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Chemist

Department of Defense
Defense Logistics Agency
This job announcement has closed

Summary

See below for important information regarding this job.

This position may be filled at grades: GS-09, GS-11, or GS-12. If filled at grades GS-09 or GS-11 the incumbent will have promotion potential to the GS-12 grade, and will perform the duties in a developmental capacity.

The annual salary ranges for each grade:

  • GS-09: $67,339 - $87,539
  • GS-11: $81,474 - $105,911
  • GS-12: $97,653 - $126,955

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
07/10/2025 to 07/17/2025
Salary
$67,339 to - $126,955 per year

Please see the "Summary" section for more info.

Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Philadelphia, PA
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 - Multiple Appointment Types
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
DLATrpSpt-25-12761500-MP
Control number
840422900

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Duties

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  • Specializing in the areas of chemical/instrumental analysis, physical testing, and high performance liquid or gas chromatography/spectroscopy.
  • Developing, adapting, improving, and evaluating methods used to perform chemical and physical testing of routine, difficult, complex, and unusual samples.
  • Making major adaptations and modifications of established methods and procedures for a wide variety of samples including components, textiles, leather, rubber, paper, metals, chemicals, and textile or equipage end items.
  • Evaluating and interpreting data generated in the course of studying the chemistry of substances.
  • Reviewing test plans, referenced specifications, available regulations, procedures and guidelines to determine the most expeditious/economical methods of reaching determinations.
  • Making additional modifications if necessary and writing reports that describe the methods/their uses and limitations.
  • Conducting and monitoring collaborative studies in connection with the Laboratory Proficiency Testing Program.
  • Reviewing Contractors' test reports and entering data into a centralized database/system.
  • Participating in correlation studies, courtesy testing, and special investigations resulting from complaints of Unsatisfactory Material Reports on assigned items.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. citizen
  • Tour of Duty: Flexible
  • Security Requirements: Non-Critical Sensitive
  • 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: Yes
  • Defense Acquisition Workforce position. Must complete DoD certification and other requirements. Please see the "Additional Information" section.
  • 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for a Chemist, your resume and supporting documentation must support:

A. Basic Requirement: Bachelor's Degree or higher in physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics.

OR

Combination of education and experience -- Bachelor's Degree or higher equivalent to a major in physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering, or a major in a related field that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience, or additional education.

AND

B. Specialized Experience: In addition to the Basic Requirement, 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-09 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military, or private sector. To qualify at the GS-11 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military, or private sector. To qualify at the GS-12 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 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:

  • GS-09: Performing established standardized chemical tests and analyses on a broad range of samples in a laboratory setting; Implementing new testing and analytical methods involving either automated analytical systems or manual laboratory analytical procedures; Developing and suggesting minor adaptations and filling in the gaps found in the newly developed guidelines.
  • GS-11: Planning, executing, and communicating the results of complex studies of chemical problems; Adapting existing methods as needed to solve new chemical problems; Analyzing samples for quality control.
  • GS-12: Analyzing a wide variety of samples for quality control; Creating new methods as needed to solve unusual or unique chemical problems or evaluation requirements; Performing a full range of volumetric, gravimetric, spectrographic, titrimetric, and chemical analyses; Obtaining valid and accurate testing results.
OR

C. Education Substitution: Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Education must be from a college or university accredited by an organization approved by the U.S. Department of Education. See http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx. If using education to meet basic qualifications, YOU MUST SUBMIT A TRANSCRIPT as supplemental documentation. To qualify based on education in lieu of specialized experience, you must possess:
  • GS-09: Two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.
  • GS-11: Three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
  • GS-12: Education cannot be substituted in place of specialized experience for this grade level.
OR

D. Combination: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for grade levels GS-09 and GS-11 and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level;
and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-09 and GS-11.

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

Education cannot be substituted in place of specialized experience for the GS-12 grade level.

Are you using your education to qualify? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at time of application.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

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

Defense Acquisition Workforce: Position requires DoD Acquisition Test & Evaluation (T/T&E), Foundational Level certification within required timeframes. Selectee must also achieve 80 hours of Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) every 2-years. Click here for more details and Resources.

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:The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has established a Drug-Free Federal Workplace Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for DLA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with DLA for a period of six months. This policy extends to random testing for the use of illegal drugs by employees who occupy testing designated positions defined as sensitive in Section 7(d) of Executive Order 12564. The Defense Logistics Agency's Drug Free Workplace Plan's drug testing panel includes testing for the following illegal substances: marijuana, cocaine, opiates (codeine/morphine), 6-Acetylmorphine (heroin), phencyclidine, amphetamines (amphetamine/methamphetamine), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone. ADVISORY: By using cannabidiol (CBD) products you are risking a positive drug test result for marijuana.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): If you are an eligible ICTAP applicant you may apply for special selection over other candidates for this position. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at a score of 85 or higher for this position. ICTAP eligibles must submit one of the following as proof of eligibility for the special selection priority: a separation notice; a "Notice of Personnel Action" (SF-50) documenting separation; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; OR a Military Department or National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456.

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:

  • Chemistry
  • Research
  • Written Communication
  • Knowledge of Specific Equipment, Machinery, Structure, or Components That Are Involved
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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