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), NonComp Appointment of DoW Civilian Employee Spouses, Priority Placement Program (PPP) Retained Grade Preference (RGP), and PPP Military Reserve and National Guard Technician eligibles may also apply.

As a Physical Scientist at the GS-1301-14 some of your typical work assignments may include:

The position requires the individual to act as a subject matter expert in physical sciences, such as applied physics and chemistry, to guide the development of advanced technology prototypes for detection, protection, modeling, and hazard mitigation of chemical and biological threats. Key duties include:

• Serve as a senior technical expert and authority on medical diagnostics, providing scientific leadership and oversight for the research, development, and evaluation of advanced assays and systems to detect chemical and biological threats.
• Conceive, plan, and direct complex research and development programs in areas with limited precedent, originating new scientific methods and technological approaches to address critical capability gaps in chemical and biological defense.
• Manage the full lifecycle of multifaceted Science & Technology (S&T) programs, including strategic planning, financial oversight, and execution to ensure integrity, quality, and compliance with DoW mission priorities and budgetary goals.
• Represent the agency as a subject matter expert on technical committees, review panels, and in collaborations with inter-agency partners, international allies, academia, and industry to synchronize and integrate diagnostic development efforts.
• Develop and prepare authoritative analyses, program budget submissions, and high-level reports for senior leadership and external stakeholders, including the annual Chemical Biological Defense (CBD) Report to Congress.
• Lead and coordinate program activities with diverse stakeholders, conducting briefings and managing the technical review process to facilitate the rapid transition of innovative technologies to the warfighter.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Occasional Travel
• 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: Occasionally
• Tour of Duty: Flexible
• Recruitment Incentives: Subject to approval
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
• Financial Disclosure: Required
• Telework Eligibility: This position is telework eligible
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI security clearance.
• Subject to pre-employment drug testing and periodic drug testing thereafter.
• This is an Acquisition Workforce position in the Engineering and Technical Management. functional area.
• The incumbent will be required to become certified in the 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 and 80 CLPs being mandatory within 2 years.
• Incumbent must file a Financial Disclosure Statement.
• Periodic CONUS and occasional international travel is required.

Qualifications

You may qualify at the GS 14 , if you fulfill the following qualifications:

A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service, military or private sector:

• Directing operational deployment of medical diagnostic tools, assays, and systems to detect chemical and biological threat agents
• Developing financial plans associated with multi-project research and development portfolios
• Managing financial resources to achieve obligation and expenditure goals
• Directing the technical evaluation and regulatory navigation of complex diagnostic assays and platform technologies, ensuring scientific rigor and compliance with mission-critical performance standards for identifying emerging and persistent chemical and biological threats.

• 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 A 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

• This position has a degree or education requirement so you are required to submit a copy of your transcript
• 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.

• All current and former civilian Federal employees should 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.

• 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.

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