Physical Science Technician

Summary
This is a public notice flyer to notify interested applicants of anticipated vacancies. Applications will NOT be accepted through this flyer. Interested applicants should review the "How to Apply" section of this flyer for more information on how to be considered. This flyer will be used as positions become available. There may or may not be actual vacancies filled from this flyer.
This job is open to

• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Duties

• Serves as the area specialist in various analysis techniques for environmental, industrial hygiene and/or clinical samples.
• Conducts literature searches to determine the methods and procedures appropriate to obtain information requested and, modifies or adapts instrumental techniques and procedures to complete assignments.
• Prepares environmental, clinical, and/or industrial hygiene samples for various toxic contaminants with various extraction, digestion, and wet chemical techniques.
• Analyzes environmental, clinical, and/or industrial hygiene samples by various instrumental analysis techniques such as spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods.
• Plans work to be accomplished within regulatory holding times, distributes and balances workload among other technicians, and reviews completed work for technical accuracy.
• Determines equipment and supply needs and provides recommendations on new instruments and analytical techniques.

Requirements
Conditions of Employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• The incumbent is required to wear personal protective equipment such as safety glasses, lab coats, appropriate gloves and steel toe shoes while performing duties.
• The ability to lift up to 50 pounds is required.
• May be subject to a one-year probationary period.

Qualifications
Who May Apply: US Citizens
In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.
To Qualify at the GS-07 Physical Science Technician:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service which includes:
1.) Performing basic testing techniques in a laboratory setting following instructions or published procedures.
2.) Performing Quality Control (QC); procedures related to laboratory testing and
3.) Accurately documenting records related to assigned laboratory procedures.
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-06).
OR
Education: One full academic year of graduate level education in a field directly related to the work of the position, such as astronomy, physics, geophysics, chemistry, hydrology, health physics, engineering, electronics, geology, oceanography, and metallurgy.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.
To Qualify at the GS-08 Physical Science Technician:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service which includes:
1.) Performing chemical analysis and/or preparation of environmental or occupational health sample matrices following published methods or Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs)
2.) Evaluating analytical method Quality Control (QC); and
3.) Accurately reporting laboratory analysis results.
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).
OR
Education: one and a half years (i.e., 27 semester hours) of graduate level education in a field directly related to the work of the position, such as astronomy, physics, geophysics, chemistry, hydrology, health physics, engineering, electronics, geology, oceanography, and metallurgy.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond the first year (total semester hours minus 18) by 9. Add the two percentages.
To qualify at the GS-09 Physical Science Technician:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-08 grade level in the Federal service which includes:
1.) Utilizing a variety of analytical laboratory instrumentations and techniques to analyze environmental and industrial hygiene samples to determine chemical composition and toxic constituents;
2.) Reviewing data to include reporting results with any required data qualifiers, and
3.) Provide input for modifying existing standard operations procedures for sample analysis.
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-08).
OR
Education: Master's degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education in a field directly related to the work of the position, such as astronomy, physics, geophysics, chemistry, hydrology, health physics, engineering, electronics, geology, oceanography, and metallurgy.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.
EDUCATIONS:
***YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR OFFICIAL EDUCATIONAL TRANSCRIPTS EVEN IF YOU ARE A CURRENT FEDERAL EMPLOYEE***
EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION: Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-7. Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree meets the requirements for GS-9. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.
Education
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
Additional information

• This announcement uses the direct hire authority to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to certain positions in the competitive service.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• One year trial/probationary period may be required.
• Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
• This is a Career Program (CP) 16 - Engineers & Scientists position.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
• Due to COVID-19, the agency is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement within a designated time frame identified by the organization. At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework one or more days a pay period depending upon the terms of the agency's telework policy.
• Information may be requested regarding the vaccination status of selectees for the purposes of implementing workplace safety protocols. For more information, visit https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/faq/vaccinations/.

• 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.
As vacancies occur, the Human Resources Office will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this flyer. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume, along with your supporting documentation.
If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, 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 when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.
If selected, you may be required to provide additional supporting documentation.

• 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.
• Required Documents
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  Your complete application includes your resume and other documents which prove your qualifications and 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.
  1. Your resume:
  
  • Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
  • For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
  
  2. Other supporting documents:
  
  • Cover Letter, optional
  • ***YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR OFFICIAL EDUCATIONAL TRANSCRIPTS EVEN IF YOU ARE A CURRENT FEDERAL EMPLOYEE***
  • Time-in-grade documentation: If you are a current Federal Employee and applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstra...