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Physical Scientist/Environmental Engineer

Environmental Protection Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is in Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), Office of Compliance. About OECA : OECA Website

This is an office-centered position*--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.
*Work-from-home flexibilities may be authorized as described in the Benefits section.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
11/21/2023 to 11/28/2023
Salary
$112,015 to - $145,617 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
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
Term - Term not-to-exceed four years
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
EPA-BE-ODH-2024-0001
Control number
761762800

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Duties

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You will:

  • Serve as an authoritative consultant and expert providing oversight, direction, and advisory services for the agency’s national Residential Wood Heater Program
  • Assist with compliance and enforcement of the Wood Heater Rule, including manufacturer and retailer inspections
  • Communicate with manufacturers, the public, and other stakeholders to answer questions and resolve issues
  • Serve as subject matter expert on the EPA’s Electronic Reporting Tool (ERT) - Wood Heater Module
  • Manage electronic files and data in accordance with office policies

One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You may have limited exposure to hazardous materials.
  • You may be required to lift items weighing up to 50 pounds.
  • Position has education requirements--see Qualifications/Education section.
  • You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
  • This is a term position (see Other Information on assignment limits).
  • EPA and non-EPA applicants must submit transcripts/course listings.
  • You must be a U.S. citizen.

#LI-Onsite

This position requires the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

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.

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-13 level, you need to have at least one year of full-time experience equivalent to the GS-12 level defined as providing technical consultation to relevant officials on engineering, environmental, and/or scientific issues concerning enforcement activities; providing advice on program planning and/or policy; and conducting inspections or investigations of regulated facilities for compliance with regulations.

Your application package will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas: 

  • Knowledge of advanced engineering, technical, or scientific concepts in the program area, sufficient to provide advice and consulting services to industry and contractor representatives. 
  • Skill in conducting research, collecting data, and evaluating technical data.
  • Ability to lead inspections and investigations of facilities.
  • Ability to serve as an expert witness in court cases in judicial proceedings on the technical and scientific basis of EPA regulations and on scientific or technical data related to monitoring compliance with EPA regulations.
  • Skill in oral communication.
  • Ability to evaluate the limits of present and emerging technologies to determine the long-term research and development needs.
  • Knowledge of methods and techniques used to develop standards and regulations and of the reasonableness and acceptability of standards and regulations when challenged in court.
  • Skill in written 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.

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

Additional information

This position is in the bargaining unit.

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

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.

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 in the Overview section.

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 Office of Personnel Management’s government-wide direct-hire authority. Under the provisions of the direct-hire authority, category rating, veterans’ preference, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply. All eligible applicants will be forwarded to the selecting official for further consideration, and you may be subject to assessments during the selection process (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.). If you are selected, we will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the qualification requirements.


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