Physical Scientist

Environmental Protection Agency•District of Columbia, DC

2d•Onsite

About The Position

This position is in the Office of Water (OW), Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water, Drinking Water Capacity and Compliance Assistance Division, Tribal and Water Resources Assistance Branch. This is an office-centered position--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.

Requirements

You must meet time-in-grade requirements no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement.
This position is designated as High Risk and requires a background investigation.
Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation.
All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.
If you are selected, you must complete (or have already completed) a 1-year supervisory or managerial probationary period.
Upon acceptance of an initial appointment to a supervisory or managerial position with the EPA, you agree to complete all elements of the EPA Successful Leaders Program.
If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure form within 30 days of your first day of employment and annually thereafter.
NOTE: You must meet qualification requirements, including any requirements described in the Education section, by the closing date of this announcement.
To qualify for the GS-15 level, you must have 1 year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level defined as leading teams to develop or manage national program policies; leading and mentoring a team of multidisciplinary staff to improve operational performance; and building strategic partnerships and representing the Agency on public health or environmental protection.
You will need the following competencies in order to perform the duties of this position successfully: Planning and Evaluating, Decision Making, Supervisory and Leadership Judgement, Conflict Management, Critical Thinking, Partnering, Technical Competence, Quality Assurance.
You will be evaluated on these critical competencies.
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.
If you have part-time work experience, read this: Part-Time Experience .

Nice To Haves

Biologist : You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR a combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major, as listed.
Environmental Engineer : You must have one of the following: Successful completion of a professional engineering degree at an accredited university or college OR Combination of college level education or training AND technical experience that has furnished you with (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering.
The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: Professional registration as an engineer. Evidence of passing the Engineer-in-Training written test. Successful documented completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences as described by OPM. Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field and at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.
Please review the OPM page on specifics about required curriculum and for more information on qualifications, please visit GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications .
Physical Scientist : You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in 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 a combination of education and experience with education equivalent to one of the majors listed that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
For information about accreditation requirements, visit Accreditation .

Responsibilities

Plan, direct, and manage organizational unit operations and staff to achieve program goals and priorities, develop and implement policies and work schedules, allocate resources and assignments, monitor performance and progress, and provide recommendations on complex issues and accomplishments to senior leadership.
Exercise supervisory personnel management responsibilities to ensure work is accomplished accurately.
Represent the agency at functional area forums to gather and disseminate information that are critical to agency operation and priorities.
Serve as an expert technical advisor on issues pertaining to the national drinking water program, national grant programs, source water protection, and tribal compliance assistance.
Oversee and provide technical direction for contract, extramural, and resource management to ensure policies and regulations are effectively followed.
You will spend less than 25% of your work time on contracts, grants/cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements.

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.
Learn more about federal benefits .
Benefits will not change for current permanent EPA employees.
If you are selected for this position, situational telework may be approved by your supervisor if you meet eligibility requirements, as allowable by agency policy and/or applicable collective bargaining agreement.
EPA policy only allows telework to be approved situationally.
Situational telework is for work or assignments of specific limited duration on an occasional, emergency, or ad hoc basis.
NOTE: If you are an EPA employee who currently works at a remote work location (i.e., full-time telework), your approval for remote work does not transfer to this position, subject to Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act.
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.