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SUPERVISORY BIOLOGIST/ ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER/ PHYSICAL SCIENTIST

Environmental Protection Agency

Summary

This position is in the Office of Water, Office of Wastewater, Engineering and Science Division, Engineering and Analytical Support Branch. About the Office of Water

This is an office-centered position--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/18/2026 to 02/24/2026
Salary
$169,279 to - $197,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—EPA policy only allows telework to be approved situationally. Situational telework is for work or assignments of specific limited duration on an occasional, emergency, or ad hoc basis. NOTE: If you are an EPA employee who currently works at a remote work location (i.e., full-time telework), your approval for remote work does not transfer to this position.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be required to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
EPA-JB-MPI-2026-0001
Control number
857857800

Duties

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You will:

  • Oversee Program and Operational Planning and Development to effectively meet established goals.
  • Exercise supervisory personnel management responsibilities to ensure work is accomplished.
  • Represent the agency with a variety of functional area organizations to ensure the Agency obtains vital and necessary information for branch operations.
  • Oversee and provide technical direction for Contract, Extramural, and Resource Management to ensure policies and regulations are followed.

You will spend 10% of your work time on contracts, grants/cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements.

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

Grow your career for the good of our planet

The environmental challenges we face today are urgent. At the Environmental Protection Agency, we need professionals like you to continue our mission to protect human health and the environment. Our agency is built upon a commitment to protect human health and the environment. The work we do here changes the world. That’s why there has never been a more crucial moment to further your career as one of the scientists, engineers, community leaders, IT specialists, communicators, administrative professionals, technicians, problem solvers, and innovators at EPA.

Grow your career. Make an impact. Be EPA.

Learn more at epa.gov/careers.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
  • EPA and non-EPA applicants must submit transcripts/course listings.
  • Position has education requirements--see Qualifications/Education section.

This position is designated as High 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.

You must meet time in grade requirements no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement.

If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure form within 30 days of your first day of employment and annually thereafter.

If you are selected, you must complete (or have already completed) a 1-year supervisory or managerial probationary period.

Upon acceptance of an initial appointment to a supervisory or managerial position with the EPA, you agree to complete all elements of the EPA Successful Leaders Program. This development program is designed to enhance leadership competencies and meet the agency's goal of providing new leaders with the tools needed for success.

#LI-DNI

Qualifications

NOTE: You must meet qualification requirements, including any requirements described in the Education section, by the closing date of this announcement.

In addition to the basic entry education requirements, you must have specialized experience and/or directly related education as described below:

To qualify for the GS-15 level, you must have 1 year of full-time* specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level defined as leading a team of professionals to develop and/or manage technical programs and/or projects pertaining to scientific or engineering aspects for water or wastewater treatment; and experience managing time and resources to develop a product or meet program objectives.

You will be assessed on the following competencies: 

  • Critical Thinking 
  • Decision Making 
  • Technical Knowledge 
  • Conflict Management
  • Supervisory and Leadership Judgment 
  • Partnering 
  • Budget and Cost Management 
  • Quality Assurance 
  • Planning and Evaluating

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: Part-Time Experience.

Education

Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR a combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major, as listed.

Environmental Engineer: You must have one of the following:

· Successful completion of a professional engineering degree at an accredited university or college

OR

· Combination of college level education or training AND technical experience that has furnished you with

(1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional 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 as an engineer.

2. Evidence of passing the Engineer-in-Training written test. 

3. Successful documented completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences as described by OPM.

4. Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field and at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Please review the OPM page on specifics about required curriculum and for more information on qualifications, please visit GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions Qualifications.

Physical Scientist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in 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 a combination of education and experience with education equivalent to one of the majors listed 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 Accreditation.

Additional information

Are you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents section and visit the EPA website for additional information on the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): CTAP/ICTAP
NOTE: To be entitled to selection priority, you must be rated well-qualified (i.e., you must have a score of 87 or higher--see the How You Will Be Evaluated section).

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.

This position is not in the bargaining unit.

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.

After the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements.

If we determine you are eligible/qualified, one or more subject matter experts will systematically review your resume to assess the degree to which your background matches the competencies required for successful performance in this position (see the Qualifications section for a list of the competencies being evaluated). You may also be required to complete one or more additional assessments (if this is required, you will be contacted by email with further instructions). Based on the assessment ratings, a score will be calculated to determine if you are among the best qualified candidates.
NOTE: Cheating (including the use of a consultant or an AI tool to assist you) on any assessment may result in your removal from consideration for this job.

If you are referred for consideration, you may be subject to additional assessments by the selecting official (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.).


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