The Recent Graduates (RG) Program is a dynamic, one-year developmental program that promotes careers in the Federal Government. If you have graduated from a qualifying educational institution or certificate program within the last two years, you may be eligible for the RG program which offers paid career development, training and mentorship opportunities.
Summary
The Recent Graduates (RG) Program is a dynamic, one-year developmental program that promotes careers in the Federal Government. If you have graduated from a qualifying educational institution or certificate program within the last two years, you may be eligible for the RG program which offers paid career development, training and mentorship opportunities.
This announcement is open to applicants who have graduated within the past two (2) years, or past six (6) years for veterans, (with an associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, diploma, vocational, technical degree, or certificate, etc.) from a qualifying educational institution or career or technical education program (including registered Apprenticeship Programs, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Job Corps, Climate Corps).
This position is located at ATF's National Laboratory Center. The laboratories provide highly technical and scientific services that support the Bureau's primary law enforcement missions. The incumbent serves as a Biologist (DNA Laboratory Specialist) in the Forensic Science Laboratories within the Office of Science and Technology. Laboratory Services consists of the Forensic Science Laboratories and the Fire Research Laboratory.
The major duties of the Biologist (DNA Laboratory Specialist) position include, but are not limited to, the following:
Performs basic forensic biology procedures with limited technical guidance.
Performs forensic DNA collection from cartridge cases and DNA extraction on previously collected DNA evidence and known DNA reference standards.
Works with senior examiners to conduct research or evaluate new technology and scientific equipment for adoption or acquisition by Laboratory Services.
Provides expert witness testimony on the basis of DNA collection and extraction.
You must successfully pass a security/background investigation and drug screening.
Selective Service registration is required, see the "Additional Information" section for full details.
A Pathways Recent Graduate Participant Agreement is required.
CONVERSION REQUIREMENTS: ATF has the option to non-competitively convert a Recent Graduate to a permanent or term position upon successful completion of program requirements. This is not automatic, nor guaranteed. Conversion is at the discretion of the hiring manager and employing office. To be eligible to be converted to a permanent or term position you must:
Be recommended for conversion by your manager or supervisor.
Complete all training and development requirements within the 1-year appointment period.
Successful completion of 1 year of continuous service.
Demonstrate successful job performance of at least a "Fully Successful" or equivalent on performance appraisal.
Meet the Office of Personnel Management's qualification standards for the position to which the Recent Graduate will be converted (which may include a positive education requirement).
Must be in good academic standing as defined by their academic institution.
A Recent Graduate may be converted to the highest General Schedule (GS) grade level qualified for at time of conversion.
Recent Graduates converted to a term position in the competitive service may subsequently be non-competitively converted to a career or career-conditional appointment without further competition.
MOBILITY PLAN: New employees hired pursuant to this vacancy announcement must sign a mobility agreement. The purpose of ATF's mobility policy is to enhance career development and progression and achieve mission and business effectiveness. To accomplish these objectives, the mobility plan will facilitate the movement of employees through special short-term assignments or permanent reassignments throughout the Bureau. Applicants who decline to sign a mobility agreement, as required, will be removed from the hiring process. This is a non-bargaining unit position.
In addition to the requirements above, you must also meet the specific qualifications requirements for this announcement and the occupational series and grade of this position as described in the Qualifications section below. Please pay careful attention to the entire announcement to ensure you understand these important requirements.
A recent graduate who has completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational, technical degree, or certificate from a qualifying educational institution or completed a qualifying career or technical education program that awards a recognized postsecondary credential (such as a Registered Apprenticeship Program or Job Corps).
OR
Preference eligible veterans who have been precluded from applying due to their military service obligation begin their two-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years after degree or certificate completion. You MUST submit a copy of the DD214 showing the duration and dates of service that precluded you from applying due to the military service obligation.
Qualification Requirements
To qualify for the position of Biologist (DNA Lab Specialist) (Recent Graduate), GS-0401-9, you must meet the basic qualification requirements listed below AND possess the required specialized experience specific to this series and grade.
Basic Requirements:
A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience -- Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
AND
To qualify for the GS-09 grade level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level or higher by the closing date of this announcement. Specialized experience is demonstrated experience, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Experience must be in the normal line of progression or must be related to the work of the position advertised and must be reflected in your resume. Specialized experience must include all of the following:
Receiving physical evidence, testing samples and/or background material for analysis in a laboratory; AND
Assisting with the collection, extraction, quantification, and/or amplification of DNA; AND
Supporting senior biologists and/or examiners with various tasks related to biological methods or instrumentation.
OR
Education: Two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate education and experience. This will be calculated using your résumé and unofficial transcripts or a list of courses/course hours submitted with your application.
You must meet all qualification requirements by the 08/04/2026 of this announcement.
Additional selections may be made from this announcement.If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments.
Your resume must support your responses to the application questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.
Education
To be eligible for an appointment, you must meet Education requirement A or B.
A. Completed all requirements for an associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution or career or technical education program (including registered Apprenticeship Programs, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Job Corps, Climate Corps) within the previous two years.
OR
B. Was released or discharged from active duty within the previous two years, where the applicant is a veteran who, due to a military service obligation, was precluded from applying for a recent graduate position during any portion of the two-year eligibility period following completion of his/her degree or certificate requirements, provided that not more than six years have transpired since the applicant completed the requirements for a degree or certification.
You must submit an academic transcript from your academic institution showing the date that you most recently completed the academic requirements described above.
Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.
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 a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. If you are qualifying on foreign education, you MUST submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.
Additional information
Additional selections may be made from this announcement.
Trial Period: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
1) your performance and conduct;
2) the needs and interests of the agency;
3) whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
4) whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.
Reasonable Accommodation: ATF provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the job application and hiring process, and you meet the eligibility requirements listed above, please notify the human resources specialist listed on the vacancy announcement, or contact the ATF's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at (202) 648-8760 or send an email to reasonableaccommodations@atf.gov. The decision on granting a reasonable accommodation is handled on a case-by-case basis.
Selective Service: If you were born male, on or after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.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.
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.
Once the job opportunity announcement closes at 11:59 pm ET on 08/04/2026, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted, the information will be compared against your responses to the application questionnaire to determine your eligibility for Federal employment, and then whether you are qualified for this particular position.
If a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your background information, you may be deemed ineligible. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment and a SME resume review.
Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. SMEs will review ONLY two pages of your resume, starting at your work experience. SMEs will not review any additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter). Applicants who pass the structured resume review will be added to the list of qualified candidates.
USA Hire: You will be asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments where you will be evaluated on critical competencies relevant to this position. You must meet all qualifications, including meeting or exceeding the cut score on the required assessments. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments."
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and other characteristics):
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.
It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of required documents below and submit the necessary documentation based on your eligibility.
You must submit a copy of your current transcripts with major being pursued for proof of education and enrollment. If you are not currently enrolled but have been accepted for future enrollment you must submit a copy of your acceptance letter with your application.
Resume - All Applicants: You must submit a resume (a two page or less resume is required) containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:
Official position title,
Employer name and contact information,
Start and end dates (including month and year),
Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
Transcripts - All Applicants:
You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
Your transcript must come from a nationally accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included.
If you are a Veteran or a qualifying parent or spouse:
When claiming a Veteran's Preference, you must submit your last DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) form, specifically the Member #4 Copy, indicating dates and character of service and discharge type.
If you are a Veteran with a service-connected disability rating, you will need to additionally submit the SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veterans Preference) and a copy of your VA Letter stating your disability rating.
If you are the qualifying parent or spouse of a disabled, deceased, or deployed Veteran, and are seeking a derived preference eligibility, you must submit appropriate supporting documentation such as the Veterans DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter, and/or Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. See Veteran Family Preference for more information.
For more information on each type of Veterans Preference, and the documentation required for each, see FedsHireVets.
Failure to provide the required documentation by the closing date of this announcement will result in elimination of further consideration 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 questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/04/2026 to receive consideration.
The application process is as follows:
Click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
Need Help? If you need help with USAJOBs or the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help website which includes information on managing your account, creating an application, uploading documents, etc.
Office of Science and Technology
99 New York Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20226
US
Next steps
Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
You will receive e-mail notifications as your application status is updated by DOJ. However, you can also see your application status any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account and looking on the "Applications" page. Click the position title to expand the display for each application in the list.
We strive to extend a final offer of employment within 90 days from the close of this announcement. Additional selections may be made from this announcement within 90 days.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of required documents below and submit the necessary documentation based on your eligibility.
You must submit a copy of your current transcripts with major being pursued for proof of education and enrollment. If you are not currently enrolled but have been accepted for future enrollment you must submit a copy of your acceptance letter with your application.
Resume - All Applicants: You must submit a resume (a two page or less resume is required) containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:
Official position title,
Employer name and contact information,
Start and end dates (including month and year),
Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
Transcripts - All Applicants:
You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
Your transcript must come from a nationally accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included.
If you are a Veteran or a qualifying parent or spouse:
When claiming a Veteran's Preference, you must submit your last DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) form, specifically the Member #4 Copy, indicating dates and character of service and discharge type.
If you are a Veteran with a service-connected disability rating, you will need to additionally submit the SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veterans Preference) and a copy of your VA Letter stating your disability rating.
If you are the qualifying parent or spouse of a disabled, deceased, or deployed Veteran, and are seeking a derived preference eligibility, you must submit appropriate supporting documentation such as the Veterans DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter, and/or Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. See Veteran Family Preference for more information.
For more information on each type of Veterans Preference, and the documentation required for each, see FedsHireVets.
Failure to provide the required documentation by the closing date of this announcement will result in elimination of further consideration 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 questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/04/2026 to receive consideration.
The application process is as follows:
Click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
Need Help? If you need help with USAJOBs or the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help website which includes information on managing your account, creating an application, uploading documents, etc.
Office of Science and Technology
99 New York Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20226
US
Next steps
Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
You will receive e-mail notifications as your application status is updated by DOJ. However, you can also see your application status any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account and looking on the "Applications" page. Click the position title to expand the display for each application in the list.
We strive to extend a final offer of employment within 90 days from the close of this announcement. Additional selections may be made from this announcement within 90 days.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
