Duties

Summary

This position is located in the NIST Material Measurement Laboratory's Office of Reference Materials

Are you ready to explore your future with NIST?

Your application package may be shared with other selecting officials at NIST with opportunities like the one you are applying to. Additional selections may be made through this vacancy.

This notice is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent to occupations for which NIST has a severe shortage of candidates.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The incumbent will lead a scientific review process in order to produce certificates for Standard Reference Materials (SRM) by reviewing the written descriptions of technical procedures, scientific data analyses, chemical composition and physical properties and coordinating the activities to release the SRM for sale. The incumbent will ensure that support documentation exists for the measurement results contained in certificates and SDSs and that the resulting certificates conform to internationally accepted standards. The incumbent will create customized Safety Data Sheets (SDS) based on OSHA 1910.1200 by researching from a variety of sources to identify chemical and physical hazards and compare to shipping regulations and toxicological exposure limits. The incumbent will classify chemical and radioactive materials based on 49 CFR and IATA for shipping. The incumbent will use tools such as Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat Professional, and Microsoft Excel to edit and format documentation. The incumbent will attend trade shows on behalf of ORM and assist in answering scientific questions. The incumbent will participate in division efforts at achieving organizational excellence using the Baldrige framework and the ISO 9001 quality standards.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
03

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen
• You must be registered for Selective Service if applicable (www.sss.gov)
• You must be suitable for Federal Employment

Applicants must meet requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

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.

or

Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS: To qualify, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level (or ZP-II at NIST). Specialized experience is defined as experience participating in a review process for scientific documentation, assessing safety hazards of laboratory materials, or creating Safety Data Sheets based on a single source or program.

OR

Ph. D or equivalent doctoral degree

OR

3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree

OR

A combination of higher level graduate education and experience

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.

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains Federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the OPM website located at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/

Applicants may request reconsideration of their qualifications determination within three business days from the date their applicant status was changed. Applicants should email the Agency Contact listed in this vacancy announcement with their written request listing the announcement number; explaining why the original determination was improper; what factors were not considered; and, should provide any other pertinent information that would enable reevaluation.

Education

This position has an education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcripts to document that you have met the education requirement. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required prior to the final offer of employment.

Foreign education: Individuals educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for a U.S. equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. View a listing of these accredited organizations from the Department of Education's website . Provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing.

Additional information

A one to three year probationary period may be required.


This position is covered by an Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS). This system replaces the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and grade with career paths and pay bands. For information regarding how the pay bands correspond to the General Schedule, click here.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Applications will be evaluated against the basic qualifications. 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, salary, duties performed for each position, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level/pay band. Please also include in your resume a list of all publications and patents/patent applications on which you are a named inventor and provide the title and patent/patent application number for each. Qualified candidates will be considered in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management Direct Hire Guidelines. Veterans' Preference does not apply to the direct hire recruitment procedures. Selections made under this notice will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. You may not be considered for the position if any part of the application is incomplete. Your application may not receive appropriate consideration without the required supporting documentation.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

What documents do I need to submit? In addition to your resume, you must submit a copy of your transcripts to document that you have met the education requirement. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required prior to the final offer of employment.
How do I submit my documents: You may submit required and/or supplemental documents through any ONE of the following methods:

Upload your file(s);

Download from your USAJOBS account;

Fax using the on-line fax cover sheet;

All required supporting documentation mentioned in this vacancy announcement, and all vacancy applications submitted electronically or via fax must be submitted and received by 11:59 pm ET on the closing date of this announcement. You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.

Are you CTAP or ICTAP Eligible? If you are a Federal employee claiming special priority selection rights under DOC's Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or your Agency's Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must meet the threshold of "well qualified" for the position to receive priority consideration. DoC defines well qualified as receiving an overall score of "85". In order to be eligible and considered under CTAP or ICTAP procedures, you must submit proof that you meet the requirements of 5CFR 330.605 (a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of your agency's notice, a copy of your most recent Performance Rating and a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, noting current position, grade level, and the duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible. If you are determined eligible for CTAP and ICTAP consideration, you may be required to respond to job-related questions in order to assess your "well qualified" status. Responses to the questions must be reflected in your resume. If the your responses are not supported by information in your resume, they may be modified and, as a result, your score may be lowered.

For more information about CTAP and ICTAP, please refer to the following web site: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/#ctap .

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.