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Life Scientist / Environmental Engineer / Physical Scientist

Environmental Protection Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is in Region 5, Water Division, Ground Water and Drinking Water Branch. About Region 5: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-5

This is an office-centered position*--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.
*EPA offers work-from-home and work schedule flexibilities as described in the Benefits section.

Overview

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Job canceled
Open date: 11/19/2024
Closed date: 12/04/2024
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—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.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$115,439 - $150,075 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Promotion potential
13
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be required to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Announcement number
EPA-U5-MPI-2025-0011
Control number
819600900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current permanent EPA internal employees in Region 5 with competitive status and CTAP eligibles. NOTE: Eligibility is based on your current position of record (if you are on a temporary promotion, the temporary promotion position is your position of record).

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Duties

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You will:

  • Serve as the regional expert on emergency response and preparedness pertaining to public water supply systems in Region 5.
  • Represent Region 5 on national committees and/or workgroups responsible for the development of Agency regulations, guidance, and policy statements under the Public Water Supply Supervision (PWSS) Program.
  • Serve as a Project Officer and Technical Advisor on grants, contracts or congressionally-directed spending (CDS) projects.

You will spend less than 25% of your work time on contracts, grants/cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements.

One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
  • Position has education requirements--see Qualifications/Education section.
  • EPA and non-EPA applicants must submit transcripts/course listings.

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.

You must meet time in grade requirements no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement.

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.

#LI-DNI

Qualifications

NOTE:  You must meet qualification requirements, including any requirements described in the Education section, by the closing date of this announcement.

In addition to the basic entry education requirements, you must have specialized experience and/or directly related education as described below:

To qualify for the GS-13 level, you must have 1 year of full-time* specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level defined as developing new and/or modifying existing methods to identify, evaluate, and resolve unique and complex issues arising during emergencies; coordinating with internal and external stakeholders to resolve emergency, cyber-attack, and/or man-made events; and conducting assessments to identify and remediate cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities.

Your answers to the online assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  • Knowledge of federal and agency environmental statutory, regulatory, policies and principles pertaining to threats to and protection of public water supply systems.
  • Knowledge of guidance related to the implementation of the rules and regulations under the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and Public Water Supply Supervision (PWSS) programs.
  • Knowledge of contracts, interagency agreements (IAs), cooperative agreements, and/or grants.
  • Skill in developing and conducting cybersecurity risk assessments to identify and remediate vulnerabilities to public water supply systems.
  • Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with individuals and groups.
  • Skill in oral communication.
  • Skill in written communication.
  • Ability to perform tests and/or procedures using specialized methods or techniques to evaluate the size, nature, and extent of potential hazards to public water supply systems.

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: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Education

Life Scientist (0401)

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 (0819)

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:
  1. Professional registration as an engineer.
  2. Evidence of passing the Engineer-in-Training written test.
  3. Successful documented completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences as described by OPM.
  4. 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 (1301)

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 EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Additional information

Are you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents section and visit the EPA website for additional information on the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures
NOTE: To be entitled to selection priority, you must be rated well-qualified (i.e., you must have a score of 87 or higher--see the How You Will Be Evaluated section).

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA.

If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.

This position is in the bargaining unit.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your resume must address the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed in the Qualifications section. If you meet basic qualification requirements, your application will be further evaluated based on your answers to the online assessment. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for the position and an applicable score assigned.

We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. We will evaluate your qualifications and eligibility and notify you if you meet minimum qualification requirements. If you are referred for consideration, you may be subject to additional assessments (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.).

NOTE: We do not require a separate statement responding to the competencies, also referred to as Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). However, your resume should clearly show possession of these competencies.


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Environmental Protection Agency

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Agency contact information

Kimberly Garner
Phone
513-569-7674
Email
Garner.Kimberly@epa.gov
Address
Environmental Protection Agency
OMS/OHCO/RCD
1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW
WJC Bldg North, Mail Code 1448K
Washington, District of Columbia 20460
United States

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