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

Interdisciplinary Scientist

Department of Health and Human Services
Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Health And Human Services, Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia.

This announcement has an applicant limit of 100. Once the first 100 applicants have been reached, the announcement will no longer be available to apply.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
02/16/2021 to 02/19/2021
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$103,690 to - $134,798 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
Washington, DC
Few vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
HHS-ASPR-DE-21-11028940
Control number
592263100

Duties

Help

Lead capability-based requirements development, ensuring ASPR meets statutory responsibilities.

Perform a variety of management and program analyses ranging from simple to complex, for conducting capability-based assessment, analysis of alternatives, and development of capability-based and material requirements.

Perform regular assessments of the requirements framework and processes as part of the integrated function with Office of Strategy, Policy, Planning, and Requirements and ASPR more broadly, to identify and implement best practices and improvements.

Work independently on interagency policy development across all dimension of preparedness and response; also functions in stakeholder outreach with state and local preparedness and response organizations.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required
  • Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service - http://www.sss.gov
  • Suitable for federal employment
  • Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. All information concerning qualifications is subject to investigation.
  • Documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System.
  • All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.
  • All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date.
  • Financial disclosure statement may be required.
  • One-year probationary period may be required.

Qualifications

Basic Qualification Requirements:

For Biologist, GS-401:
A. Have at least a bachelor's degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

B. Have a combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

For Health Scientist, GS-601:

Have a least a bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

For Physical Scientist, GS-1301:

A. Have at least a bachelor's degree 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

B. Have a 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 Chemist, GS-1320:

A. Have at least a bachelor's degree in physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics.

OR

B. Have a combination of education and experience -- course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

AND

Additional Qualification Requirements: In addition to meeting the Basic Qualification Requirements candidates must also:
For Interdisciplinary Scientist, GS-401/601/1301/1320-13:

Have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service that includes experience applying sciences such as biology, biochemistry, chemistry, microbiology, physical sciences, health sciences in one of the following areas:

1) Conducting or assisting programs for developing or evaluating medical countermeasures (MCM) such as a vaccine, drug, biologic, diagnostic device or test, or a manufacturing platform;

2) Conducting or assisting strategic, operational, or tactical planning or policy development, or program implementation for natural disasters or chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) or emerging infectious diseases (EIDs);

3) Conducting or assisting strategic, operational, or tactical planning or policy development, or program implementation for MCMs to any of the CBRN+EID threats;

4) Performing or assisting requirements analysis and development, e.g., DOD requirements, HHS requirements or other types: functional, performance based, allocated, materiel requirements, etc.;

5) Participating in operational disaster responses (e.g., public health or emergency medical), evaluating/developing literature, developing strategies that support disaster or terrorism or EID outbreak response and advising decision-makers.

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; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

Education

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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.

Additional information

In accordance with Executive Order 12564 of September 14, 1986, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is A Drug-Free Federal Workplace. The use of illegal drugs, on or off duty, by Federal employees is inconsistent not only with the law-abiding behavior expected of all citizens, but also with the special trust placed in such employees as servants of the public.

Incentives may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon multiple factors, including funds availability. If authorized, certain incentives may require you to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a period of up to 3 years. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Incentives may include the following: moving expenses, recruitment or relocation incentive; student loan repayment, superior qualifications appointment, creditable service for annual leave for prior non-federal work experience or prior uniformed military service, etc.

Bargaining Unit Position: No

Research position: No

Drug Screening Required: No

Veterans' Preference - https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans/

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP eligible see http://opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from 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.

If you are unable to apply online, please go to https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information for more information on our alternate application method.

NOTE: During the COVID-19 pandemic you may be authorized to telework remotely. The Federal government will begin a phased transition to normal operations in line with the national guidelines to Open Up America Again. HHS will make operating decisions based on State or locality of duty stations and other factors.

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 any interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.

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. Category rating procedures will be used to rate and rank candidates. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Qualified candidates will be ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - Applicants who have experience that is almost identical to those required by the position.
  • Well Qualified - Applicants who have experience that is very similar to those required by the position.
  • Qualified - Applicants who meet minimum qualification requirements, but do not identify any additional qualifying experience or skill.

Candidates in the highest category will be referred to the hiring agency.

The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher). Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
    • Oral Communication
    • Planning and Evaluating
    • Technical Competence - Scientific Guidance
    • Writing
To preview the assessment questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11028940

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.