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Health Scientist

Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
NCEZID-DIVISION OF HEALTHCARE QUALITY PROMOTION- OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
This job announcement has closed

Summary

As a global leader in public health & health promotion, CDC is the agency Americans trust with their lives. In addition to our everyday work, each CDC employee has a role in supporting public health emergency management, whether through temporary assignments to emergency responses or sustaining other CDC programs and activities while colleagues respond. Join our team to use your talent, training, & passion to help CDC continue as the world's premier public health organization. Visit www.cdc.gov

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
03/31/2026 to 04/02/2026
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$133,007 - $172,915 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Atlanta, GA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
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
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
HHS-CDC-IMP-26-12913757
Control number
862911800

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Duties

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As a Health Scientist you will:

  • Serve as a recognized expert in health sciences for the agency with responsibility for developing policy and objectives, appraising programs, and initiating requirements for health-science studies.
  • Serve as advisor for the planning, design, implementation, and analysis of projects.
  • Design, oversee, implement, and conduct scientific surveys/studies or projects to identify and solve health system related problems.
  • Identify and analyze public health issues and their impact on scientific operations that are critical to the public health community at large.
  • Provide technical advice to state and local health agencies and to various other health-related organizations about measuring and evaluating public health capacity and performance at local, state, and national levels.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Due to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) process enhancement to use Shared Certificates throughout the Agency, some of the requirements below may differ:

  • US Citizenship is required.
  • Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov).
  • May be subject to a Background/Security Investigation. Security clearance level may differ from the position announced when certificates are shared.
  • One-year probationary period may be required.
  • This position may be subject to a Collective Bargaining Agreement.
  • Time in grade (TIG) must be met within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.
  • In accordance with Executive Order 12564 of September 15, 1986, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is A Drug-Free Federal Workplace. This position may require a Drug Test and be subject to Random Drug Testing. The position may require the submission of a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and be subject to reasonable suspicion and post-accident drug testing upon hiring. If required to submit to urinalysis, the appointment to the position will be contingent upon a negative test result.

Qualifications

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/) at the time the degree was obtained.


Minimum Qualifications:

To qualify at the GS-14 grade level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-13 grade level, which must include the following experience: formulating and evaluating public health data systems to support research, surveillance, and program operations, designing and leading scientific projects aimed at identifying and addressing health system challenges, and developing and implementing laboratory and surveillance data systems to solve public health data problems.


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

Copy of your transcripts or equivalent documentation is required for positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying based on education or a combination of education and experience. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

College or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For more information, visit https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

May be required to work other than normal duty hours, to include evenings, weekends and/or holidays.

The Federal government, as the largest employer in the Nation, can and should show the way towards achieving drug-free workplaces through programs designed to offer drug users a helping hand, and at the same time demonstrating to drug users and potential drug users that drugs will not be tolerated in the Federal workplace if declared a drug-testing position. The use of illegal drugs, on or off duty, by Federal employees is inconsistent not only with the law-abiding behavior expected of all citizens, but also with the special trust placed in such employees as servants of the public.

Current or Former Political Appointees: Agencies must seek prior approval from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service. Current or Former Political Appointees: Submit SF-50.

Incentives:

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.

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.

The utilization of shared certificates for additional selections within the same geographical area can be made from multiple Centers of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): For information on how to apply as a CTAP eligible see http://opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictapTo be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

Your application will be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position. You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards within the last 3 years in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process.

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires two additional assessments:

SME Resume Review - Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume will be completed Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you meet the required specialized experience referenced in this announcement. If, after reviewing your resume, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position and may not move forward to the next phase of the hiring process.

Structured Interview - Upon determination the required specialized experience has been met, you may be invited to participate in a structured interview led by panel members to measure critical general competencies required to perform the job.

The Structured Interview includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in the below critical competencies:

  • Collaboration / Partnering
  • Data Management
  • Public Health Needs Assessment
  • Research


You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the interview.

If you are found to be among the top-qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a major operating component of the Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation's leading science-based, data-driven, service organization that protects the public's health. For more than 75 years, we have put science into action to help children stay healthy so they can grow and learn; to help families, businesses, and communities fight disease and stay strong; and to protect the public's health.

In addition, CDC also has a critical preparedness and response mission: we protect the American people from health threats, research emerging diseases, and mobilize public health programs with domestic and international partners. CDC's 24/7 Emergency Operations Center (EOC) unites highly trained experts, well established processes, and state-of-the-art technology to coordinate resources and information as CDC responds to emergencies worldwide.

Every CDC employee has a role in supporting public health emergency management, whether through temporary assignments to emergency responses or sustaining other CDC programs and activities while colleagues respond.

CDC offers exciting and dynamic opportunities in Public Health with global impact. Examine how you can use your talent, training, and passion to help CDC continue as the world's premier public health organization. Please visit www.cdc.gov for more information.

Agency contact information

CDC HELPDESK
Phone
(770) 488-1725
Email
HRCS@CDC.GOV
Address
NCEZID-DIVISION OF HEALTHCARE QUALITY PROMOTION- OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
1600 Clifton Road NE.
Atlanta, GA 30333
US

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https://jobs.cdc.gov/

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