Physical Scientist (Forensic Technician) - Recent Graduate

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to applicants who have graduated within the past two (2) years, or past six (6) years for veterans, (with an associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational, technical degree, or certificate) from a qualifying educational institution or career or technical education program (including registered Apprenticeship Programs, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Job Corps, Climate Corps).

This position is located under the Office of Science and Technology, Forensic Sciences Division, Laboratory Services Branch, Forensic Crime Gun Intelligence Laboratory in Wichita, Kansas. Laboratory work encompasses a broad range of responsibilities critical to ATF's mission of combatting violent crime.

The incumbent serves as a Physical Scientist (Forensic Technician) in a Forensic Science Laboratory responsible for providing forensic support of the Bureau's primary law enforcement missions. ATF Laboratory Services conducts scientific, technical, and physical analyses on evidentiary material and analyzes data connected with criminal investigations.

The major duties of the Physical Scientist (Forensic Technician) position include, but are not limited to, the following.

• Receives, inventories, and maintains the integrity of physical evidence.
• Processes forensic evidence to recover fingerprints and DNA and photographs items of evidentiary value.
• Performs test fires of firearms to include collecting and preserving fired bullets, cartridge, cases and shot shells.
• Writes notifications and/or laboratory reports regarding all processes performed including information on forensic evidence collected and preserved.

Conditions of employment

1. Must be U.S. Citizen or National
2. You must successfully pass a security/background investigation and drug screening.
3. Selective Service registration is required, see the "Additional Information" section for full details.
4. A Pathways Recent Graduate Participant Agreement is required.

CONVERSION REQUIREMENTS: ATF has the option to non-competitively convert a Recent Graduate to a permanent or term position upon successful completion of program requirements. This is not automatic, nor guaranteed. Conversion is at the discretion of the hiring manager and employing office. To be eligible to be converted to a permanent or term position you must:

• Be recommended for conversion by your manager or supervisor.
• Complete all training and development requirements within the 1-year appointment period.
• Successful completion of 1 year of continuous service.
• Demonstrate successful job performance of at least a "Fully Successful" or equivalent on performance appraisal.
• Meet the Office of Personnel Management's qualification standards for the position to which the Recent Graduate will be converted (which may include a positive education requirement).
• Must be in good academic standing as defined by their academic institution.
• A Recent Graduate may be converted to the highest General Schedule (GS) grade level qualified for at time of conversion.

Recent Graduates converted to a term position in the competitive service may subsequently be non-competitively converted to a career or career-conditional appointment without further competition.

MOBILITY PLAN: New employees hired pursuant to this vacancy announcement must sign a mobility agreement. The purpose of ATF's mobility policy is to enhance career development and progression and achieve mission and business effectiveness. To accomplish these objectives, the mobility plan will facilitate the movement of employees through special short-term assignments or permanent reassignments throughout the Bureau. Applicants who decline to sign a mobility agreement, as required, will be removed from the hiring process. This is a non-bargaining unit position.

In addition to the requirements above, you must also meet the specific qualifications requirements for this announcement and the occupational series and grade of this position as described in the Qualifications section below. Please pay careful attention to the entire announcement to ensure you understand these important requirements.

Qualifications

Recent Graduate Program Eligibility

To be eligible for the Pathways Recent Graduate program you must be:

• A recent graduate who has completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational, technical degree, or certificate from a qualifying educational institution or completed a qualifying career or technical education program that awards a recognized postsecondary credential (such as a Registered Apprenticeship Program or Job Corps).

OR

• For preference eligible veterans who have been precluded from applying due to their military service obligation, their two-year eligibility period begins upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years after degree or certificate completion. You MUST submit a copy of the DD-214 showing the duration and dates of service that precluded you from applying due to the military service obligation.

Qualification Requirements

To qualify for the position of Physical Scientist (Forensic Technician) - Recent Graduate, GS-1301-7, you must meet the basic qualification requirements listed below AND possess the required specialized experience specific to this series and grade.

Basic Requirements

1. 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.

OR

2. 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.

AND

To qualify for the GS-07 grade level, you must have a least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level or higher by the closing date of this announcement. Specialized experience is demonstrated experience, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Experience must be in the normal line of progression or must be related to the work of the position advertised and must be reflected in your resume. Specialized experience must include all of the following:

• Collecting and processing laboratory samples; AND
• Operating common laboratory equipment; AND
• Utilizing analytical techniques in a laboratory environment; AND
• Communicating facts clearly and concisely.

OR

Education: One full year of graduate level education.

OR

Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) : Completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in a field of study that demonstrates the competencies required by this position with either (1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 based on a 4.0 scale; (2) a 3.5 GPA based on a 4.0 scale for all required courses completed in a qualifying major field of study at either the time of application or during the last two years of your undergraduate curriculum; (3) class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or a major subdivision of the college; or, (4) membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College Honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate education and experience. This will be calculated using your résumé and unofficial transcripts or a list of courses/course hours submitted with your application.

You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Your resume must support your responses to the application questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the job opportunity announcement closes at 11:59 pm ET on 06/24/2026, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted, the information will be compared against your responses to the application questionnaire to determine your eligibility for Federal employment, and then whether you are qualified for this particular position.

If a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your background information, you may be deemed ineligible. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment and a SME resume review.

Applicants will be required to complete a USA Hire Assessment. The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. SMEs will review ONLY two pages of your resume, starting at your work experience. SMEs will not review any additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter). Applicants who pass the structured resume review will be added to the list of qualified candidates.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

• Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position.
• Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job.
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Forensic
• Technical Competence
• Written Communication

If you would like to preview the application questionnaire, please see: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12890377.

It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of required documents below and submit the necessary documentation based on your eligibility.

Resume - All Applicants: You must submit a resume (a two page or less resume is required) containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:

• Official position title,
• Employer name and contact information,
• Start and end dates (including month and year),
• Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
• A list of duties performed and accomplishments.

Transcripts - All Applicants:

1. You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
2. Your transcript must come from a nationally accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
3. Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
4. If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included.

If you are a Veteran or a qualifying parent or spouse:

1. When claiming a Veteran's Preference, you must submit your last DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) form, specifically the Member #4 Copy, indicating dates and character of service and discharge type.
2. If you are a Veteran with a service-connected disability rating, you will need to additionally submit the SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veterans Preference) and a copy of your VA Letter stating your disability rating.
3. If you are the qualifying parent or spouse of a disabled, deceased, or deployed Veteran, and are seeking a derived preference eligibility, you must submit appropriate supporting documentation such as the Veterans DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter, and/or Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. See Veteran Family Preference for more information.
4. For more information on each type of Veterans Preference, and the documentation required for each, see FedsHireVets.

Failure to provide the required documentation by the closing date of this announcement will result in elimination of further consideration for this position.

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