Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
- You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use of possession of drugs.
- A trial period may be required.
- Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/)
- If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
- All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
- Drug Test Required: No
- License required: No
- Pre-employment physical required: No
- Bargaining Unit Position: Yes
- Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450):No
- Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: Will not be paid
- Resume submissions must NOT be more than two pages in length. No more than two pages will be considered.
- Transcripts must be provided that show the education requirement has been met.
- These are appointments for 1 year, that may be extended for 1 additional year; however, the appointment authority allows conversion to a permanent position, subject to workload, funding, and performance.at the Manager's discretion.
- Remote work is NOT authorized. Situational telework is authorized up 52 hours per calendar year. Employees are expected to report in-person according to their approved work schedule.
Qualifications
Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/
Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.
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.
To qualify at the GS-13 level: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-012 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as the following:
- Serving as a technical expert in any of the following; environmental compliance, environmental legislation, environmental impact statements, NEPA compliance, grants, providing environmental assistance to staff and recipients of grant funds.
- Serving as agency's principal advisor on environmental matters.
- Providing direction, training, and/or guidance on a continuing basis to regional and/or field staff in the implementation of the agency's environmental program.
- Coordinating proposed projects with appropriate federal and/or state regulatory agencies as necessary.
Education
This position does not have an education requirement.
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.
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 to Apply
IMPORTANT - INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING RESUMES AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
All resumes and supporting documentation should be submitted to: EDACAREER@EDA.GOV and include work experience in month/year format (MM/YYYY), reflecting starting date and ending date, and include the number of hours worked per week.
HOW TO APPLY:
(1) Applicants must email a two-paged resume to EDACareer@eda.gov. Only the first two pages will be considered.
(2) The subject line of the email should read, "Application for Environmental Protection Specialist Position".
(3) Include in the body of the email which geographic locations you wish to be considered. Please list the top three locations, in priority order with "1" as the top choice, etc. Here are the locations: Atlanta Regional Office; Austin Regional Office; Chicago Regional Office, Denver Reginal Office; Philadelphia Regional Office; Seattle Regional Office; Washington DC Office.
(4) The four narrative questions listed below provide an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the Hiring Manager and Agency Leadership (or their Designees). You are invited to submit responses to the 4 questions in the body of your email. While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question in your email submission. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question and answer the certification question (number 5).
- How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience.
- In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.
- How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.
- How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples, and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position.
- Certification question: Did you use your own words and not a Consultant or Artificial Intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChaptGPT or Copilot to answer the above 4 questions? (Yes or No)
Veterans' preference is not applicable to this position.
Please DO NOT put your SSN on pages within your application package. 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.
How to write a federal resume: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-
Next steps
If you are found to be qualified and among the top candidates, you may contacted for an interview.