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This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Clarification from the agency

Current employees of the Department of Justice serving under a career or career conditional appointment in the competitive service and from CTAP eligibles.

Duties

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This position is located under the Office of Science and Technology, Forensic Sciences Division in Wichita, Kansas.

If selected to this position you will serve as a Forensic Biologist that provides highly technical and scientific services to the Bureau. Typical work assignments may include:

Functions as an expert in one or more technical specialized areas of forensic DNA analysis, providing leadership, advice and assistance to ATF officials, laboratory personnel, other federal agencies, state and local government organizations, private laboratories and industry.
Performs DNA examinations of the highest complexity and performs analysis on a variety of samples including difficult mixture samples.
Provides training and guidance in technical duties and evaluates the analytical work of peers and lower graded biologists or technicians.
Evaluates new technology, methods, and/or scientific equipment for adoption or acquisition by Laboratory Services.
Prepares laboratory reports and documents conclusions as well as interpretation of the analytical results.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

The time-in-grade requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement. The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

MOBILITY PLAN: New employees hired pursuant to this vacancy announcement must sign a mobility agreement. The purpose of ATF's mobility policy is to enhance career development and progression, and achieve mission and business effectiveness. To accomplish these objectives, the mobility plan will facilitate the movement of employees through special short-term assignments or permanent reassignments throughout the Bureau. Applicants who decline to sign a mobility agreement, as required, will be removed from the hiring process.

Key Requirements:

Suitable for Federal employment determined by background investigation.
Pass drug screening and subject to random drug test.
Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
Must be registered or exempt from the Selective Service. See www.sss.gov
Must sign a mobility agreement as condition of employment

Qualifications

To qualify for 14, candidates must also have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-13.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Basic Requirements

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

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

AND

Specialized experience is demonstrated experience, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Experience must be in the normal line of progression or must be related to the work of the position advertised and must be reflected in resume. Specialized experience includes:

Performing DNA examinations on the most difficult evidence without technical guidance; AND
Interpreting, evaluating and analyzing the results of a variety of samples, including complex mixtures; AND
Providing training to law enforcement and/or technical staff in the concepts of forensic DNA analysis; AND
Using laboratory policies, regulations, standard approaches, and methods to perform expert forensic DNA examinations; AND
Acting as a project manager or coordinator of ongoing complex and unique projects or programs within the laboratory.

Please do not cut and paste the position description, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if:

1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility,
2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and
3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy.

To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and score 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at:

https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/

Education

All academic degrees and course work must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria see www.ed.gov.

Additional information

Notice to Prospective Employees of Ethical Obligations from ATF's Human Resources Operations Division. Please click on the following link to read important information. DOJ Notice to Prospective Employees of Ethical Obligations

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

EEO Statement: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a parent, genetic information, disability, age, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism. If you believe you have been subjected to discrimination, you must contact the ATF EEO office within 45 calendar days of when the alleged harm occurred at 202-648-8760 or eeointakemailbox@atf.gov. Please see DOJ Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: ATF provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the job application and hiring process, and you meet the eligibility requirements listed above, please notify the human resources specialist listed on the vacancy announcement, or contact the ATF's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at (202) 648-8760 or send an email to reasonableaccommodations@atf.gov. The decision on granting a reasonable accommodation is handled on a case-by-case basis.

"Federal Regulations state no ATF employee, his/her spouse, or his/her minor child shall have, directly or indirectly, any financial interest, including compensated employment, stock, or proprietary interest in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms or explosives industries. You should be aware that you may be asked to relinquish any ownership of or interests in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms or explosives industries before a determination can be made whether access to ATF information, information technology systems, and/or facilities can be authorized."

Additional vacancies may be filled from this vacancy announcement.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online 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. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

The assessment questionnaire is designed to measure your ability in the following competencies:

Leadership
Forensics
Oral Communication
Research
Written Communication

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12805330

Required Documents

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ALL APPLICANTS: You must submit a detailed resume containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:

Official position title;
Employer name and contact information;
Start and end dates (including month and year);
Your Pay Plan/series/grade and step and a detailed list of duties & accomplishments

Please LIMIT YOUR RESUME TO NO MORE THAN TWO (2) PAGES. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine eligibility/qualifications. You can only submit one resume; Only the most recent resume submitted under the "Resume" "Document Type" will be used to determine your qualifications and for rating purposes.

Showing relative permanent and volunteer work experience, education, and training. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must support your answers to the completed online assessment questions.

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):
- Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
- An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade
- Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
- Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
  - Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  - Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  - SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

CTAP/ICTAP documentation, if applicable.
An official college transcript (Note: If you're selected for this position, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day.)

It is your responsibility to ensure all documents are received on time and the materials are legible. If applying on-line poses a hardship to any applicant, please contact us at the telephone number listed on this announcement. Applicants MUST CONTACT US PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE to speak to someone who can provide assistance for on-line submission. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Paper applications submitted without prior approval from the agency point of contact may be handled as incomplete. IMPORTANT INFORMATION: If your contact information changes after the closing date of this vacancy announcement, update your profile information in MYUSAJOBS as well as contact the Human Resources Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement to ensure you can be contacted throughout the selection process.

Prior to selection, the candidate may be required to provide an original copy of any supporting/ validating documentation as well as other documentation to verify eligibility. All required materials must be uploaded using the supporting documentation instructions described in the announcement.

Failure to provide the required documentation by the closing date of this announcement will result in elimination of further consideration for this position.

Help

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

This job is filled through a 3-step on-line application process.

STEP ONE - (Online Resume- USAJOBS) You must create a user account and at least one federal resume at USAJOBS. Information you provide in USAJOBS is general information completed by all applicants. The information you provide and your federal resume will become part of your application and will automatically be transferred to USA Staffing System when you apply online. If you have an existing USAJOBS account, simply login and select the resume you wish to include with your application package for this announcement.

STEP TWO - (Vacancy Specific Questions USAJobs) In USAJobs, you will answer vacancy specific questions necessary to evaluate your qualifications for the job to which you are applying. When completed, the information you provided at USAJOBS and the answers to the USAJob questions will become your application package.

STEP THREE - (Supporting Documentation) You may upload supporting documentation in one of two ways:

(l) Once you finish answering the questions in the job announcement, you will be prompted to upload your document(s) to your application package. You will be given the choice to either upload the document as part of the application process, or you can select a document that you've already loaded on USAJOBS, or simply fax supporting documentation, which will provide you the necessary cover sheets for each of your documents so that they will be correctly submitted to the appropriate vacancy announcement. The fax number will be available on the cover sheet.

(2) You can upload a document to an existing application by logging into your USAJOBS account profile. Click on "My Applications" and search for the vacancy. Once you have located the vacancy, click on the vacancy and select "Apply Online". Move through your existing application to the Documents page and select "Upload" in order to add a document to your application. Be certain to review your complete application for confirmation that the document uploaded and click on "Finished" to be returned to USAJOBS. Your complete online application and any required supplemental documentation (e.g. SF-50, CTAP) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Agency contact information

Camille Gunter

Phone: 202-648-8631
Email: camille.gunter@atf.gov

Address: Office of Science and Technology
99 New York Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20226
US

Next steps

You can check the status of your application anytime by accessing the USAJOBS online application system at http://www.usajobs.gov. You will need to provide your USAJOBS User ID and Password to access the Track your Online Job Application feature. You may also click on the link provided to access additional information on USAJobs. All applicants will be notified at four (4) stages in the hiring process:

(1) upon receipt of your application;
(2) after your qualifications have been assessed;
(3) whether or not you've been referred to the Selecting Official; and
(4) whether or not you've been selected for the position.

If your name is sent to the hiring manager, you may be invited for an interview.

After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. We expect to make a final job offer to selectee(s) upon favorable completion of the background.

Required Documents

Help

ALL APPLICANTS: You must submit a detailed resume containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:

Official position title;
Employer name and contact information;
Start and end dates (including month and year);
Your Pay Plan/series/grade and step and a detailed list of duties & accomplishments

Please LIMIT YOUR RESUME TO NO MORE THAN TWO (2) PAGES. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine eligibility/qualifications. You can only submit one resume; Only the most recent resume submitted under the "Resume" "Document Type" will be used to determine your qualifications and for rating purposes.

Showing relative permanent and volunteer work experience, education, and training. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must support your answers to the completed online assessment questions.

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):
- Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
- An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade
- Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
- Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
  - Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  - Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  - SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

CTAP/ICTAP documentation, if applicable.
An official college transcript (Note: If you're selected for this position, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day.)

It is your responsibility to ensure all documents are received on time and the materials are legible. If applying on-line poses a hardship to any applicant, please contact us at the telephone number listed on this announcement. Applicants MUST CONTACT US PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE to speak to someone who can provide assistance for on-line submission. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Paper applications submitted without prior approval from the agency point of contact may be handled as incomplete. IMPORTANT INFORMATION: If your contact information changes after the closing date of this vacancy announcement, update your profile information in MYUSAJOBS as well as contact the Human Resources Specialist listed on this vacancy announcement to ensure you can be contacted throughout the selection process.

Prior to selection, the candidate may be required to provide an original copy of any supporting/ validating documentation as well as other documentation to verify eligibility. All required materials must be uploaded using the supporting documentation instructions described in the announcement.

Failure to provide the required documentation by the closing date of this announcement will result in elimination of further consideration for this position.

How to Apply

Help

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

This job is filled through a 3-step on-line application process.

STEP ONE - (Online Resume- USAJOBS) You must create a user account and at least one federal resume at USAJOBS. Information you provide in USAJOBS is general information completed by all applicants. The information you provide and your federal resume will become part of your application and will automatically be transferred to USA Staffing System when you apply online. If you have an existing USAJOBS account, simply login and select the resume you wish to include with your application package for this announcement.

STEP TWO - (Vacancy Specific Questions USAJobs) In USAJobs, you will answer vacancy specific questions necessary to evaluate your qualifications for the job to which you are applying. When completed, the information you provided at USAJOBS and the answers to the USAJob questions will become your application package.

STEP THREE - (Supporting Documentation) You may upload supporting documentation in one of two ways:

(l) Once you finish answering the questions in the job announcement, you will be prompted to upload your document(s) to your application package. You will be given the choice to either upload the document as part of the application process, or you can select a document that you've already loaded on USAJOBS, or simply fax supporting documentation, which will provide you the necessary cover sheets for each of your documents so that they will be correctly submitted to the appropriate vacancy announcement. The fax number will be available on the cover sheet.

(2) You can upload a document to an existing application by logging into your USAJOBS account profile. Click on "My Applications" and search for the vacancy. Once you have located the vacancy, click on the vacancy and select "Apply Online". Move through your existing application to the Documents page and select "Upload" in order to add a document to your application. Be certain to review your complete application for confirmation that the document uploaded and click on "Finished" to be returned to USAJOBS. Your complete online application and any required supplemental documentation (e.g. SF-50, CTAP) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Agency contact information

Camille Gunter

Phone: 202-648-8631
Email: camille.gunter@atf.gov

Address: Office of Science and Technology
99 New York Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20226
US

Next steps

You can check the status of your application anytime by accessing the USAJOBS online application system at http://www.usajobs.gov. You will need to provide your USAJOBS User ID and Password to access the Track your Online Job Application feature. You may also click on the link provided to access additional information on USAJobs. All applicants will be notified at four (4) stages in the hiring process:

(1) upon receipt of your application;
(2) after your qualifications have been assessed;
(3) whether or not you've been referred to the Selecting Official; and
(4) whether or not you've been selected for the position.

If your name is sent to the hiring manager, you may be invited for an interview.

After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. We expect to make a final job offer to selectee(s) upon favorable completion of the background.