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Physical Science Technician

Department of the Treasury
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
This job announcement has closed

Summary

TTB's mission is steeped in America's history, from the time of the Whiskey Rebellion to the work of agents like Eliot Ness. We are a nationwide team dedicated to collect alcohol, tobacco, firearms and ammunition excise taxes and ensure that alcohol beverages are labeled, advertised and marketed by law. We ranked 40th of 432 (top 10%) on agency subcomponents of 2021's Best Places to Work.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/19/2023 to 06/02/2023
Salary
$42,870 to - $62,122 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 6
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Beltsville, MD
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel 1-5 nights per month for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
9
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
23-TTB-98-P
Control number
726135300

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S. citizens or U.S. Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.

Duties

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This position is located at Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau,Assistant Administrator-HQ Operations/Scientific Services Division.

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-9. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

  • Maintain assigned laboratory equipment, and proactively identify laboratory supply needs (chemicals, specialty gases, and disposables) and arranges necessary ordering and purchasing.
  • Maintain and support laboratory operations through activities such as inventory of chemicals, preparation of solutions and reagents for use in the laboratory, safely dispose of waste materials, and wash laboratory glassware.
  • Perform sample analysis using a variety of specialized equipment to support analysis for regulatory compliance, while keeping detailed records of data collected, and helping chemists in preparing samples, standards, and reagents.
  • Communicate technical findings with supervisor and other SSD personnel via written reports and/or worksheets and participate in the laboratory's ISO accreditation efforts.
  • Retrieve information from databases or files, maintain laboratory records and perform legal destruction, disposal or archiving of laboratory samples.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

This opportunity is also open to Status Candidates under Announcement 23-TTB-97. Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply.

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume.

Key Requirements:
  1. Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
  2. Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized Experience For the GS-06, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes:

  • Working in a laboratory environment either through academic coursework or professional setting to collect and record data using scientific practices including chemical solution preparation, measuring mass using an analytical balance, and measuring volumes; AND
  • Following a laboratory scientific standard operating procedure, protocol, or method through academic coursework or in a professional setting.
OR -- You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: One full year of graduate level education directly related to the work of the position.

OR -- You may qualify on a combination of education and experience: To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate level education in excess of the first nine semester hours (14 quarter hours) may be combined to be considered for qualifying education.

Specialized Experience For the GS-05, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes:
  • Working in a laboratory environment either through academic coursework or in a professional setting to collect and record data using scientific practices including chemical solution preparation, weighing mass using an analytical balance, and measuring volumes.
OR -- You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study in an appropriate field of physical science or a degree that included at least 24 semester hours (36 quarter hours) in any combination of courses in physical science, engineering or any branch of mathematics, except financial or commercial mathematics.

OR -- You may qualify on a combination of education and experience: To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours), beyond the second year is equivalent to one year of specialized experience.

Completion of appropriate training such as in-service training programs, training acquired while serving in the Armed Forces, and government-sponsored developmental training programs will be allowed credit on a month-for-month basis. Such training meets specialized experience requirements depending upon its applicability.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • This is a Bargaining unit position represented by NTEU Chapter 305.
  • We offer opportunities for telework.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (CONTINUED):
  • A one year probationary period may be required.
  • Must successfully complete a background investigation.
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  • Undergo an income tax verification
To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

Our comprehensive benefits are very generous. Our benefits package includes:

  • Challenging work, opportunities for advancement, competitive salaries, bonuses and incentive awards.
  • Eleven paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 to 26 days of vacation time each year.
  • Access to insurance programs that may be continued after you retire.
  • A wide choice of health insurance plans, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and no waiting periods. We pay a substantial amount (up to 75%) of the health insurance premiums.
  • A retirement program which includes employer-matching contributions.
  • Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas:
  • Attention to Detail
  • Communication
  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • Technical

Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, A (highest quality category), B (middle quality category), or C (minimally qualified category), depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. A subject matter expert may be used in the evaluation. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category.Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must be assigned the middle category or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

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