Quality Assurance Specialist

Clarification from the agency

U.S. citizens or U.S. Nationals; Military Spouses; no prior Federal experience is required.

As a Quality Assurance Specialist, you will:

• Provide expertise in Quality Assurance (QA) for Transuranic (TRU) waste disposal.
• Develop and implement operational policies for the direction, control, review, and evaluation of the Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) QA programs
• Ensure that the CBFO QA programs are in compliance with applicable standards.
• Provide programmatic direction to organization personnel and contractors on the responsibilities, requirements, best business practices, procedures, or implementation guidance.
• Oversee National TRU Waste Program compliance audits and recommends certification of the sites to the CBFO Manager.
• Engage in scientific and technical information and related activities, to include planning work, setting priorities, providing advice and counselling, and determining training needs.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
• If selected, your appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• This position is not remote, the selectee will be expected to report to the duty station(s) listed. If selected, military spouses, veteran caregivers, and spouses of foreign service employees may be eligible for applicable workplace flexibilities.
• Obtain and maintain a Q-level security clearance. Failure to obtain and maintain the required security clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
• You are required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450, Executive Branch Personnel Confidential Financial Disclosure Report upon entering the position and annually (5CFR Part 2634, Subpart I USOGE, 6/08).
• This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP) subject to random drug testing. Selectee will participate in drug urinalysis testing, unless currently occupying a TDP in accordance with the Federal Substance Abuse Program (DOE O 343.1).
• Occasional travel may be required.
• This position is not included in a Bargaining Agreement.
• You will be required to complete an OF-306, "Declaration for Federal Employment" form used to (a) determine your suitability for Federal employment and/or (b) in conducting an investigation.
• This position is included in the DOE's Technical Qualification Program (TQP). The selectee is required to meet core, position, and site-specific TQP standards within a reasonable period (typically 12-18 months) from placement in the position.
• Technical Qualifications in functional areas of Technical Training (DOE-STD-1179) and General Technical Base (DOE-STD-1146) within 18 months of employment and maintaining continue education.
• Valid State Driver's License required.
• A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT:
Education

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- quality assurance, statistics, mathematics, production management, industrial management, computer science, engineering, engineering technology, physical sciences, textiles, or other fields related to the position.

or

Experience that demonstrated a practical knowledge in monitoring, controlling, or maintaining the quality of products or services in quality assurance, procurement, inspection, production, or related areas. Examples include:

• Reviewing production activities and capabilities in light of contract quality requirements.
• Reviewing written quality or inspection procedures for adequacy and evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of quality/inspection systems, including sampling plans.
• Analyzing quality data to detect unsatisfactory trends or weaknesses in the quality/inspection system.
• Verifying by test or inspection, using sampling inspection or intensive product inspection techniques, that products comply with requirements prior to acceptance.
• Identifying inadequacies and requesting corrective action.
• Computing data, summarizing results, and preparing reports or charts depicting pertinent relationships using statistical methods.
• Investigating customer complaints and deficiency reports and providing identification of causes to appropriate authorities.
• Reading, interpreting, and applying technical data such as blueprints, engineering drawings, product specifications, or technical manuals.
• Reviewing and evaluating supply systems operations and procedures through periodic audits and surveillance inspections.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
GS-13:
A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as meeting 2 of 3 of the following

1. Assisting with oversight and assessments to evaluate contractors' quality assurance performance.
2. Providing support with written and oral input to federal and/or contractor quality assurance program implementation.
3. Reviewing corrective action plans submitted by the contractor.

GS-14:
A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-13 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as meeting ALL of the following

1. Developing and implementing quality assurance (QA) programs.
2. Conducting technical evaluations and audits of quality control systems or service processes.
3. Communicating technical quality issues, findings, and recommendations to diverse audiences.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement, as demonstrated in your application and your responses to all assessments required for this position. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application or cheating on the assessment may result in removal from consideration. Responses to assessments must be prepared solely by the applicant. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, CoPilot) to draft, edit, or generate responses is strictly prohibited and may result in removal from consideration.

Your application will be assessed based on your responses to an online job knowledge assessment, and you will be placed into one of three pre-defined quality categories under Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified". The online job knowledge assessment primarily consists of multiple-choice questions designed to evaluate your understanding of key concepts relevant to this position.

Your application will be assessed based on your responses to an online assessment that measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. The 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. Your score will place you into one of three pre-defined quality categories under Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified". You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Your application and resume should demonstrate that you possess the following competencies. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the competencies identified below. Use specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position.

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Planning and Evaluating
• Problem Solving
• Quality Assurance
• Quality Management
• Reading
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork
• Technical Competence

To apply for this position, you MUST provide a complete application package which includes:

• Your two (2) pageRESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of the each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
• Cover Letter, optional, expressing additional information not covered in your resume.
• Transcripts, if specific educational requirements are indicated in this job announcement. Unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements.
• Veterans' Preference documentation,if applicable, DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; current active duty members- certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter. For more information visit the USAJOBS Help Center & OPM CHCOC website for VOW information.
• Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable(e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition.
• Military Spouse, if applicable, Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders authorizing you to accompany the Military member to the new duty permanent station; OR verification of the member's 100% disability (VA Letter); and/or verification of the member's death while on active duty (DD-1300 and Death Certificate) AND verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage). For more information visit the USAJOBS Help Center.

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