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This position is located in the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Department of Transportation. Serves as a national/international expert in packaging, operational control and classification of radioactive and nuclear material for the transportation of hazardous materials. Assists in developing Federal policy and regulations for safe transportation of radioactive and nuclear materials by highway, air, rail, and water.
05/09/2025 to 05/19/2025
$84,601 - $185,234 per year
GS 11 - 14
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
No
Occasional travel - Some travel required.
No
Permanent
Full-time - Full Time
Competitive
14
No
No
Yes - This is a Bargaining unit position represented by AFGE, union 5901.
PHMSA.HMHQ-2025-0008
836718300
Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. The 'Rule of Three', Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy. This is a Bargaining unit position represented by AFGE (5901).
As a Physical Scientist, you will:
The ideal candidate for this position would possess knowledge of the theories, principles, and practices in the field of packaging, operational control, and classification of radioactive and nuclear material for the transportation of hazardous materials. The candidate would also provide expert advice to the Department in the development of Federal policy and regulations for safe domestic and international transportation of radioactive and nuclear materials.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.
To qualify for the GS-11 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 it must include:
To qualify for the GS-11 on Education alone, you must have:
3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
You can also qualify based on a combination of higher-level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application.
To qualify for the GS-12 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:
You cannot qualify on education at this level; you must have experience.
To qualify for the GS-13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include:
You cannot qualify on education at this level; you must have experience.
To qualify for the GS-14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include:
You cannot qualify on education at this level; you must have experience.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
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.
For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4
All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Basic Requirements for All Grades:
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.
The agency has the option of extending a term appointment up to the 4-year limit.
The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation
This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.
Please Note:
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level.
All applicants: For this announcement, applicants may be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational requirements. Applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications may be referred to the selecting official.
Applicants will not be rated or ranked. Veteran’s Preference does NOT apply.
Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers.
RESUME: – Your resume MUST contain specific information used to make a qualification determination that includes employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time or average number of hours worked per week, and position titles. If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education as well as support the required specialized experience. Formatted resumes may be uploaded later in the application process. For assistance with the resume builder, please visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to
TRANSCRIPTS are REQUIRED if there is a stated education requirement for the series OR if you are substituting education for experience. The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements.
DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position and scoring at least an 80) and provide all of the following documents:
Displaced employees may be eligible for ICTAP or CTAP priority consideration.
For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USA Jobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
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.
You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.
If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: Transjobs@dot.gov
You may check your application status by logging into USAJobs.com (Select "My USAJobs" and click "Applications". Within two weeks of the closing date, a Human Resources Specialist will evaluate your application. Qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager. If you are selected for an interview, the hiring agency will contact you directly. Once the position is filled, we will notify all applicants of their final status.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/836718300. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.