Public Notice for Direct Hire (STEM) - Physical Scientist at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS Careers) in Newark, NJ

Summary

As a global leader in public health & health promotion, CDC is the agency Americans trust with their lives. In addition to our everyday work, each CDC employee has a role in supporting public health emergency management, whether through temporary assignments to emergency responses or sustaining other CDC programs and activities while colleagues respond. Join our team to use your talent, training, & passion to help CDC continue as the world's premier public health organization. Visit

Duties

The CDC utilizes Direct/Expedited Hire Authorities to fill vacancies in a variety of occupations. This vacancy is a REPOSITORY of applications. Duties and responsibilities vary and may increase according to the grade level of the position. Applications may be periodically referred to hiring managers both during the open period and after the closing date. Because of the large number of applications anticipated, applicants' status will not be updated.

This public notice will be used to fill the positions listed below at multiple grade levels and locations.

Physical Scientist: Grades GS-11 through GS-15

Applicant Expiration: Applications will expire 4 months after submission/resubmission. To remain eligible for consideration, reapplying is required.

Duties may include but are not limited to:

Conceiving, planning, and conducting research on unexplored areas relating to safety and health where there is little or no theory to guide experimentation.
Conducting studies that involve technological advances including new and/or improved equipment/systems; performance requirements; selection and use criteria; and methods for testing and evaluating hazard prevention systems.
Serving as a resource both internal and external to the agency and providing consultation and advice to the agency in areas of personal research expertise.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Due to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) process enhancement to use Shared Certificates throughout the Agency, some of the requirements below may differ:

US Citizenship is required.
Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service ().
May be subject to a Background/Security Investigation. Security clearance level may differ from the position announced when certificates are shared.
CDC participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (). If selected, CDC will determine your employment eligibility using your social security number.
Direct deposit is required.
One-year probationary period may be required.
This position may be subject to a Collective Bargaining Agreement.
This public notice may be used to fill supervisory or managerial positions and selectees may be subject to 1 year supervisory or managerial probationary period.
Positions may be filled as permanent or term appointments.
This position may be subject to the OGE Financial Disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). CDC inspires public confidence in its trust responsibilities and mission by maintaining high ethical principles. If selected, you may be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest and your prospective position with the agency. If identified, this will be an annual requirement.
In accordance with Executive Order 12564 of September 15, 1986, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is A Drug-Free Federal Workplace. This position may require a Drug Test and be subject to Random Drug Testing. The position may require the submission of a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and be subject to reasonable suspicion and post-accident drug testing upon hiring. If required to submit to urinalysis, the appointment to the position will be contingent upon a negative test result.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

Degree: 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
Combination of education and experience: education equivalent to one of the majors shown above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Minimum Qualifications:

GS-11:
- At least 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR
- At least 1 year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, to include experience designing and developing experimental equipment, instrumentation, and prototype systems to monitor, measure and evaluate hazards OR
- A combination of education & experience
GS-12:
- At least 1 year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, to include experience performing scientific studies to evaluate chemical, radiological and/or biological hazards; and assessing the performance of protective equipment
GS-13:
- At least 1 year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service, to include experience providing scientific leadership in planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating radiation studies involving exposure pathway analysis, source term estimation, and radiation dosimetry
GS-14:
- At least 1 year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service, to include experience providing research and science support information for program policy management; identifying developmental and training needs of managers; and participating in policy and guidance development to enable organizational implementation of policy or program initiatives
GS-15:
- At least 1 year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service, to include experience performing management planning duties such as concept development, master integration planning, and programming design for programs or projects, considering feasibility, costs, and economics; and conceiving, planning, conducting and reviewing work in areas where there is little theory to guide efforts

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.

Promotion potential: Promotion to the next grade level is at management's discretion and is based on your meeting qualifications and time-in-grade requirements, demonstrated ability to perform the higher-level duties, the continuing need for the higher-level duties, and administrative approval. Promotion to the next grade level is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.

The utilization of shared certificates for additional selections within the same geographical area can be made from multiple Centers of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

This position is being filled through Direct Hire Authority for this occupation and is open to all US Citizens. Vacancies will be filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority. Veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to positions filled under this announcement. All applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements will be forwarded to the selecting official for consideration. Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during the duration of the direct-hire authority.

For more information on OPM's authorization of Direct Hire Authority, please visit:

Once the application process is complete, a review of the resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume 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. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): CTAP/ICTAP eligibles must meet all of the requirements outlined in the qualification section of this announcement in order to be considered "well qualified."

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you MUST submit a complete Application Package which includes the following. Note: All documents must be in English.

1. Resume - Must reflect name, work schedule, hours worked per week, dates (month/year) of employment and duties performed.

Current/former Federal employee:

Must reflect pay plan, series and grade, i.e., GS-0301-9.

Dos and Don'ts:

Cover Letter is optional.

2. Transcripts (if applicable) - You may submit an unofficial transcript. An official transcript from an accredited educational institution is required if you are selected.

3. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/ Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP):

Supporting documentation i.e., Reduction in Force (RIF) notice or Certificate of Expected Separation (CES), AND most recent:
- Current annual performance appraisal
- SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action)

4. Current or Former Political Appointees: Agencies must seek prior approval from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service. Current or Former Political Appointees: Submit SF-50.

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

For Résumé and Application Tips visit:

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 .

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.