Health Physicist

Clarification from the agency

You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. Foreign nationals or legal permanent residents are not eligible for consideration.

• Serves as a health physics specialist in assessing, planning, developing, coordinating, implementing, and evaluating programs utilizing radiation producing devices or radioactive materials.
• Plans significant projects, advises on procedural methods, develops radiation safety programs, and conducts radiation safety training.
• Provides radiation safety support for therapeutic administrations of radioactive materials and provides backup coverage, including for BSL-4 laboratories, at the Integrated Research Facility.
• Serves as a technical authority overseeing safety interlock tests and leak tests of sealed radiation sources used in biomedical research.
• Writes procedures for laboratory radiation safety, conducts audits of the radiation safety program, and facilitates the submission of reports to the NRC on cases involving overexposure to radiation, spill incidents, decommissioning activities, etc.
• Solves problems and improves the methods and processes carried out which often require the development, adaptation and modification of precedents, methods, and procedures.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.
• Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
• Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Position requires Education.
• The work requires some physical exertion, such as extended periods of standing, bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, or similar activities.
• Decontamination procedures in areas such as patient therapy rooms typically involve recurring lifting of moderately heavy items such as radiation monitoring instruments and shielding equipment.
• If selected, you will be tested for illegal drug use; and during employment you will be subject to random, reasonable suspicion, and post-accident drug testing. Employment is contingent on a negative drug test result.
• Incumbent may be required to wear protective clothing.

Qualifications

To qualify for a Health Physicist, GS-1306, you must meet the Basic Qualification Requirements below:
A. Bachelor's or higher degree in natural science or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in health physics, engineering, radiological science, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and/or calculus.
OR
B. Combination of directly related education and experience - courses as shown above, plus appropriate experience or other education; or certification as a health physicist by the American Board of Health Physics, plus appropriate experience and other education that provided an understanding of sciences applicable to health physics comparable to that described above.

Additionally:

You qualify at the GS-11 level, if you meet one of the following qualification requirements:
A. You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: 1) Performing scientific analyses in support of a health physics project which utilizes radioactive materials or equipment; 2) Using automated databases to prepare reports and document radiation safety data; 3) Investigating radiation exposures to personnel; 4) Performing radiation safety clearance of laboratories and equipment.
OR
B. Completion of 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a
related field.
OR
C. A combination of education and specialized experience that meets the qualification requirements for this position.

You qualify at the GS-12 level, if you meet one of the following qualification requirements:
A. You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: 1) Planning and executing health physics studies which utilize radioactive materials or equipment; 2) Conducting laboratory inspections to identify and evaluate potential radiation hazards in compliance with safety regulations; 3) Making recommendations to reduce or eliminate exposure; 4) Conducting radiation safety training or workshops.

You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay.

Do not copy and paste the duties or specialized experience from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as knowing your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin before receiving an offer.

Preview application questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12985866

How you will be evaluated

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

The position(s) advertised in this announcement are covered by a direct hire authority. Traditional rating and ranking of applicants, including category rating, does not apply to this vacancy. You will be initially evaluated against the basic qualifications only. Qualified applicants will be referred for consideration in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management direct hire guidelines. Veterans' Preference does not apply to positions covered by a direct hire authority.

To be considered well qualified for the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry and substantively exceed the basic qualifications and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements.

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.

REQUIRED FOR ALL APPLICANTS

RESUME:
Your resume must clearly demonstrate, in two pages or less, how your skills and experiences align with the "Qualifications" section and support your questionnaire responses. While cover letters provided with your application will be shared with hiring officials, they will not be used for initial qualification determinations. We cannot assume required experience based on your work or academic history. If your resume exceeds two pages, only the first two will be reviewed. Use a legible font such as Lato, Calibri, Helvetica, or Arial, with 0.5-inch margins. Suggested formatting: 14-point for titles and 10-point for body text. You may use the USAJOBS Resume Builder or upload your own resume. If uploading, ensure it includes all required information and is organized so we can match the following to each position:

1. Job title
2. Employer name
3. Employment dates (MM/DD/YYYY)
4. Hours worked per week (full-time assumed; part-time prorated)
5. Detailed duties, accomplishments, skills, responsibilities, and supervisory details (if applicable)
6. Series and grade or equivalent (for federal positions)

If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, you must list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume.

Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications.

For resume writing guidance, please visit the following resources: NIH Help Applying, USAJOBS Resource Center, and the USAJOBS Resume Guidance. If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study.

APPLICATION QUESTIONNAIRE:
You must submit a completed application questionnaire.

Unless otherwise stated, we will only use the information above to determine your qualifications. Not providing the required information may result in a determination that you do not meet minimum requirements for the position (e.g., an ineligible rating) or a lower rating.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION FOR CAREER TRANSITION CLAIMS
Visit our websites to claim selection priority through the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP):

• CTAP: https://jobs.nih.gov/announcement-links/CTAP.htm
• ICTAP: https://jobs.nih.gov/announcement-links/ictap.htm

If you do not provide the required information, we will assume you are not eligible or you do not wish to be considered for any preference or eligibility.

Please do not submit any other supplementary documentation that is not requested of you. To protect your personal information, we will only send your resume and cover letter to the selecting official or hiring manager.

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