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Senior Scientist/Engineer for Community Participatory Research

Environmental Protection Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

***This announcement has been amended to reflect an updated closing date of September 27, 2022.***

This Title 42 position is in the Office of Research and Development (ORD), Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response (CESER).

If selected, you must work at the location stated in this announcement.

About ORD.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/22/2022 to 09/27/2022
Salary
$176,300 to - $250,000 per year
Pay scale & grade
RG B
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Edison, NJ
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will be paid by EPA according to applicable rules. You can read more about these expenses on this web site: www.relocatefeds.gov
Appointment type
Term - This is a Title 42 position of up to 5 years which may be renewed.
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
00
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
RTP-ORD-42-2022-0005
Control number
672458700

Duties

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This position is located in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) in the Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response (CESER). CESER provides research-based solutions and technical support to assist customers with regulatory, policy, and guidance decisions and to help customers solve environmental problems in the built environment. 

This position will serve as the ORD Lead for the new Community-Engaged Research Collaborative for Learning and Excellence (CERCLE), located at EPA’s Edison Environmental Center (EEC) in Edison, New Jersey. ORD and EPA’s Region 2 are co-developing CERCLE at the EEC. The vision for the CERCLE is to create a community-focused research center that incorporates local, underrepresented, or underserved communities into all stages of the scientific and research process to co-produce actionable and sustainable solutions that increase and maintain community resilience to environmental issues. ORD’s applied, collaborative, and community-engaged research at the CERCLE will serve as a model and resource for addressing community challenges nationwide, including environmental justice, climate, adaptation, and community resilience.

Specific duties of the position include:

  • As the ORD ORD Lead of the CERCLE, building and maintaining the capability of the CERCLE to host ORD community-engaged environmental research, bringing together community needs and ORD research priorities.
  • Coordinating with Agency, state, local and tribal partners to engage with local communities and maintain scientific rigor with local and national impact.
  • Provide high-level substantive advice and recommendations to the CESER Director and Deputy Director, as well as senior officials in ORD, advising on tools and approaches required to generate rapid and scientifically defensible social science methods.
  • Representing the CERCLE to Agency senior leadership and to external organizations including, the Office of Management and Budget, Congress, and media outlets.
  • Leading an innovative, interdisciplinary research program that includes the application of physical and social sciences theories, methods, and practices to improve collaborative research efforts with ORD and regional partners.
  • Leading a research team in applying quantitative and qualitative physical and social science methods and datasets to address critical environmental issues that directly affect individuals within a designated community. 
  • Analyzing human resource needs for the CERCLE to conduct community-engaged research and STEM outreach and recommend hiring priorities to senior leadership.
  • Developing collaborative, scientific relationships with local universities, especially those serving minority or underrepresented students, and with local organizations interested in collaborative research, for example, other federal, state, and local agencies.
  • Working closely with scientists and managers in Agency program and regional offices to understand their programs and develop scientifically sound analyses and evaluations that respond to their program needs.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen.
  • 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 may be required to travel less than 25% of each month.

The Ethics in Government Act, P.L. 95-521, requires the applicant selected for this position to submit a financial disclosure statement, OGE-278, prior to assuming the Title 42 position, annually, and upon termination of employment.

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.

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Qualifications

To meet the qualifications requirements of this position, you must have a doctoral degree in a scientific discipline related to CESER's mission and substantive specialized experience in a type of work or a combination of functions related to this position.

The incumbent is a nationally recognized authority and leader in environmental science research, with an emphasis on social sciences and community-based participatory research. The incumbent shall have extensive expertise and specialized experience in field research in urban settings, research program development and oversight, and leadership of multi-disciplinary research teams. The incumbent shall be a recognized leader in engagement of community groups in environmental problem-solving and, ideally, have specific knowledge and experience with community organizations in the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area and vicinity. The incumbent should have expertise in management of resources, including mobilization of financial and human resources. The incumbent should possess strong skills in building trust to help mobilize broad support for change, ensure transparency, and manage uncertainty and ambiguity. They should demonstrate a “hands-on” management style and installation and facilitation of high-performing teams.

As evidence of their qualifications and scientific contributions, the incumbent may also:

  1. be regularly sought out for consultation on difficult problems in the field of expertise;
  2. have authored multiple, key publications, including in prestigious scientific journals;
  3. have received awards or recognition for research accomplishments; and
  4. have demonstrated experience building coalitions and relationships with partners, stakeholders, and customers.

Education

You must have a doctoral degree in a scientific discipline related to CESER’s mission to qualify for this position.

Your academic record must demonstrate a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in one of the following:

Social Scientist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in behavioral or social science, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR a combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major, as listed; OR four years of experience that demonstrate you have acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major, as listed.

Biologist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in one of the following:  biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR a combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major, as listed.

Health Scientist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in the following: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences related to the work of this position.

General Engineer: All applicants must meet one of the following requirements to qualify for consideration for an engineering position:

· Successful completion of a professional engineering degree at an accredited university or college OR

· Have a combination of college level education or training AND technical experience that has furnished you with:

  1. a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional 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:
    • Professional registration as an engineer.
    • Evidence of passing the Engineer-in-Training written test.
    • Successful documented completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences as described by OPM.
    • Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field and at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Please review the OPM page on specifics about required curriculum and for more information on qualifications, please visit GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications.

Physical Scientist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university 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 a combination of education and experience with education equivalent to one of the majors listed 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

The salary may be up to $250,000 per year. However, this is dependent on qualifications, experience, and other factors (e.g., current salary and/or current market rates).

The selectee's academic credentials will be verified upon selection.

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.

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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

This position is being filled through the Title 42 hiring authority. We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. You will be evaluated on the basis of meeting the qualifications stated previously. In determining the degree to which candidates possess the required or desired knowledge, skills, and abilities, an evaluation panel will consider related experience, education, training, awards, and professional references. The evaluation panel will rate you on the following criteria:

1) scientific expertise;

2) leadership and management;

3) communications; and

4) networking and collaboration.


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