Supervisory Life Scientist/Physical Scientist/Environmental Engineer

Summary

This position is in Region 3, Water Division, State Assistance and Partnerships Branch, Drinking Water Infrastructure and Assistance Section. About Region 3:

This is an office-centered position*--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.

*Work-from-home flexibilities may be authorized as described in the Benefits section.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Current permanent EPA internal employees with competitive status and CTAP eligibles.

Duties

You will:

Plan, organize, and direct the activities of the organizational unit, ensuring that they comply with legal and regulatory requirements and meet customer needs.

Exercise supervisory personnel management responsibilities.

Represent the Agency with a variety of functional area organizations.

Serve as a technical advisor and assistant to the Second-Level Supervisor on issues pertaining to grants management.

You will spend less than 25% of your work time on contracts, grants/cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements.

One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.

Position has education requirements--see Qualifications/Education section.

EPA and non-EPA applicants must submit transcripts/course listings.

This position is designated as High Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

You must meet time in grade requirements no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement.

If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure form within 30 days of your first day of employment and annually thereafter.

If you are selected, you must complete (or have already completed) a 1-year supervisory or managerial probationary period.

Upon acceptance of an initial appointment to a supervisory or managerial position with the EPA, you agree to complete all elements of the EPA Successful Leaders Program. This development program is designed to enhance leadership skills and abilities and meet the Agency's goal of providing new leaders with the skills and tools you need to be successful.

#LI-DNI

Qualifications

NOTE: You must meet qualification requirements, including any requirements described in the Education section, by the closing date of this announcement.

In addition to the basic entry education requirements, you must have specialized experience and/or directly related education as described below:

To qualify for the GS-14 level, you must have 1 year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level defined as providing leadership, oversight, or technical expertise for an environmental protection program of limited scope relating to Safe Drinking Water Act and/or Clean Water Act programs such as State Revolving Funds; and coaching, mentoring or leading others.

Your answers to the online assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

Knowledge of the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act.

Ability to research, interpret, and apply environmental policies and regulations.

Ability to lead staff by evaluating work performance and giving advice, counsel, and instruction.

Skill in oral communication.

Skill in written communication.

Ability to advise on technical issues pertaining to grants management strategy, awards, and implementation.

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.

*If you have part-time work experience, read this: .

Education

Life Scientist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR a combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major, as listed.

Environmental Engineer: You must have one of the following:

Successful completion of a professional engineering degree at an accredited university or college

OR

Combination of college level education or training AND technical experience that has furnished you with (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

Professional registration as an engineer.

Evidence of passing the Engineer-in-Training written test.

Successful documented completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences as described by OPM.

Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field and at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Please review the OPM page on specifics about required curriculum and for more information on qualifications, please visit .

Physical Scientist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in 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; OR a combination of education and experience with education equivalent to one of the majors listed that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

For information about accreditation requirements, visit .

Additional information

Are you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents section and visit the EPA website for additional information on the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP):

NOTE: To be entitled to selection priority, you must be rated well-qualified (i.e., you must have a score of 87 or higher--see the How You Will Be Evaluated section).

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit .

If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.

This position is not in the bargaining unit.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your resume must address the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed in the Qualifications section. If you meet basic qualification requirements, your application will be further evaluated based on your answers to the online assessment. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for the position and an applicable score assigned.

We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. We will evaluate your qualifications and eligibility and notify you if you meet minimum qualification requirements. If you are referred for consideration, you may be subject to additional assessments (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.).

NOTE: We do not require a separate statement responding to the competencies, also referred to as Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). However, your resume should clearly show possession of these competencies.

You may for this vacancy.

Required Documents

Required documents to be submitted online:

ALL APPLICANTS

Resume clearly stating your experience related to this position as described in the Duties and Qualifications sections. Your experience description needs to be clear/specific (we may not make assumptions regarding your experience). Include a list of awards you have received if you would like them to be considered. PLEASE LIMIT YOUR RESUME TO A MAXIMUM OF 7 PAGES.

College transcripts - unofficial or official transcripts or a list of courses that includes school(s) attended, school address, course title, grades earned, completion dates, department, and quarter/semester hours earned.

NOTE: Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if you are selected, you must provide official transcripts before you start work.

IF EDUCATION WAS COMPLETED AT A FOREIGN INSTITUTION: You must submit an equivalency evaluation with your application as described here:

Notification(s) of Personnel Action (SF-50) that includes Position Title, Grade or Level, and Duty Station. SF-50(s) must prove you are eligible to apply and have met time-in-grade:

- ELIGIBILITY - You must provide SF-50(s) demonstrating you meet the criteria in the Clarification from the Agency section above (the most common eligibility requirements are Permanent employees [Block 24/Tenure on SF-50], Competitive Status [Block 24/Tenure and Block 34/Position Occupied on SF-50], In the Office of [Block 22/Name and Location of Position’s Organization on the SF-50] and In the Commuting Area [Block 39/Duty Station on the SF-50]).

- TIME-IN-GRADE - If you are applying for a higher grade, you must provide SF-50(s) demonstrating you have completed a minimum of 52 weeks in a position at the next lower grade. The next lower grade is identified in the Qualifications section above. (Some SF-50 examples that can prove you have met time-in-grade include promotions, within-grade increases, and SF-50s dated a year apart within the same grade/job.)

Most recent completed annual performance appraisal dated within the last 18 months (if it is not dated within the last 18 months or you have not received a performance appraisal, you must upload a signed/dated explanation why). Your submitted performance appraisal must show the overall rating and manager/supervisor’s signature that certifies the rating at the time it was given. If your performance appraisal was conducted virtually, a supervisory email certifying your end-of-year review/rating was completed and date it occurred is acceptable documentation in lieu of the supervisor’s signature on the performance appraisal document; the overall rating must also be provided on either the email or performance appraisal document.

DISPLACED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE

Most recent performance appraisal

Proof of eligibility

Most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, tenure, and duty station

Learn more about submitting documentation:

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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 .

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.