Interdisciplinary

• Leads six technical branches, ensuring mission execution, scientific accuracy, and operational efficiency across all forensic DNA programs.
• Provides expert guidance on DNA methodologies, sets technical standards, and resolves complex scientific issues affecting AFMES missions.
• Exercises full supervisory authority over subordinate supervisors, personnel actions, performance evaluations, and workforce development.
• Reviews and approves changes to functions, staffing, and position design to promote scientific excellence and operational effectiveness.
• Serves as principal assistant to the AFME, providing authoritative input on policy, strategic planning, and resource management.
• Represents AFDIL in briefings and engagements with DHA, DoD components, and federal/state agencies, ensuring alignment of standards and policy decisions.

Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• This position is required to be screened for and obtain necessary immunizations/vaccinations (hepatitis, influenza, etc.), unless exempted by a licensed physician.
• This position is required to work uncommon tours of duty hours such as, on-call, working either fixed or rotating shifts, evenings, weekends and/or holidays.
• In the event of severe weather conditions or other such emergency type situations (natural or man-made disaster) the incumbent may be required to report to work or remain at work as scheduled to support mission operations.
• This position is subject to TDY or business travel requirements to various locations. This may require travel via privately owned vehicles, commercial transport platforms, and/or military aircraft, ships, and vehicles.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the education/experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basis Requirements:

Biologist (0401):
Degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Physical Scientist (1301):
Degree in physical science, engineering, or mathematics which included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

Combination of education and experience which includes courses equivalent to one of the majors, as shown iabove, that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

Chemistry (1320):
Degree in the physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

Combination of education and experience -- course work equivalent to a major as shown above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: 1) Providing full supervisory authority and operational control over a multidisciplinary forensic DNA laboratory, including establishing goals, priorities, and workload distribution across multiple technical branches; 2) Serving as the definitive scientific authority on advanced DNA methodologies and forensic science principles, evaluating program effectiveness, and directing corrective actions to ensure mission performance; 3) Advising senior leadership on policy development, strategic planning, and major operational decisions affecting a national-level DNA forensic program, and representing the organization in interagency engagements and technical commitments.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

• Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
• For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
• Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
• For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.

2. Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
• This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses.

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

Next steps