PHYSICAL SCIENTIST

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to All U.S. Citizens, and is being filled under the Direct Hire Authority (DHA) for Certain Personnel of the Department of Defense. Appointment of Military Spouses (5 CFR 315.612)(NonComp Mil Sp), DoD Civilian Spouse, Retained Grade Preference (RGP), and Military Reserve and National Guard Technician eligibles may also apply.

This position may be filled using Direct Hire Authority: Z5CAV/Direct-Hire Authority (Certain DoD Personnel) PL 118-31, Sec 125OB (i)(2), 12/22/2023.This position is being filled under the memorandum from the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R)) "Expansion of Direct Hire Authority for Certain Personnel of the Department of Defense," dated August 12,2024.

As a PHYSICAL SCIENTIST at the GS-1301-15 some of your typical work assignments may include:

• Directs the design, development, implementation, and dissemination of a significant component of DTRA's research and development efforts involving modeling and simulation of nuclear weapons effects for measures of performance, effectiveness, and suitability, and provides technical expertise on these research matters.
• Manages and coordinates efforts that address the needs of DTRA and the Department of War (DoW) for modeling and simulation predictions of the impact of nuclear weapon use on military and civilian personnel, equipment, and systems and involves the activities of numerous other government, commercial, and academic organizations.
• Oversees the development of nuclear effects modeling and simulation, data integration, and data visualization capabilities appropriate for use in decision support software applications designed for non-technical Senior decision makers to evaluate acquisition and operational plans.
• Serves as scientific advisor to DTRA superiors, staff, and other DoW services/agencies for the reduction of militarily significant uncertainties in targeting and collateral effects predictions.
• Prepares budget estimates, provides for continuity of effort, and reviews service proposals and proposals from commercial research and development firms in support of modeling and simulation of nuclear weapons effects for measures of performance, effectiveness, and suitability.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Travel, including international, in the performance of temporary assignments may be required up to 10% of duty time.
• Work Schedule: Full-time
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• Overtime/compensatory time may be required to accommodate operational needs of the organization.
• Tour of Duty: Flexible
• Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized based on funding availability
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
• Financial Disclosure: Required
• Telework Eligibility: This position may be eligible for limited, situational telework subject to supervisory approval and not to exceed current Agency guidelines. This position is not eligible for remote telework.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a TOP SECRET/SCI security clearance and access to North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Critical Nuclear Weapons Design Information, and Restricted Data information.
• Must consent to and pass pre-employment drug testing and be subject to periodic random drug testing thereafter.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a valid U.S. passport.
• The employee must be willing to comply with each Combatant Command (COCOM) travel medical requirement to include vaccinations.
• May be subject to random DoD counterintelligence scope polygraph if assigned to programs or duty locations that have such a requirement.
• Incumbent is required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE 450, upon entering the position, annually, and upon termination of employment, in accordance with DOD Directive 5500.7-R, Joint Ethics Regulation, August 30, 1993.
• Acquisition Workforce position in Engineering/Technical Management functional area. Required to become certified at the ETM Foundational tier within 3 years and the ETM Practitioner tier within 5 years.
• The incumbent is required to acquire a minimum of 40 continuous learning points (CLPs) every fiscal year as a goal with 80 CLPs being mandatory within 2 years.

Qualifications

You may qualify at the GS -15 , if you fulfill the following qualifications:

A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service as listed below:

• Creating, coordinating and executing large research, development, test and evaluation programs to successful outcomes
• Translating basic scientific principles into capabilities for non-technical Senior decision makers
• Building, directing and guiding multi-functional and multi-national teams to successful outcomes
• Managing financial resources to achieve fiscal goals in a timely manner, including adjusting plans based on emerging requirements

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.

In addition to meeting qualifications, your application package must reflect the applicable experience to meet the Individual Occupational Requirements for the 1301, series as listed below:

• Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.
• Combination of education and experience - education equivalent to one of the majors shown in above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and supporting documents, to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and evaluate your relevant work experiences as it relates to fundamental competencies, identified below, required for this position.

Traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply to this vacancy. Your application (resume and supporting documentation) will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required as listed on the announcement under qualification requirements.

Veterans Preference: If you are entitled to veterans preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume. Your veterans' preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency.

For information on entitlement see http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx

Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible:- Submit a copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability PPP Self-Certification Checklist and copies of the appropriate documentation, such as the notification letter you received showing you are no longer eligible for military or NG membership (through no fault of your own) and that you have completed at least 15 years of technician service and a minimum of 20 years of service creditable for non-regular retirement.

DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Preference Eligible Technician Receiving Disability Retirement:
In order to receive this preference, you must choose the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Receiving Disability Retirement eligibility, and fill out and submit the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability PPP Self-Certification Checklist and copies of the appropriate documentation.

Priority Placement Program (PPP) DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible:- You must provide a signed Retained Grade PPP Self-Certification Checklist, DD3145-1 (whs.mil), a copy of your Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form (SF) 50 effecting the placement in retained grade status; or a copy of the notification letter you received regarding the RIF or classification downgrade.

Appointment of Military Spouses (5 CFR 315.612) (NonComp Mil Sp): To receive this preference, you must choose to apply using the " Appointment of Military Spouses (5 CFR 315.612) (NonComp Mil Sp)" eligibility. If you are claiming Military Spouse eligibility and are determined to be Well Qualified (score of 85 or above) for the position, you will be referred to the hiring manager. Information and required documentation for claiming Military Spouse eligibility may be found at the General Applicant Information and Definitions link below.

DoD Civilian Spouse Hiring Authority (Noncompetitive):
You are required to submit proof of marriage and PCS orders.
Current or former Federal employee most recent Sf-50.

The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc.). Your complete application includes your COMPLETE 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.

The following documents are REQUIRED

1. Your resume:

• IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement. The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position. Must include the work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed. If multiple resumes are submitted by an applicant, only the last resume submitted will be reviewed for qualifications and referred for selection consideration, if eligible. The resume must not be more than 5MB and should be saved and uploaded as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. Page margins should be 0.5 inches, and font styles must be legible. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text. We recommend using a font like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans.
• Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.

2. Transcripts:

• This position has a degree or education requirement so you are required to submit a copy of your transcript. We accept unofficial transcripts, as long as they contain your name, the name of the school, the date and degree that was awarded, and the list of classes and credits earned.
• College transcript (s), required if qualifying based on education. We accept unofficial transcripts, as long as they contain your name, the name of the school, the date and degree that was awarded, and the list of classes and credits earned.

3. SF50

• All current and former civilian Federal employees must submit a copy of your MOST RECENT SF50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your tenure, grade and step, salary, and type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive); or similar Notification of Personnel Action documentation, i.e., Transcript of Service, Form 1150, etc.

4. Veteran's Documents:

• If applying using veteran's preference or under a Veteran's hiring authority you must submit the following documents: DD214 showing character of service, SF-15 Form and VA letter showing final percentage, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty.

PLEASE REVIEW THE BELOW LINK FOR OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS needed for proof of eligibility:
https://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/Careers/downloads/DODCustomersRequiredSupportingDocumentation.pdf?

Next steps