This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/552348200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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Summary
This Direct-Hire position is in the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Office of Food and Feed Lab Operations, Arkansas Lab, located in Jefferson, Arkansas.
This announcement may be used to fill Biologist, GS-401-13, and/or Lead Biologist, GS-401-13, positions.
See the sections below for more details on the duties & qualifications for this position.
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Overview
- Hiring complete
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Open & closing dates
11/21/2019 to 11/27/2019
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Salary
$88,704 - $115,313 per year
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Pay scale & grade
GS 13
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Location
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Telework eligible
No
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Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
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Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
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Appointment type
Permanent
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Work schedule
Full-Time
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Service
Competitive
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Promotion potential
13
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Job family (Series)
0401 General Natural Resources Management And Biological Sciences
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Supervisory status
No
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Security clearance
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Drug test
No
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Announcement number
FDA-ORA-20-DH-10658713-LP
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Control number
552348200
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This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. Foreign nationals or legal permanent residents are not eligible for consideration. This is a direct hire authority announcement. Traditional federal rules regarding rating, ranking, and veterans' preference do not apply.
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Duties
- Conducts studies and approves industry analytical procedures in various areas of agency concern relating to food or drug analyses.
- Examines scientific samples that require application of the most difficult processes and methods. Analyzes difficult, novel and complex samples which require development of new methods or modification of old methods.
- Develops, plans and performs research and method development and validation. Plans and coordinates meetings with experts that produce reports and recommendations that can be used to develop agency guidelines and criteria.
- Ensures that the organization's strategic plan, mission, vision and values are communicated and integrated into the team strategies, goals, objectives, and work.
- Plans, directs and presents workshops and seminars concerning current research and state-of-the-art technology. Conducts training courses or workshops. Counsels and advises other field analysts and field investigators.
- Assists in team building skills and techniques of group facilitation, coordination, coaching, problem solving, etc.
- Offers the results of investigations and research for publication and presentation at scientific meetings or for distribution within FDA. Prepares reports and maintains records of work accomplishments and supporting information.
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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- This position may be subject to completion of a 1-year probationary period (unless you have already satisfied this obligation).
- Citizenship Requirement: You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National to be considered for this advertisement. Foreign nationals or legal permanent residents are not eligible for consideration.
- Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
- Background Investigation Requirement: All employees must pass a security investigation. Failing to pass the background check may be grounds for removal or legal action. If hired, you may be subject to additional investigations at a later time.
- FDA participates in e-Verify: All new hires must complete the I-9 form; this information will be processed through e-Verify to determine your employment eligibility. If a discrepancy arises, you must take affirmative steps to resolve the matter.
- If you were born male, after, December 31st 1959, you must be registered with the Selective Service System, or have an approved exemption. Learn more at www.SSS.gov.
- Additional selections may be made from this vacancy, within the same geographical area, by other organizational elements from within FDA, through shared corporate recruiting activities. Your application may be shown to multiple hiring offices.
- You may be asked to provide additional information at a later time. All interviews requests and selection decisions are at the full discretion of the hiring office.
- Certification of Accuracy: All information concerning eligibility and qualification is subject to investigation and verification. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection, or appropriate legal action.
Qualifications
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
In order be eligible for the position of Biologist, (GS-0401-13) or Lead Biologist, (GS-401-13), you must meet the following requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
In order be eligible for the position of Biologist, (GS-0401-13) or Lead Biologist, (GS-401-13), you must meet the following requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: This position requires a degree or completion of specific courses to meet the basic education requirement. You must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Your transcript(s) must clearly demonstrate the courses. If the transcript(s) does not clearly demonstrate this, you must submit a copy of the course description and/or other documentation demonstrating that the courses are equivalent. Degree requirements must be met by the closing date of this job announcement and your transcript(s) submitted must reflect this. If you are selected for the position, an official transcript sent directly from your educational institution will be required for verification prior to appointment.
Applicants must have successfully completed one of the following (A or B):
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.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: Specialized experience is directly related to the position to be filled and has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and it is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.
GS-13: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at least equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service which includes providing technical advice for complex scientific tests, investigating environmental/biological conditions and/or protocols to develop new techniques, analyzing scientific data to evaluate biological conditions and preparing synopsis of data submitted for review.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.
Education
Foreign EducationIf 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.
For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation.
SUBMITTING YOUR TRANSCRIPTSPositions which are scientific or technical in nature often have very specific educational requirements. A transcript is required to verify educational achievement. Pay careful attention to the Qualifications and Education sections to identify vacancies where a transcript is required. Even if you hold a similar position or are a current employee, you are not exempt from transcript requirements.
Electronic Transcript Caution: If you have obtained your transcripts electronically, the file might contain security measures that could prevent our application system from reading the file. Therefore, you should consider asking the institution to provide the file in a non-secured electronic format. Alternatively, you could scan or take a photo of the printed copy of the transcript. If your uploaded transcript cannot be read by our system, you may receive consideration and credit for the information we can access.
If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.
Additional information
We may make additional selections for similar positions across the entire Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) identified in this vacancy announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s) at HHS. There is no option to opt-out as your information will not be shared with other hiring agencies outside of HHS.
Additional Conditions of Employment:
- Pre-employment physical required: No
- Drug testing required: No
- License required: No
- Mobility agreement required: No
- Immunization required: No
- Bargaining Unit Position: Yes (Biologist), No (Lead Biologist)
- Financial disclosure statement, OGE-450, required: Please be advised that this position may be subject to FDA's prohibited financial interest regulation and may require the incumbent of this position to divest of certain financial interests. Applicants are advised to seek additional information on this requirement from the hiring official before accepting this position.
- If you are serving, or have served in the last 5 years (from 11/27/2019) as an Executive Branch political, Schedule C, or Non-career SES appointee, HHS/FDA may be required to obtain approval by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prior to beginning employment. You can find out if you have held one of these appointment types by looking at your Standard Form 50s in your Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), in Section 5 where the legal authorities are listed. If you have served or are currently serving, you must provide a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, documenting this appointment. In addition, you will be required to respond to the question in the assessment and certify your responses to the questionnaire. See Political Appointee FAQ - OPM for more..
- Reasonable Accommodation: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact the Bethesda Center Help Desk (888) 478-4340; TTY/TDD: (866) 539-4484; or by email quickquestions@fda.hhs.gov. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. See the Reasonable Accommodation Policy for more information...
- Equal Employment Opportunity: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), 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 See the EEO Policy for more information...
Benefits
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 11/27/2019), your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine your eligibility for Federal employment and your qualification for this position specifically.
This is a direct hire announcement. Traditional rating and ranking of applications, and veterans' preference does not apply to this vacancy. We will evaluate you against the basic qualifications. Qualified applicants will be referred for consideration in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management direct hire guidelines.
Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
Benefits
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.
Required Documents
As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
A document that is required must be submitted by all applicants because the document is needed to verify your qualifications, education, or other eligibility information. Failure to provide one of the documents in the list below may result in your application being considered incomplete.
These documents may be required for some applicants. Applicants relying on education to qualify, those seeking consideration under a special hiring authority, or those who need to verify a license or certification, will need to submit appropriate supporting documentation from this list.
RESUME REQUIREMENTS:
The federal government has very specific resume requirements. If you have not written a federal resume before, you should watch this Resume Writing Tutorial video on the USAJOBS YouTube channel, or read through a helpful Resume Writing FAQ on the USAJOBS Help Site to learn what details you should, and should not, include in your resume.
At a minimum your resume should list the position title, employer, start and end dates (including month and year), salary (or grade and step), hours worked per week, and a list of duties performed or accomplishments, for EACH position listed. A CV (curriculum vitae) may not contain enough information to meet these resume requirements.
Learn more about supporting documents and documentation requirements on USAJOBS:
- How to Understand the Required Documents Section
- What Types of Documents May I Need?
- How to Manage Your Documents on USAJOBS
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 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.
How to Apply
To apply for positions with the Food & Drug Administration, you must have a USAJOBS Login.GOV account, and be signed in to that account, before you click "Apply Online". See the USAJOBS Help Site article "How does the application process work?" for more on this process. Additionally, you must provide a resume and any required supporting documentation listed on the announcement, and you must complete all assessment questionnaires BEFORE 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement, 11/27/2019 We recommend that you start the application process early enough that you can complete and submit your application before this deadline.
Please note that you cannot submit documentation or make changes to your application after the close date.
If you would like to learn how to use USAJOBS including: accessing and managing your account, adding saved documents, building a resume, or starting an application; we recommend you visit the USAJOBS How To site, and read up on any topic that you need help with. This site is located at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/. Additionally, if you need technical assistance with USAJOBS (such as account issues) please visit the main USAJOBS Help site at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/. FDA's Applicant Help Desk is not able to support USAJOBS-related issues.
The Food & Drug Administration uses a system called Application Manager (USA Staffing) to post jobs and accept applications. If you are not familiar with Application Manager or encounter any difficulty with the site, we recommend that you review the Applicant HELP Site at: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Applicant. This help site contains step-by-step instructions for completing the application process, submitting documentation, and completing questionnaires, and should be very helpful to you!
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. The FDA will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities who are not able to apply online. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the Applicant Help Desk. Decisions on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
If after reviewing the USAJOBS and Application Manager help sites, you're not able to find the answer to your question or concern, or if you wish to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the FDA Applicant Help Desk at 888-478-4340, or e-mail QuickQuestions@fda.gov. The Applicant Help Desk is staffed between the hours of 7am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except for government holidays. If you contact the Applicant Help Desk, please provide the following Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 10658713 so that we may assist you faster.
Agency contact information
FDA Applicant Help Desk
- Address
-
FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs
10903 New Hampshire Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20993
US
Next steps
Once you have submitted your complete application, (to include the resume, all required supporting documentation, and the responses to the assessment questionnaires), your application will be reviewed by HR to determine your eligibility and qualification status. If you are referred to the hiring office, they may contact you at their discretion for an interview. If you are not referred, you may not immediately receive a notification due to the high volume of applications that are typically submitted to direct-hire advertisements.
Fair and Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Help
Required Documents
A document that is required must be submitted by all applicants because the document is needed to verify your qualifications, education, or other eligibility information. Failure to provide one of the documents in the list below may result in your application being considered incomplete.
These documents may be required for some applicants. Applicants relying on education to qualify, those seeking consideration under a special hiring authority, or those who need to verify a license or certification, will need to submit appropriate supporting documentation from this list.
RESUME REQUIREMENTS:
The federal government has very specific resume requirements. If you have not written a federal resume before, you should watch this Resume Writing Tutorial video on the USAJOBS YouTube channel, or read through a helpful Resume Writing FAQ on the USAJOBS Help Site to learn what details you should, and should not, include in your resume.
At a minimum your resume should list the position title, employer, start and end dates (including month and year), salary (or grade and step), hours worked per week, and a list of duties performed or accomplishments, for EACH position listed. A CV (curriculum vitae) may not contain enough information to meet these resume requirements.
Learn more about supporting documents and documentation requirements on USAJOBS:
- How to Understand the Required Documents Section
- What Types of Documents May I Need?
- How to Manage Your Documents on USAJOBS
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 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.
Help
Learn more about this agency
How to Apply
To apply for positions with the Food & Drug Administration, you must have a USAJOBS Login.GOV account, and be signed in to that account, before you click "Apply Online". See the USAJOBS Help Site article "How does the application process work?" for more on this process. Additionally, you must provide a resume and any required supporting documentation listed on the announcement, and you must complete all assessment questionnaires BEFORE 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement, 11/27/2019 We recommend that you start the application process early enough that you can complete and submit your application before this deadline.
Please note that you cannot submit documentation or make changes to your application after the close date.
If you would like to learn how to use USAJOBS including: accessing and managing your account, adding saved documents, building a resume, or starting an application; we recommend you visit the USAJOBS How To site, and read up on any topic that you need help with. This site is located at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/. Additionally, if you need technical assistance with USAJOBS (such as account issues) please visit the main USAJOBS Help site at: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/. FDA's Applicant Help Desk is not able to support USAJOBS-related issues.
The Food & Drug Administration uses a system called Application Manager (USA Staffing) to post jobs and accept applications. If you are not familiar with Application Manager or encounter any difficulty with the site, we recommend that you review the Applicant HELP Site at: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Applicant. This help site contains step-by-step instructions for completing the application process, submitting documentation, and completing questionnaires, and should be very helpful to you!
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. The FDA will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities who are not able to apply online. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the Applicant Help Desk. Decisions on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
If after reviewing the USAJOBS and Application Manager help sites, you're not able to find the answer to your question or concern, or if you wish to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the FDA Applicant Help Desk at 888-478-4340, or e-mail QuickQuestions@fda.gov. The Applicant Help Desk is staffed between the hours of 7am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except for government holidays. If you contact the Applicant Help Desk, please provide the following Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 10658713 so that we may assist you faster.
Agency contact information
FDA Applicant Help Desk
- Address
-
FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs
10903 New Hampshire Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20993
US
Next steps
Once you have submitted your complete application, (to include the resume, all required supporting documentation, and the responses to the assessment questionnaires), your application will be reviewed by HR to determine your eligibility and qualification status. If you are referred to the hiring office, they may contact you at their discretion for an interview. If you are not referred, you may not immediately receive a notification due to the high volume of applications that are typically submitted to direct-hire advertisements.
Fair & Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Beginning of a dialog window for the agency announcing this job. It begins with a heading 2 called "Learn more about Field Operating Offices of the Office of the Secretary of the Army". Escape will cancel and close the window.
Learn more about
Food and Drug Administration
Become a part of the Department that touches the lives of every American! At the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) you can give back to your community, state, and country by making a difference in the lives of Americans everywhere. It is the principal agency for protecting the health of citizens. Join HHS and help to make our world healthier, safer, and better for all Americans.
The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA), Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) is the lead office for all FDA Field activities as well as providing FDA leadership on imports, inspections and enforcement policy. ORA supports FDA Product Centers by inspecting regulated products and manufacturers, conducting sample analysis on regulated products, and reviewing imported products offered for entry into the United States. ORA also develops FDA-wide policy on compliance and enforcement.
Agency contact information
FDA Applicant Help Desk
- Address
-
FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs
10903 New Hampshire Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20993
US