Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities may also apply to Job Announcement #26R-MP-312488-MPA-OSHEM More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

The Radiation Safety Officer area of responsibility will center on the recognition, evaluation, and control of environmental factors or stresses arising in the workplace or public area which may cause illness, impaired health and well-being, or significant discomfort among Smithsonian workers or others affected by property or operation of the Smithsonian.

In this position, you will:

GS-12/13:

• Serve as a Radiation Safety/advisor with responsibility for organizing and managing all features of the Smithsonian Institution’s (SI) Radiation monitoring program to include measurement, training, leak test survey investigation(s), evaluation, and analysis for the Radiation monitoring program.

• Oversee the daily operation of radiation safety program to ensure regulatory compliance as mandated by local, state, and federal agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Occupational Safety and Health administration (OSHA).

• Serve as technical subject matter expert, consultant, advisor. The incumbent also shall plan, administer, coordinate, evaluate the mission, overall operation, coupled with providing guidance and oversight of radioisotopes or radionuclides and monitoring Ionizing Radiation for the Smithsonian Institution (SI).
• Provide technical assistance and guidance on radiological control problems; advises permit holders on radioactive material inventory problems, shielding designs, waste handle procedures, dosimetry, and licensing requirements.
• Evaluate, collects, prepares, and inventories radioactive materials and/or hazardous chemicals for transport and disposal. Evaluates and tests inventories of sealed sources of radioactive materials.
• Approve radiation use permits (within scope of the NRC radioactive materials license) amends permits and authorizes new radiation workers.

GS-13: (In addition to the duties above at the GS-13 level, the following duties include the below.)

• Monitor and evaluates contractors hired by the Smithsonian Institution to provide industrial hygiene/radiation safety radiological environmental services.
• Develop specific training handbooks, manuals, pamphlets, bulletin reports and related regulatory analysis/impact statements for use by the Smithsonian Institution personnel and by outside museums and other organizations. 

Conditions of employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• May need to complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained.  Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• A bachelor’s or graduate/higher level degree in industrial hygiene, occupational health sciences, occupational and environmental health, toxicology, safety sciences, or related science; or
• A bachelor’s degree in a branch of engineering, physical science, or life science that included 12 semester hours in chemistry, including organic chemistry, and 18 additional semester hours of courses in any combination of chemistry, physics, engineering, health physics, environmental health, biostatistics, biology, physiology, toxicology, epidemiology, or industrial hygiene; or 
• Certification from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH).

Courses in the history or teaching of chemistry are not acceptable.

Evaluation of Education

All science or engineering courses offered in fulfillment of the above requirements must be acceptable for credit toward the completion of a standard 4-year professional curriculum leading to a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering at an accredited college or university. For engineering degrees to be acceptable, the curriculum must be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) as a professional engineering curriculum.

Evaluation of Experience

Qualifying experience involves the recognition, evaluation, corrective actions, and elimination of environmental conditions in the workplace that causes sickness, impaired health, or illness.  This experience must demonstrate a professional knowledge of the theory and application of the principles of industrial hygiene and closely related sciences such as physics and engineering controls.

Such work must have involved experience in all of the following areas: the acquisition of quantitative and qualitative data, and the measurement of exposures for a variety of chemical, physical, and biological stresses; the analysis of the data acquired and the prediction of probable effects of exposures on the health and well-being of workers; and the selection and recommendation of appropriate controls, including management, medical, engineering, education or training, and personal protective equipment.

In addition to the basic qualification requirement above:

Experience:

GS-12: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as reviewing, and providing guidance on radiation safety policies and programs, conducting periodic inspections to identify and assess radiation safety hazards and providing guidance in the development of radiation safety audits/inspections. Specifically, the experience must include demonstrated experience with dosimetry, radioactive waste management, laboratory and workplace surveys, inventory and recordkeeping, contamination control, conducting specific training related to the use of radioactive materials, management of contracts, compliance with the management of a byproduct materials license, and protecting against unwarranted exposures to ionizing radiation. 

GS-13: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as reviewing, and providing guidance on radiation safety policies and programs, conducting periodic inspections to identify and assess radiation safety hazards and providing guidance in the development of radiation safety audits/inspections , including resolving potential hazardous material issues.  Specifically, the experience must include demonstrated experience with dosimetry, radioactive waste management, laboratory and workplace surveys, inventory and recordkeeping, contamination control, conducting specific training related to the use of radioactive materials, management of contracts, compliance with the management of a byproduct materials license, and protecting against unwarranted exposures to ionizing radiation.  

Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience.

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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job-related competencies below:

Grade 12/13:

• Train, investigation, evaluation, and analysis for radiation and/or radio-active substances.  
• Apply applicable Federal, State, and local laws, regulations, and other directives, including Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
• Provide overall guidance and program oversight, conducts Ionizing Radiation surveys and evaluations.
• Provide technical assistance, guidance, shielding designs, waste handling, licensing, and conducting dosimetry surveys.
• Evaluate and inventory radioactive materials and conducting surveys/testing of sealed sources.
• COTR: Knowledge of NRC radioactive materials licensure and permits requirements.

Grade 13: (In addition to the duties above at the GS-13 level, the following duties include the below.)

• Provide guidance to ensure regulatory compliance with the NRC and OSHA regulations.
• Conduct essential training for radiation and/or radioactive substances.

Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:

• Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job-related competencies above.
• Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job-related competencies above.
• Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements but does not satisfy most of the job-related competencies above to a substantive degree.

This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.

Important Note:

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.

Your application package should include the following documents:

• Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and hours worked per week, for each employment period.  It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position. 

• For assistance with creating a resume, please click USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?

• Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
• Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
• Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.

Next steps