Clarification from the agency

US Citizens

You will:

• Responsible for providing interpretations of toxicological data relative to the human health and/or ecological impacts of hazardous wastes, toxic substances, and pesticides in the environmental being evaluated by EPA.
• Work individually or participate in a team to prepare reports, publications, speeches or other outputs concerning human health and/or ecological risk assessment and development of criteria and standards, assuring the scientific quality of information being released.
• Analyze and interpret scientific data in the identification of adverse effects associated with exposures; selects assessment approaches and methods, and develop quantitative dose-response relationships.
• Synthesize and communicate various kinds of scientific information in the health assessment documents to a variety of audiences.
• Serve as a member of work groups and teams on matters of science and policy related to human health and/or environmental risk assessment.

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

Conditions of employment

• If you are selected, a pre-employment background check is required.
• 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.
• You must be a U.S. citizen.

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.

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

Qualifications

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

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-13 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time experience equivalent to the GS-12 level defined as developing sources of information and providing interpretations of toxicological data relative to the human health and/or ecological impacts of hazardous wastes, toxic substances or pesticides in the environment.

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

1. Knowledge of principles, concerts, practices, methods, and techniques related to the field of toxicology.
2. Ability to communicate in writing.
3. Knowledge of the principles, concepts, practices, methods, and techniques in the field of toxicology and other related disciplines.
4. Ability to communicate orally to variety of audiences.
5. Knowledge to evaluate critical, cross-cutting scientific issues and provide resolution of these issues and complex problems for decision making.
6. Ability to formulate advice and recommendations based on toxicology and the activities of various organizations such as Federal, State and local agencies, professional associations, educational and research institutions, industry associations, and/or public.

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.

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.