliance, and/or enforcement program, such as drug and chemical scheduling and drug-related legislative and regulatory initiatives.
- Identifying and recommending areas where scientific advances or changes may affect policy in pursuing organizational goals and objectives.
- Preparing articles and reports presenting study results for publication in scientific and technical journals, for presentation at national and international meetings of professional groups, and for inclusion in progress reports of the Section and Office.
- Evaluating and synthesizing complex scientific data on abuse and diversion potentials, as well as the licit and illicit uses of drugs and chemicals.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- U.S. Citizenship is required.
- Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation. Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
- Incumbent is subject to random drug testing.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: http://www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.
- Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
- Selectee may be required to serve a probationary period.
Qualifications
Applicants must meet all of the required qualification requirements described below by the closing of this announcement.
If you are qualifying based on education or if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.
Applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) AND Specialized Experience requirements as noted below. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.
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.
AND
Specialized Experience Required
You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying specialized experience. Specialized 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.
One year of specialized experience for this position includes:
GS-12: Must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level or pay band in the Federal service that includes performing the following duties: 1) Evaluating existing data sources, defining requirements, and investigating new data sources; 2) Advising on drug and chemical control under the Controlled Substances Act and international treaties; 3) Interpreting and applying laws regulations, policies and international treaties and their applicability to the regulation of drugs and chemicals; and 4) Preparing periodic reports.
GS-13: Must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level or pay band in the Federal service that includes performing the following duties: 1) Evaluating complex scientific data on potential abuse or diversion of drugs or chemicals; 2) Evaluating chemistry, and related policy issues and developing new policies; 3) Implementing long range scientific goals and strategies for an organization; and 4) Preparing articles and presenting study results for publication in scientific and technical journals.
Additional information on the position qualification requirements are located in the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Qualifications Standards Handbook.
Education
See the qualification section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.
This position requires specific coursework and/or a degree to meet the basic education requirement. You must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Your transcript(s) must clearly demonstrate the course(s) listed in the qualification requirement section. If the transcript(s) does not clearly demonstrate this you must submit a copy of the course description and/or other documentation demonstrating that the courses are equivalent.
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.
If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.
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.
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and your responses on the application questionnaire. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.
Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as described in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement, will be assigned to one of three quality categories:
- Qualified Category: In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.
- Well Qualified Category: In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all, of the requirements of the position.
- Best Qualified Category: In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must possess the type and quality of experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position.
Best qualified applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) required for this position.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
- Chemistry
- Oral Communication
- Reasoning
- Technical Competence
- Writing
Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the Highly Qualified category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher). Other 10-point preference eligible and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligible applicants within the category in which they qualify. View information on veterans' preference on OPM's Fed Hire Vets website.
Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never been a Federal employee, you are not CTAP or ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category for this position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement to receive consideration for selection priority.
ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE: You may preview the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12451029.
Required Documents
All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
- Resume showing applicant's name, email address, relevant work/volunteer experience, edeucation and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year), work schedule (e.g. part or full time), the number of hours per week worked/volunteered, job title and description of duties performed.
- Transcripts, if applicable and you are qualifying based on education. See the Qualification and Education sections of this announcement for more information. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
- ICTAP/CTAP documentation, if applicable (e.g., reduction-in-force (RIF) separation notice, RIF separation SF-50 personnel action, certification of expected separation, etc.).
- Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable:
- To claim 5-point preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.
- To claim 10-point preference, submit the SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) AND all required documentation outlined on the form to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, etc.). If we cannot verify your 10-point preference claim, your application will be reviewed for 5-point preference.
- To claim 10-point derived preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), submit a completed SF-15 andall required documentation listed on the SF-15 to support your claim.
- To claim 0-point Sole Survivorship preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 or another form of official documentation showing that your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge.
- For all preference claims:
- DD-214 must show the dates of service, type of discharge, and any qualifying service campaign medals.
- If you are currently on active duty and applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must provide a certification on letterhead from your military branch which contains your military service dates, expected date of discharge or release, and the character of service to show that your military service was performed under honorable conditions. The expected date of discharge or release must be no later than 120 days after the certification is submitted for consideration for this vacancy announcement.
- For more veterans' preference information, visit the USAJOBS Help Center.
5. Other Qualification Documentation (e.g. certificates, certifications, etc.), if applicable. See the Qualification section of this announcement for more information.
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
Prepare your application in USAJOBS
To start your application, click Apply and the system will provide guidance on how to attach a resume and any required documents.
During the application process you can review, edit, delete, and update your information. We'll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won't lose any changes. You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement to complete the application process.
STEP 1: Select the "Apply" button and follow the instructions to register or sign into USAJOBS.
STEP 2: Submit your resume. Please see the Required Documents section for specific information that should be outlined in your resume.
STEP 3: Complete the online assessment questions.
STEP 4: Submit all required documentation applicable to you, as listed in the Required Documents section.
Alternate Application Procedures
If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package. Contact the Human Resources office listed on the announcement between the business hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET at least 2 working days prior to the closing date of this announcement. The application package for alternate application procedures must be submitted and received in the Human Resources office no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement. Paper applications and information sent by mail will not be accepted.
Next steps
Once the online application package is received, you will be notified through USAJOBS of your qualification status and referral or non-referral to the hiring official for further consideration. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.
We will notify you by email the outcome after each of these steps has been completed. Your application status will be updated up to four times during the following hiring phases:
- After applications are received.
- After applications are assessed to determine qualifications.
- After candidates are referred to the hiring manager.
- If selected, candidates may receive additional notifications regarding the next steps in the hiring process.
Your status will also be updated on your USAJOBS account throughout the process.
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