Duties

This Senior Science Advisor position is located in the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), within the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). OPP is responsible for the registration of pesticide products, approving pesticide registrations, and determining whether they pose an unreasonable risk to humans and the environment. OPP manages and reviews large amounts of data from registrants and other sources and develops policies and tools to enable the completion of pesticide risk assessments. Most importantly, this responsibility includes maintaining a current and complete awareness of the state-of-the-art of toxicity and exposure testing in risk assessment to ensure that pesticide-related regulatory decisions are based on the best available, relevant, and scientifically sound information. An overarching goal of OPP is to pursue ways to improve the quality of human health and environmental protection through harmonized principles within a framework of sustainability. The Senior Science Advisor will provide expertise and senior-level support to OPP's effort to develop and update evolving key science policies and regulatory processes. The position is critical to providing the necessary leadership and scientific expertise required in implementing federal regulations as well as other policies, processes, and programs.

Specific responsibilities of the position include:

• Providing expert technical advice, guidance and recommendations to senior management on human health and ecological toxicity and exposure testing, human health risk assessments and science policy issues under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA); the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA); the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA); the Endangered Species Act (ESA); and the Pesticide Registration Improvement Renewal Act (PRIA).
• Evaluating and implementing New Approach Methods (NAMs) to continue implementation of in vitro and computational approaches in OPP science assessments.
• Identifying and resolving internal science policy and risk assessment questions to facilitate regulatory reviews.
• Managing and coordinating high-level projects that cut across OPP divisions and Agency lines that are of national and international importance and serve to implement OPP's strategic plans under FIFRA, FFDCA, FQPA, ESA and PRIA.
• Providing guidance to senior leadership in adhering to the Agency's Scientific Integrity Policy to ensure that it is effectively integrated throughout OPP's programs and projects.
• Serving as an authoritative liaison on health risk assessment and science policy issues for OPP on Agency, interagency and international work groups related to science and science policy regarding pesticide toxicity and human health and ecological risk assessments.
• Providing information and conducting briefings for OCSPP and OPP senior management and other Agency officials about pesticide toxicity and exposure testing, and human health and environmental science policy issues that will be used to evaluate pesticide safety and regulatory options.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You must submit 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.
• You may be required to travel 25% of each month.

The Ethics in Government Act, P.L. 95-521 requires the applicant selected for this position to submit a financial disclosure statement, OGE-278, prior to assuming the SL position, annually, and upon termination of employment.

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.

If you are selected, you must complete a one year probationary period.

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

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Qualifications

In addition to the educational requirements, we are looking for at least one year of specialized experience related to this position as described below:

To qualify for this SL position, you need to have at least one year of full time experience equivalent to the GS-15 level defined as evaluating risks to human health and the environment posed by chemicals and naturally occurring substances.

You will be evaluated on the mandatory Technical Qualifications listed in this announcement. See the Evaluations section of this announcement.

Education

You need a degree or combination of education and experience as described below to qualify for this position.

A bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in one of the following disciplines:

Biologist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in one of the following: 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.

Microbiologist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in microbiology; or biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included at least 20 semester hours in microbiology and other subjects related to microorganisms, and 20 semester hours in physical and mathematical sciences (organic chemistry or biochemistry, physics, and college algebra, or their equivalent); OR a combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major, as listed.

Toxicologist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in toxicology; or an appropriate discipline of the biological, medical, or veterinary sciences that included at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, biochemistry, or physiology, and 12 semester hours in toxicology.

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.

Chemist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university 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 a combination of education and experience with education equivalent to one of the majors listed that included the described coursework.

For information about accreditation requirements, visit EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures .

Additional information

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.

Time in grade requirements do not apply to SL/ST positions.

EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures .

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 Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA .