The Office of Forensic Toxicology Services (OFTS) is recruiting for a Quality Assurance Specialist (Forensic). OFTS is the leader in the field of Forensic Drug Testing using innovative scientific technologies. We are seeking an individual who is a team player, forward thinker, problem solver with attention to detail and has excellent communication skills.
If you are ready to join a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory with new instrumentation, and exciting challenges, PSA wants you!
Summary
The Office of Forensic Toxicology Services (OFTS) is recruiting for a Quality Assurance Specialist (Forensic). OFTS is the leader in the field of Forensic Drug Testing using innovative scientific technologies. We are seeking an individual who is a team player, forward thinker, problem solver with attention to detail and has excellent communication skills.
If you are ready to join a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory with new instrumentation, and exciting challenges, PSA wants you!
1. Provide quality assurance oversight of the forensic laboratory processes through prevention, assessment, and correction. Evaluate current laboratory business practices. Identify and document deficiencies, inconsistencies, and inefficiencies within the production area. Ensure that identified problems are brought to the attention of the appropriate senior laboratory personnel. Make recommendations for change based on findings.
2. Review proficiency reports and forensic inspection reports conducted by organizations outside of the laboratory and monitors the corrective actions. Review, evaluate, and report on the quality control aspects of the Laboratory, including but not limited to, performance of standard and control materials, training and certification programs, certification of control materials and reagents, instrumentation records, reagent preparation, control charts/trend analysis, incident reports, instrument and methods validation, and quality control reports and spreadsheets.
3. Select and apply established QA operating procedures, accepted methods, and practices (e.g., statistical sampling, surveillance and auditing procedures), use generalized instructions, procedural guides, or precedent material from similar assignments and makes independent determinations on procedural acceptability. Initiate report on defective processes or situations affecting quality.
4. Assist Laboratory Director and Management Team in responding to inspection findings. Coordinate and/or participates in process improvement initiatives. Audit the quality of work of the analysts, reviewers, and certifiers to ensure compliance with applicable Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). Audit focus on both direct observation and review of data relating to Immunoassay, GC/MS, and LC/MS.
5. Assist Laboratory Director and Management Team with all technical and forensic practices of the lab. Review, edit, write, and maintain the Laboratory's SOPs. Serve as the customer service representative to evaluate and improve services to PSA, CSOSA, and other agencies.
6. Audit work practices, providing guidance and recommendations, and present findings and corrective actions. Brief management on the results of audits or reviews, highlighting any unsatisfactory trends or conditions. Manage the quality assurance meetings of the Laboratory, providing a forum for a discussion of critical issues and concerns.
7. Investigate incident reports and make recommendations for preventive and/or corrective actions, ensure the loop is closed on these reports.
8. Perform other duties as assigned, which could be related to the operation of Immunoassay analyzers or GC/MS and LC/MS/MS instrumentation and testifying in court as needed.
Bargaining Unit Status and Chapter: Covered, AFGE Local 1456
This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies
This is not a law enforcement position.
Conditions of Employment
1. Must be a U.S. Citizen
2. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
3. Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
4. May be required to successfully complete a probationary period, if not already completed
5. All applicants are subject to a comprehensive criminal background investigation, and required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment
6. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice
7. Status applicants for promotion must have 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade
8. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the close of this announcement
9. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic professional requirements, and specialized experience requirement below.
Basic Professional Requirement: This position requires an undergraduate and graduate education in quality assurance, statistics, mathematics, production management, industrial management, computer science, engineering, engineering, engineering technology, physical sciences, textiles, or other fields related to the position. AND Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-12 grade level, applicant must have one year (52 weeks) experience related to the duties of the position that was comparable in difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Specialized experience is defined as experience in quality control, equipment validation testing, providing standard quality procedures in support of preparing reagents, lot validations, and critical review of data to include immunoassay, GC/LC, and mass spectral data.
NOTE: Your resume must clearly show the specialized experience related to this position. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the experience requirements will result in an "Ineligible" rating.
Education
There is not education substitution at this grade level.
ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/college-accreditation
Additional information
1. If you are an eligible Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) applicant or Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) applicant, you may apply for special selection over other applicants for this position. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal/PSA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified, you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. Click here for more information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility.
2. If you are a current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former Federal employee who has reinstatement eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" and/or a copy of the SF-50 that reflects career or career-conditional tenure, or you will not be considered under the merit promotion process. Also, you should submit your most recent performance appraisal.
3. Veterans' Employment Opportunities Act of 1998: Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous active duty service may apply. If you are applying under this provision, please submit a copy of your DD-214 (unedited long version).
4. You can apply for a non-competitive appointment if you meet the basic eligibility requirements and you are eligible for special appointment such as those authorized for the severely disabled; certain Vietnam era and disabled veterans; returned volunteers from the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps Vista , etc. Please indicate the type of special appointment you are seeking, if any, on your application and follow all other instructions for applying shown in this announcement.
5. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review in our office, in other Federal agency personnel offices, and on OPM's web site at OPM Qualification Standards.
6. In accordance with Executive Order 14170 and the Merit Hiring Plan guidance issued by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, applicants for this position are invited to respond to four essay questions. These questions are designed to provide you with an opportunity to share your commitment to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution, as well as your dedication to public service. While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. Click here to review the questionshttps://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12864607.
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your rating will be based on your responses to the job specific information provided in your resume. Your resume must clearly show how you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities will result in a rating of "Qualified" by the rating panel.
1. Comprehensive and thorough knowledge of the quality assurance process, including prevention, and the assessment and correction of analytical data and procedures, presenting it in a clear and concise manner, with excellent writing and communication skills.
2. Knowledge of Quality Assurance data analysis techniques such as Westgard Rules and Level-Jennings charts. Knowledge of accrediting bodies and their compliance criteria, such as CLIA and CAP guidelines.
3. Knowledge of the theories, principles and practice of toxicology including calibrating and operating analytical instruments that perform drug testing in a forensic laboratory. Those included are immunoassay analyzers, liquid and solid-phase extraction techniques, Gas and Liquid Chromatography, Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry, and Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry.
Once the application process is completed, your application will be reviewed to ensure you meet the job requirements. You will be evaluated on the extent and quality of your experience, education and training, job- related awards and supervisory appraisal of performance. If you meet the basic qualification requirements, your resume will be forwarded to a panel for rating. Category Rating will be used to evaluate applicants using the following categories to further determine which applicants will be referred to the selecting official for final consideration.
Best Qualified: Applicants possessing a background that demonstrates a superior level on all evaluation criteria.
Well Qualified: Applicants possessing a background that demonstrates a satisfactory level on evaluation criteria.
Qualified: Applicants possessing the specialized experience described above.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your Resume listing hours worked per week, salary, dates of employment and duties performed. Your resume must not exceed two pages. Resumes that exceeds the two-page limit will be deemed ineligible for further consideration and will result in an ineligible rating.
2. Other supporting documents:
College transcript(s), if qualifying based on education. Transcripts must include the school's name, student name, degree and date awarded, if applicable. (Note: If you are selected for the position, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day) May be required to satisfy the basic professional requirement.
Most recent SF-50 or Notification of Personnel Action showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held (if applying as a status candidate with current or former Federal Service)
DD-214 (member 4 copy) showing honorable discharge, SF-15 Form and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty from Veterans for consideration under Veteran hiring authorities
Non-competitive appointment authority documentation, if applicable
Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program Documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)
Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
Only send documentation as requested/required by this announcement and that directly supports your qualifications for this position.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date (02/16/2026) to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Tara Stoney at (202) 220-5586 or Tara.Stoney@psa.gov to obtain instructions on how to submit an alternative application.
Office of Forensic Toxicology Services
90 K. Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
US
Next steps
Once the on-line application and supporting documents are received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required you will be contacted.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your Resume listing hours worked per week, salary, dates of employment and duties performed. Your resume must not exceed two pages. Resumes that exceeds the two-page limit will be deemed ineligible for further consideration and will result in an ineligible rating.
2. Other supporting documents:
College transcript(s), if qualifying based on education. Transcripts must include the school's name, student name, degree and date awarded, if applicable. (Note: If you are selected for the position, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day) May be required to satisfy the basic professional requirement.
Most recent SF-50 or Notification of Personnel Action showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held (if applying as a status candidate with current or former Federal Service)
DD-214 (member 4 copy) showing honorable discharge, SF-15 Form and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty from Veterans for consideration under Veteran hiring authorities
Non-competitive appointment authority documentation, if applicable
Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program Documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)
Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
Only send documentation as requested/required by this announcement and that directly supports your qualifications for this position.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date (02/16/2026) to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Tara Stoney at (202) 220-5586 or Tara.Stoney@psa.gov to obtain instructions on how to submit an alternative application.
Office of Forensic Toxicology Services
90 K. Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
US
Next steps
Once the on-line application and supporting documents are received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required you will be contacted.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
