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Life Scientist/Environmental Engineer/Physical Scientist

Environmental Protection Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is in Region 10, Water Division, Standards, Assessment & Watershed Management Branch.  If selected, you must work at the location stated in this announcement.  About Region 10: Region 10

The location will be determined after a selection has been made for the position; if selected, you must work at one of the locations stated in this announcement. The salary will be commensurate with the location.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
01/14/2022 to 01/28/2022
Salary
$123,114 to - $162,717 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Anchorage, AK
Seattle, WA
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be required to travel up to 25% of each month.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Temporary promotion - Temporary Promotion/Detail not-to-exceed 1 year
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CIN-ZX-MPI-2022-0001
Control number
631189400

Duties

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You will:

- Serve as both a senior technical expert and a recognized authority for the Bristol Bay watershed, which is a priority watershed of national importance. Serve as the Project Manager for the Bristol Bay Clean Water Act (CWA) project and team, which is comprised of staff, managers and contractors from multiple regional and national program offices, including attorneys, scientists/engineers, contractors and public affairs specialists.

- Advise and communicate with the immediate Supervisor, other EPA regional or headquarters staff, EPA Regional and Headquarter (HQ) management-- including Division Directors, Office Directors, the Regional Administrator, Assistant Administrators -- Tribes, Congressional members and staff, and state, local, and federal agencies about their own and the team’s information, analysis of, and recommendations for the Bristol Bay project.

- Prepare and/or oversee preparation of all materials associated with the CWA 404 evaluation of Bristol Bay, including final decision documents, supporting technical information, briefing materials, PowerPoint presentations, press releases, desk statements, FAQs, and outreach materials

You will spend 25-50% of your work time on contracts, grants/cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
  • EPA and non-EPA applicants must submit transcripts/course listings.
  • This is a temporary position (see Other Information on assignment limits).

You must meet time in grade requirements no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement.

As required by Executive Order 14043, if you are selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination by 11/22/21, or before onboarding with the agency if after 11/22/21, except in limited circumstances. For information about COVID-19 workplace safety at EPA, as well as resources and health and safety guidance, visit COVID-19 Safe Federal Workplace.

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 High 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 in providing guidance on the Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 (b)(1) and the impacts of mining on wetlands; managing & responding to FOIA requests.

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

1. Knowledge of the Clean Water Act (CWA) 404b1.

2. Skill in assessing watersheds and mining of them.

3. Skill in oral communication.

4. Knowledge of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations, procedures and policies.

5. Skill in written communication.

6. Skill in managing a large project to completion.

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:

0401 - General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences Series:

A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. -OR-

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

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

This position is in the bargaining unit.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA.

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.

If you are selected, you will serve in either a temporary promotion or a detail.

If this position is at a higher grade than your current grade, the assignment will be a temporary promotion which will be processed for a period not to exceed [insert time period; e.g., one year]. It may be extended [insert time period; e.g., up to four additional years] without further competition, for a total of [insert time period; e.g., five years].

If you are already at the same grade as this position, your assignment will be a detail which will be processed for a period not to exceed 120 days, and may be extended in 120 day increments. While on the detail, your salary will not change.

You may be returned at any time to the position from which you were temporarily promoted or detailed, or to a different position of equivalent grade and pay.

If you are selected, your position may become permanent.

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 and an applicable score assigned.

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 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). However, your resume should clearly show possession of these competencies.


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