Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Environmental Engineer / Physical Scientist

Environmental Protection Agency
EPA
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is in Office of Water (OW).  If selected, you must work at the location stated in this announcement.  About OW: OW Website.

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
08/25/2020 to 09/08/2020
Salary
$121,316 to - $157,709 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be required to travel 25% of each month.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CI-OW-DE-2020-0010
Control number
576974800

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens

Duties

Help

You will:

  • Lead technical policy evaluation; interpret technical cost and engineering/scientific data, identify and evaluate trends or problems, and develop and implement solutions. Identify appropriate management practices to assure that water for reuse attains needed public health and environmental requirements and specifications.
  • Plan,develop, review, evaluate, communicate, and directly participate in the establishment and implementation of the Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP) projects. Work closely with a selective group of highly technical water reuse experts to assure that projects considered for deliberation under the program are of the highest quality possible. Evaluate technical and engineering/scientific data and information on proposed projects provided by Regions, states, contractors, industry, agriculture and the public to ensure the proposed projects will meet public health and environmental protection.
  • Represent the Office of Water (OW) as a national engineer/scientific/technical expert at state, regional and national and international forums representing EPA with states, industry, agriculture and water industry associations as a recognized expert on technology, science and policy issues.
  • Serve as the technical and science expert for EPA of the range of potential source waters available for the full spectrum of reuse.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • If you are selected, a pre-employment background check is required.
  • You must be a U.S. citizen.
  • EPA and non-EPA applicants must submit transcripts/course listings.
  • You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
  • Position has education requirements--see Qualifications/Education section.

If you are selected, you may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.

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.

This position is designated as Moderate 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.

Qualifications

In addition to the educational requirements, we are looking for at least one year of specialized experience related to this position as described below:

To qualify for the GS-14 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time experience equivalent to the GS-13 level defined as experience working in engineering or physical science related to the practice of water reuse to include an understanding of potential source waters for reuse (e.g., wastewater, storm water, industry discharge, agriculture, and oil and gas produced wastewater) and experience with the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and water reuse initiatives, including the treatment of water and wastewater and water reuse project assessment, review, and evaluation.

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

  • Ability to provide national and/or international expertise in the technology, science and practice of water reuse to include an understanding of the realm of potential source waters for reuse to protect public health and the environment.
  • Knowledge of principles, theories, and practices in the field of environmental engineering / physical science.
  • Skill in applying analytical developments, methodologies, and research finding.
  • Skill in extending and refining existing techniques to develop new approaches to water reuse considered through integrated water resource management strategies.
  • Skill in conducting probing, innovative analyses involving complex variables that impact significantly the effective development, interpretation, or implementation of important public water reuse projects.
  • Ability to communicate effectively orally.
  • Skill in developing new approaches to water reuse.
  • Ability to communicate effectively in writing.
  • Knowledge of technology, science, and practice of water reuse.
  • Knowledge of the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act.

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

You need a degree or combination of education and experience as described below to qualify for this position.

A bachelor’s or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in:

0800 - Engineering Series:

A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor’s degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. -OR-

B. Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying 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 or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
  2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
  3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
  4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor’s degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

1301 - General Physical Science Series:

A. 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-

B. Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above 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: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures

EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information:  EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Position has portable work and selectee may be authorized to telework after meeting eligibility requirements if approved by the supervisor/manager.

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.

Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed above.

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.  You are being evaluated under the category rating method which means, if you are determined to be qualified, you will be placed into the ‘Best Qualified’, ‘Well Qualified’, or ‘Qualified’ category.

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.

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


To preview questions please click here.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.