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Quality Assurance Specialist

Department of Energy
Department of Energy - Agency Wide
Office of Environmental Management, Carlsbad Field Office

Summary

This position is part of the Office of Environmental Management - Carlsbad Field Office, Department of Energy. As a Quality Assurance Specialist, you will be managing, planning, integrating, and implementing National Transuranic (TRU) Waste Program (NTWP) activities at Department of Energy (DOE) facilities throughout the United States.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted today · Apply by 08/06/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on August 6, 2026
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Salary
$106,437 - $163,514 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13 - 14
Promotion potential
14
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Q Access Authorization
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Financial disclosure required
Yes
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
26-CB-12965848-DE
Control number
878428800

Duties

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As a Quality Assurance Specialist, you will:

  • Provide expertise in Quality Assurance (QA) for Transuranic (TRU) waste disposal.
  • Develop and implement operational policies for the direction, control, review, and evaluation of the Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) QA programs
  • Ensure that the CBFO QA programs are in compliance with applicable standards.
  • Provide programmatic direction to organization personnel and contractors on the responsibilities, requirements, best business practices, procedures, or implementation guidance.
  • Oversee National TRU Waste Program compliance audits and recommends certification of the sites to the CBFO Manager.
  • Engage in scientific and technical information and related activities, to include planning work, setting priorities, providing advice and counselling, and determining training needs.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • If you are a male applicant born 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. See www.sss.gov.
  • If selected, your appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
  • This position is not remote, the selectee will be expected to report to the duty station(s) listed. If selected, military spouses, veteran caregivers, and spouses of foreign service employees may be eligible for applicable workplace flexibilities.
  • Obtain and maintain a Q-level security clearance. Failure to obtain and maintain the required security clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • You are required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450, Executive Branch Personnel Confidential Financial Disclosure Report upon entering the position and annually (5CFR Part 2634, Subpart I USOGE, 6/08).
  • This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP) subject to random drug testing. Selectee will participate in drug urinalysis testing, unless currently occupying a TDP in accordance with the Federal Substance Abuse Program (DOE O 343.1).
  • Occasional travel may be required.
  • This position is not included in a Bargaining Agreement.
  • You will be required to complete an OF-306, "Declaration for Federal Employment" form used to (a) determine your suitability for Federal employment and/or (b) in conducting an investigation.
  • This position is included in the DOE's Technical Qualification Program (TQP). The selectee is required to meet core, position, and site-specific TQP standards within a reasonable period (typically 12-18 months) from placement in the position.
  • Technical Qualifications in functional areas of Technical Training (DOE-STD-1179) and General Technical Base (DOE-STD-1146) within 18 months of employment and maintaining continue education.
  • Valid State Driver's License required.
  • A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT:
Education

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- quality assurance, statistics, mathematics, production management, industrial management, computer science, engineering, engineering technology, physical sciences, textiles, or other fields related to the position.

or

Experience

Experience that demonstrated a practical knowledge in monitoring, controlling, or maintaining the quality of products or services in quality assurance, procurement, inspection, production, or related areas. Examples include:

  • Reviewing production activities and capabilities in light of contract quality requirements.
  • Reviewing written quality or inspection procedures for adequacy and evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of quality/inspection systems, including sampling plans.
  • Analyzing quality data to detect unsatisfactory trends or weaknesses in the quality/inspection system.
  • Verifying by test or inspection, using sampling inspection or intensive product inspection techniques, that products comply with requirements prior to acceptance.
  • Identifying inadequacies and requesting corrective action.
  • Computing data, summarizing results, and preparing reports or charts depicting pertinent relationships using statistical methods.
  • Investigating customer complaints and deficiency reports and providing identification of causes to appropriate authorities.
  • Reading, interpreting, and applying technical data such as blueprints, engineering drawings, product specifications, or technical manuals.
  • Reviewing and evaluating supply systems operations and procedures through periodic audits and surveillance inspections.



SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
GS-13:

A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as meeting 2 of 3 of the following

  1. Assisting with oversight and assessments to evaluate contractors' quality assurance performance.
  2. Providing support with written and oral input to federal and/or contractor quality assurance program implementation.
  3. Reviewing corrective action plans submitted by the contractor.

GS-14:
A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-13 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as meeting ALL of the following

  1. Developing and implementing quality assurance (QA) programs.
  2. Conducting technical evaluations and audits of quality control systems or service processes.
  3. Communicating technical quality issues, findings, and recommendations to diverse audiences.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications. Your full resume will be made available to the hiring manager if you are referred.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must (1) meet all of the requirements as described in this section; and 2) be rated "well-qualified", which is defined as scoring in the in Well Qualified category (or higher).

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

This vacancy has a positive education or experience requirement. In order to be rated as qualified, you must provide copies of your college transcripts if you are using education to meet the basic requirement. Failure to provide copies of your college transcripts may result in a rating of "Ineligible". Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.

Additional information

  • This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
  • For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: www.telework.gov
  • Hiring incentives may be authorized in accordance with agency policy and if funding is available.
  • Equal employment opportunity policy.
  • Veterans Information: https://www.energy.gov/careers/veterans-military-spouses
  • Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/
  • The Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a
    conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged noncompliance by completing the Fair Chance Act Intake Form and submitting it to the Administrative Investigations Program at AdministrativeInvestigations@hq.doe.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.
Application of Veterans' Preference: If you are a preference eligible candidate, you will be listed at the top of whichever quality category your rating places you in. CP/CPS veterans are placed at the top of the highest category for all positions except professional and scientific positions at GS-9 and higher.

Non-Competitive Hiring Authority for Military Spouses: If you are a military spouse eligible under this authority, and you meet the minimum qualification requirements for the position, you will be referred to the selecting official for consideration on a separate list specific to only military spouses.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified", which is defined as scoring in the in Well Qualified category (or higher).

Shared Certificates: The Department of Energy shares lists of applicants among its internal Departmental Elements and organizations. You may be referred for consideration to other DOE Hiring Managers throughout the Department for more than one position based on this application. By applying to this announcement, you understand your application materials may be shared with multiple Hiring Mangers throughout DOE. If additional positions are filled from this announcement conditions of employment may differ. You will be notified if you are referred for additional positions.

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.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement, as demonstrated in your application and your responses to all assessments required for this position. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application or cheating on the assessment may result in removal from consideration. Responses to assessments must be prepared solely by the applicant. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, CoPilot) to draft, edit, or generate responses is strictly prohibited and may result in removal from consideration.

Your application will be assessed based on your responses to an online job knowledge assessment, and you will be placed into one of three pre-defined quality categories under Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified". The online job knowledge assessment primarily consists of multiple-choice questions designed to evaluate your understanding of key concepts relevant to this position.

Your application will be assessed based on your responses to an online assessment that measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. Your score will place you into one of three pre-defined quality categories under Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified". You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Your application and resume should demonstrate that you possess the following competencies. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the competencies identified below. Use specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position.

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Problem Solving
  • Quality Assurance
  • Quality Management
  • Reading
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • Technical Competence


You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (08/06/2026) of this announcement.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, clickhttps://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12965848.

Department of Energy - Agency Wide

The Department of Energy's mission is to ensure America's security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.

The Office of Environmental Management - Carlsbad Field Office office works to manage the Department of Energy (DOE) National Transuranic (TRU) Program with its key activities at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and various sites in DOE including related quality assurance, characterization, and transportation activities.

We are truly honored that DOE has been named America's #1 Best Employer for Veterans in 2023 by Forbes-not only among Government agencies, but among employers across the U.S. We are so proud of this ranking which reflects our commitment to the employment of veterans. As so many veterans at DOE renew their service to our Nation, we are deeply committed to their success and advancement. Veterans shape the future of energy?

Agency contact information

Mandy Dixon
Phone
240-385-4716
Email
mandy.dixon@hc.doe.gov
Address
Office of Environmental Management - Carlsbad Field Office
Department of Energy
Human Capital Shared Service Center
1000 Independence Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20585
US

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https://www.energy.gov

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