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

Physical Scientist / Environmental Engineer

Environmental Protection Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is in Region 5; Air & Radiation Division; Air Toxics & Assessment Branch; Air Monitoring & Analysis Section.  If selected, you must work at the location stated in this announcement.  About Region 5: Region 5 webpage

Salary will be based on the grade level for which you are selected.

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
09/22/2020 to 09/28/2020
Salary
$47,965 to - $76,274 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 07 - 09
Location
Chicago, IL
2 vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be required to travel up to 50% of each month.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CI-R5-OT-2020-0074
Control number
579407000

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

Recent Graduates who have completed a qualifying degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution or technical education program within the preceding 2 years of the announcement closing date OR current students who will complete a qualifying degree/certificate within 9 months of the announcement closing date. Preference eligible veterans unable to apply within 2 years of receiving their degree due to military service obligation may apply up to 6 years after degree/certification.

Duties

Help

At the entry level of this position, you will:

  • Assist in performing data analyses and technical review for regulatory actions such as air quality attainment designations, State Implementation Plan approvals, and requests made pursuant to EPA’s Exceptional Events Rule
  • Participate in coordinating with EPA Headquarters and state/local/tribal agencies on the interpretation and implementation of ambient air quality monitoring regulations
  • Develop expertise to serve as the Air Division’s technical resource on regulatory initiatives and other projects related to ambient air monitoring and atmospheric science.


When entering a Federal job at a grade level lower than the highest promotion potential level, you may be promoted to more complex duties and work more independently, as your career progresses.

One or more positions may be filled.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • If you are selected, a written participant agreement must be signed.
  • Position has education requirements--see Qualifications/Education section.
  • If you are selected, a pre-employment background check is required.
  • You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
  • You must be a U.S. citizen.
  • You must meet all Recent Grad. program requirements by the closing date.

If you are still completing coursework, offer of employment will be contingent upon completion of degree/certificate program.  Proof showing confer date within nine months of the announcement closing date will be required before entry on duty.

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.

If you are selected, the entire period served under the Recent Graduates program will be a trail period.

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-07 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time experience equivalent to the GS-05 level defined as assisting in the production or review of scientific/technical documents 
- OR 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement (Superior Academic Achievement Definition) degree in the academic discipline as described below - OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.

To qualify for the GS-09 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time experience equivalent to the GS-07 level defined as experience providing policy and/or procedural guidance on environmental issues, assisting in the production or review of scientific/technical documents, and providing stakeholders or others with advice on environmental issues related to air monitoring activities - OR master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in the academic discipline as described below - OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.

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

  • Knowledge of federal environmental laws and regulations
  • Knowledge of air quality programs
  • Ability to collaborate with external stakeholders to provide advice
  • Ability to interpret environmental regulations and policy
  • Skill in written communication to respond to or evaluate technical documents
  • Skill in oral communication

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.

As part of the application process, you are required to submit college transcripts or a list of courses as described in the Required Documents section of this announcement.  However, if you are selected, you must provide official educational transcripts before you start work with EPA.  More information on verification of education can be found here:  EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

For information about accreditation requirements, visit EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Additional information

This position is in the bargaining unit.

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.

This is a Recent Graduates position in the Pathways program.  This program provides individuals who have completed a qualifying associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate with an entry-level developmental experience with the potential to lead to a career in the Federal government after successfully completing the program.  More information about the Recent Graduates program can be found at USAJOBS Information Sheet.

Upon completion of the developmental program, you may be noncompetitively converted to a term or permanent position without further competition.

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.

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.

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

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.