Quality Assurance Specialist (Chemicals) Job in Sembach, Germany

Vacancy No. DLAEnergy-25-12815424-MP Department Defense Logistics Agency
Salary $75,706.00 to $98,422.00 Grade 12 to 12
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/15/2025 Close Date 10/22/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Sembach, Germany


Summary

See below for important information regarding this job.

Duties

  • Performs supply chain management and quality assurance functions for DLA Energy to ensure the integrity, reliability, and safety of chemical and petroleum products.
  • Evaluates contractor quality systems, procedures, and documentation for adequacy, completeness, and compliance with the contractual and regulatory requirements.
  • Conducts audits, surveillance, and government facilities to verify product conformance with DLA Energy Quality Assurance (QA) standards and specifications.
  • Investigate product quality deficiencies, supplier nonconformance reports, and customer complaints to identify root causes and recommend corrective or preventative actions.
  • Analyzes laboratory test results, inspection reports, and technical documentation to determine product suitability for issue, storage, or use.
  • Provides technical guidance to management, suppliers, and customers on QA policies, inspection procedures, and process improvements.
  • Performs duties at an overseas DLA Energy location in Germany, coordinating with officials, contactors, and U.S. military personnel to ensure compliance with applicable quality environmental, and safety standards.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a U.S. citizen
  • Tour of Duty: Set Schedule
  • Security Requirements: Non-Critical Sensitive with Secret Access
  • Appointment is subject to the completion of a favorable suitability or fitness determination, where reciprocity cannot be applied; unfavorably adjudicated background checks will be grounds for removal.
  • Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
  • Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service.
  • Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
  • Bargaining Unit Status: No
  • Financial Disclosure Requirement: Required
  • Pre-Employment Physical: Required
  • Financial Disclosure Requirement: Required
  • You will be a Mission Essential employee. This requires you to work during an emergency to ensure continuation of essential functions. You may be required to work at the designated duty location, a telework site, or an alternate location/facility.
  • Subject to Overseas Rotation Agreement, Tour Length: Yes, 36 Months (https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/140025v1230.pdf)

Qualifications

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position and is directly in or related to this position. To qualify at the GS-12 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military, or private sector. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements including time-in-grade (General Schedule (GS) positions only), time-after-competitive appointment, minimum qualifications, and any other regulatory requirements by the cut-off/closing date of the announcement. Creditable specialized experience includes:
  • Applying quality assurance principles, inspection methods, and analytical techniques to evaluate and verify the quality of chemical, petroleum, or related energy products, ensuring compliance with contractual and regulatory requirements.
  • Conduct audits, surveillance, and product investigations to assess supplier performance, identify deficiencies, and develop or recommend corrective and preventive actions.
  • Analyzing laboratory test results, inspection data, and technical documentation to determine product integrity and suitability for storage, issue, or use.
  • Providing technical guidance and recommendations to management, contractors, and customers on quality standards, testing procedures, and process improvements, including coordination with stakeholders in an overseas environment to ensure adherence to U.S.
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.

Physical Demands: Although approximately 40% of the work is performed in an office setting, extensive TDY trips are required resulting in continuous environmental changes. TDY trips are required for on-site inspections of contractor loading/discharging facilities (service/procurement) for Energy products, gas, oil, and Into-Plane contract locations. This requires considerable and strenuous physical exertion such as frequent climbing of tall ladders and crouching or crawling in restricted areas i.e., climbing up, onto, and into tanks in excess of 60 feet high and accessing petroleum marine vessel tankers via gangways/Jacobs Ladders. As well to stoop and bend while inspecting storage tanks and may take a couple of hours to complete. Some tanks may require cleaning and necessitating additional periods of standing and climbing. Operations involving support of U.S. military units engaged in combat support duties are also likely. Physical examination is required, both as a condition of employment as well as on a recurring annual basis.

Work Environment: The nature of the work requires that the specialist, on a regular and recurring basis, be exposed to potentially dangerous situations. Work is outside, subject to inclement weather conditions, and occurs all hours of the day and night. In all cases, the incumbent is expected to enforce and observe all applicable safety precautions, including the use of personal protective equipment(e.g. toxic chemical protective clothing) and devices. The QAR works in the vicinity of explosive petroleum products, toxic laboratory chemicals, and toxic fuel additives. Incumbent is required to work extensive overtime periods in all types of environments. The QAR can also be voluntarily deployed in support of ongoing U.S. military operations on foreign soil.

Education

Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level.

Additional information

For Important General Applicant Information and Definitions go to: http://www.dla.mil/portals/104/documents/careers/GenAppInfoDef.pdf

Reemployed Annuitants: This position does not meet criteria for appointment of Reemployed Annuitants. The DoD criteria for hiring Reemployed Annuitants can be found at: https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/140025_vol300.PDF

Acquisition Position: Position requires DoD Acquisition Engineering & Tech Management, Foundational certification within required timeframes. Selectee must also achieve 80 hours of Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) every 2-years. Click here for more details and Resources.

You will be a Mission Essential employee. This requires you to work during an emergency to ensure continuation of essential functions. You may be required to work at the designated duty location, a telework site, or an alternate location/facility.

Information for Veterans is available at: https://www.dla.mil/Careers/Programs/. As of 23 December 2016, Military retirees seeking to enter federal service in the Department of Defense now require a waiver if they would be appointed within 180 days following their official date of retirement.

Drug-Free Workplace Policy

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is committed to maintaining a safe, drug-free workplace. All DLA employees are required to refrain from illegal drug use on and off duty. DLA conducts pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, and random drug testing.

Applicants tentatively selected for employment in testing designated positions will undergo a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Refusal to undergo testing or testing positive for illegal drugs will result in withdrawal of the tentative job offer and a six-month denial of employment with DLA from the date of the drug test. Employees in drug testing designated positions are subject to random drug testing.

The DLA drug testing panel tests for the following substances: marijuana, cocaine, opiates, heroin, phencyclidine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, fentanyl, norfentanyl, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and opioids.

ADVISORY: Use of cannabidiol (CBD) products may result in a positive drug test for marijuana. DLA employees are subject to Federal law and under Federal law, Marijuana is a Schedule I drug and is illegal.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

The assessments for this job will measure the following Competencies:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation may be completed and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. The rating you receive is based on your responses to the assessment questionnaire and USA Hire assessments. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the competencies required for this position. If your resume and/or supporting documentation is reviewed and a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.

Required Documents

To apply for this position you must provide a complete Application Package. Each Application Package MUST include:

  1. Your Resume listing 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 the qualifications and referred for selection consideration if eligible. IMPORTANT NOTE: Ensure that your resume does not contain any specialized characters, fonts, typefaces or formatting (e.g. tables, macros, etc.). It is also recommended that you convert/save your resume as a PDF prior to attaching to your application.
  2. Applicable documents to support the eligibility(s) for which you are applying. Please review the following link for a listing of the additional documents you will need to provide: Supporting Documents.
  3. If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here.
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): If you are an eligible ICTAP applicant you may apply for special selection over other candidates for this position. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at a score of 85 or higher for this position. ICTAP eligibles must submit one of the following as proof of eligibility for the special selection priority: a separation notice; a "Notice of Personnel Action" (SF-50) documenting separation; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; OR a Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456.

ADDITIONAL OVERSEAS INFORMATION:

For an explanation of the overseas entitlements, please review the information in the following link:
http://www.dla.mil/Careers/Programs/overseas.aspx

U.S. citizens overseas under ordinarily resident status are not eligible for appointment under the Status of Forces Agreement. Ordinarily Resident is defined as a U.S. citizen who is locally resident; and, has legal, permanent resident status within the host country; and, is subject to host country employment and tax laws.

Applicants must comply with the Exceptional Family Member Program requirements as outlined in the DoD Instruction 1315.19.

If an employee brings a child to an overseas location and that child is entitled to attend a DoD school on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, the DoDEA and the Military Department responsible for providing related services will ensure that the child, if eligible for special education, receives a free appropriate public education, including related services pursuant to DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12.

If an employee brings an infant or toddler (up to 3 years of age) to an overseas location, and that infant or toddler is entitled to attend the DoDEA on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, then the Military Department responsible for early intervention services (EIS) will provide the infant or toddler with the required EIS in accordance with the eligibility criteria consistent with DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12.

Employees (and family members) who require medical or dental care in the overseas location will be responsible for obtaining and paying for such care. Access for civilian employees and their families to military medical and dental treatment facilities is on a space-available and reimbursable basis only.

Pay Retention will be extended to an eligible employee who applies through a formal recruitment program and is selected for a position at an overseas location.
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/140025-V536p.PDF?ver=2020-03-30-140046-310

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

  1. To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button.
  2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. NOTE: Resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
  3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/22/2025.
  4. After submitting your online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take any additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you both on screen and via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. If you do not receive the email invitation to the assessment and you meet the minimum qualifications for the position, you should contact https://apply.usastaffing.gov/HelpTicket to request the email be re-sent. Requests to re-send invitations to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments must be received by https://apply.usastaffing.gov/HelpTicket BEFORE the close of the JOA.
  5. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements.
  6. NOTE: Set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application.
You may update your application documents and some questions related to your personal information at any time during the announcement open period. However, you will not be able to make changes to questions related to assessing the minimum qualifications and competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics) mentioned in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. To make an allowed update to your application, return to your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://www.usajobs.gov. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire.

To preview the questionnaire, please go to https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12815424.

Agency contact information

Alexandra Stafford
Address
DLA Energy
8725 John J Kingman Rd
Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6222
US

Next steps

If you meet the minimum qualifications of this position, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments (CBA) system. These additional online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement unless you have requested Reasonable Accommodation for the USA Hire CBA. Your results will be kept on record for one year when applying for future jobs that require the same USA Hire CBA. NOTE: If the USA Hire CBA is altered within a year of your last application, you will be required to take the new USA Hire CBA. If no additional online assessments are required you will receive an OPM notification stating "It has been determined that you have completed all required online assessments and your application is complete. No further action is required."

Once you successfully complete the application process, you will receive a notification of receipt. Your application package will be reviewed to ensure you meet the basic eligibility and qualifications requirements, and you will receive a notification. A review may be completed of your online questionnaire and the documentation you submitted to support your responses. Applicants that are found among the most highly qualified may be referred to the hiring official for consideration, and you will receive a notification of referral. The selecting official may choose to conduct interviews, and as part of the selection process, applicants may be required to complete additional supplemental documents. Once the selection is made, you will receive a notification of the decision. If interviews are conducted, DLA uses a technique called Behavior Based Interviewing (BBI). Be sure to check your USA Jobs account for your notification updates.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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