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Supervisory Chemist (Director, Scientific Services Division)

Department of the Treasury
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau

Summary

TTB 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 rank among the top 15% of agency subcomponents in the 2024 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
12/29/2025 to 01/13/2026
Salary
$167,603 to - $195,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Beltsville, MD
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
26-TTB-12851899-DH
Control number
853093300

Duties

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This position is located at the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Office of Headquarters Operations, Scientific Services Division.

As a Supervisory Chemist (Director, Scientific Services Division), you will:

  • Oversee budget development and administration of the division.
  • Represent TTB at meetings with regulated industry, U.S. and foreign regulatory agencies, and U.S. law enforcement agencies to negotiate, defend, and/or resolve technical regulatory issues.
  • Maintain state-of-the-art laboratories by effectively managing current laboratory inventory, which includes hundreds of pieces of equipment with a total value of over $6M.
  • Provide authoritative technical guidance to TTB executives, Treasury executives, and TTB's Regulations and Rulings Division on complex technical issues to help develop science-based policies and regulations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

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 résumé.

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.

For the GS-15, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized Experience for this position includes:

- Managing daily operations within a laboratory supporting regulatory programs, ensuring compliance and customer service standards in beverage alcohol, non-beverage alcohol, tobacco, or food products; AND
- Applying and developing analytical chemistry methods, analyzing manufacturing processes and regulatory requirements for beverage alcohol, non-beverage alcohol, tobacco, or food products; AND
- Formulating and managing yearly budgets for a laboratory; AND
- Supervising chemists and technicians' work and providing performance feedback.

Education

You must meet the minimum basic educational/experience requirements for chemist positions in the federal government. These include:

A.)
Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics; OR

B.)
Combination of education and experience -- course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Education Requirements: The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

Additional information

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • This is a non-bargaining unit position.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (CONTINUED):
  • All newly appointed employees to the federal service are subject to a probationary period if hired under a competitive service appointment, or a trial period if hired under an excepted service appointment. These periods are designed to evaluate an employee's performance, conduct, and alignment with agency mission and values. These periods are no longer passive transitions to permanent status but serve as formal extensions of the hiring process, requiring affirmative Supervisory certification action.
  • A one year supervisory or managerial 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
  • Possess a valid state motor vehicle operator's license or Commercial Driver's License (CDL) upon appointment OR within days of appointment (as appropriate) and maintain a valid license while you occupy the position.
  • Wear required safety clothing and/or equipment required by the position. This may include safety shoes, hard hats, hearing protection, gloves, masks, etc.
  • This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with Treasury. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow Treasury to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time. For more information about individual rights, Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights - FBI, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI, and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov).

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 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 résumé may result in a "not qualified" determination.


Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas:

This announcement is issued under "direct-hire" authority. Consistent with 5 U.S.C 3304(a)(3) and OPM regulations (5 CFR 337 Subpart B) on direct-hire: All candidates who meet all the qualification and other eligibility requirements may be referred for consideration. Competitive examining rules providing for rating and ranking and veterans' preference do not apply.

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 meet the following "well qualified" definition listed below and any education requirement to receive special selection priority.

To be found well qualified at the GS-15 grade level, the applicant must have documented the capacity to direct and evaluate programs and operations in a laboratory regarding regulation of alcohol, tobacco, or food products.


Optional Essay Questions:
Applicants may choose to respond to four short essay questions (200 words max each) to help us better understand your alignment with the agency's mission. These responses are optional and will not affect the applicant's eligibility.

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