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Supervisory Physical Scientist

Department of Defense
Defense Logistics Agency

Summary

Serves as a Supervisory Physical Scientist with full oversight and technical management of a team of engineers and technical specialists.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/03/2026 to 03/13/2026
Salary
$169,279 to - $197,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Arlington, VA
1 vacancy
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 - Multiple Appointment Types
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
DLADS-26-12900781-MP
Control number
859586300

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

"Federal employee" means current and former permanent competitive service employees may apply. Veterans eligibilities include 30% or more Disabled Vet, Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA). Military Spouse Preference (MSP) eligibles, Retained Grade Preference (RGP) eligibles, and Military Reserve and National Guard Technician eligibles in the commuting area may apply. EO 12721 eligibles may also apply

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Duties

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  • As a Supervisory Physical Scientist you will be responsible for the following duties:
  • Supervises CBRNE engineering technical team and manages day-to-day operations supporting collective protection and life-safety systems.
  • Serves as a recognized technical expert in Collective Protection, Materials Science, and Life-Safety systems as applied to facilities and occupants.
  • Acts as technical authority for collective protection infrastructure, materials performance, and integration of CBRNE detection and protective systems within facilities.
  • Manages CBRNE field engineering projects (cost estimating, scheduling, contractor oversight, logistics, and sustainment).
  • Publishes technical guidance and directives governing protective infrastructure and emergency protection measures.
  • Participates in DoD and inter-agency study groups and exercises.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. citizen
  • Tour of Duty: Set Schedule
  • Security: Required to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance with access to SCI and SAPs); including submitting to background checks as a condition of employment and/ or continued access to Special Access Programs.
  • Appointment is subject to the completion of a favorable suitability or fitness determination, where reciprocity cannot be applied; unfavorably adjudicated background checks will be grounds for removal.
  • Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
  • Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service.
  • Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
  • Bargaining Unit Status: No
  • Selectees are required to have a REAL ID or other acceptable identification documents to access certain federal facilities. See https://www.tsa.gov/real-id for more information.
  • You will be a Mission Essential employee. This requires you to work during an emergency to ensure continuation of essential functions. You may be required to work at the designated duty location, a telework site, or an alternate location/facility.
  • Duty Hours: Incumbent is considered essential to the day-to-day operations of the installation and is subject to immediate recall or long term shift assignments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for extended periods of time.

Qualifications

To qualify for a Supervisory Physical Scientist your resume and supporting documentation must support:

A. Basic Requirement: 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

A 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.

AND

B. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position and is directly in or related to this position. To qualify at the GS-15 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military, or private sector. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements including time-in-grade (General Schedule (GS) positions only), time-after-competitive appointment, minimum qualifications, and any other regulatory requirements by the cut-off/closing date of the announcement. Creditable specialized experience includes:

  • Supervising technical personnel and managing workforce planning, performance standards, and disciplinary actions.
  • Expert knowledge of CBRNE principles, detection and protection techniques, consequence management, and response options.
  • Serving as a technical expert in collective protection infrastructure, CBRNE systems, life-safety engineering, and materials science.
  • Managing complex engineering projects involving design, development, testing, installation and sustainment of CBRNE protective systems.

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.

Education

Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level.

Additional information

This is an Emergency Essential (EE) position. The incumbent will be designated Non-Combat Essential (NCE). In the event of a crisis, the incumbent may be required to deploy, within CONUS only, via temporary reassignment or be required to stay in place to support contingency operations. The incumbent may be required to take part in readiness exercises. This position cannot be vacated during a national emergency or mobilization without seriously impairing the capability of the organization to function effectively; therefore, the position requires the incumbent to be screened from military recall. Military Reservists selected for an EE position must arrange for a military deployment waiver from the Reserve Unit, which will remain in effect while assigned to the EE position. This requirement must be met prior to placement in an EE position. An NCE employee could be deployed to support emergency operations, humanitarian missions, disaster relief, or other expeditionary missions in the continental United States that are not considered "combat" locations. Deployment will be via Temporary Duty (TDY) orders. Deployment may entitle the employee to additional monetary compensation dependent upon the deployment location.

For Important General Applicant Information and Definitions go to: http://www.dla.mil/portals/104/documents/careers/GenAppInfoDef.pdf

Reemployed Annuitants: This position does not meet criteria for appointment of Reemployed Annuitants. The DoD criteria for hiring Reemployed Annuitants can be found at: https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/140025_vol300.PDF

Information for Veterans is available at: https://www.dla.mil/Careers/Programs/. As of 23 December 2016, Military retirees seeking to enter federal service in the Department of Defense now require a waiver if they would be appointed within 180 days following their official date of retirement.

Drug-Free Workplace Policy

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is committed to maintaining a safe, drug-free workplace. All DLA employees are required to refrain from illegal drug use on and off duty. DLA conducts pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, and random drug testing.

Applicants tentatively selected for employment in testing designated positions will undergo a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Refusal to undergo testing or testing positive for illegal drugs will result in withdrawal of the tentative job offer and a six-month denial of employment with DLA from the date of the drug test. Employees in drug testing designated positions are subject to random drug testing.

The DLA drug testing panel tests for the following substances: marijuana, cocaine, opiates, heroin, phencyclidine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, fentanyl, norfentanyl, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and opioids.

ADVISORY: Use of cannabidiol (CBD) products may result in a positive drug test for marijuana. DLA employees are subject to Federal law and under Federal law, Marijuana is a Schedule I drug and is illegal.

Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.

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.

The assessments for this job will measure the following Competencies:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation may be completed and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. The rating you receive is based on your responses to the assessment questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the competencies required for this position. If your resume and/or supporting documentation is reviewed and a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.

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