Chemist (Technology Project Manager – Interdisciplinary)

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Company: US Department of the Treasury
Location: Washington, DC

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    Duties

    Summary

    The position is located in the Chief Technology Officer, Office of Technology Development (OTD), Security Features Division. The work involves conducting research, testing, evaluation and analysis related to potential security features that would be most effective in counterfeit deterrence.

    Responsibilities

    U.S. citizens or U.S. Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.

    This opportunity is also open to Status eligibles under Announcement 20-BEP-48. Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply.

    The following are the duties of this position at the GS-13. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

    • Identify innovative materials and technologies, performing research and development projects for advanced security features to protect the BEP products and other security documents.
    • Support team leaders, senior scientists, and other project managers, who lead cross functional teams, interagency groups, and ad hoc technical work groups, by following decisions and assignments to accomplish mission-related objectives and goals. Develop long and near-term project plans, including the schedules, scope, personnel, budget and reports. Coordinate schedule with other internal/external personnel. Manage the transition of feature prototypes to production. Represent the Bureau on technology and functional task groups to generate plans, guidance, agreement and technical findings.
    • Plan and conduct technology projects in developing and evaluating counterfeit deterrence features. Write research proposals, technical reports, presentations, briefings, and journal articles.
    • Evaluate and/or develop new optical features for counterfeit deterrence. Plan and perform investigations to develop new methods and means of validating findings. Isolate unknown and novel conditions to develop methods and evaluation techniques.

    Design experiments to conduct design verification with lab testing.

    Travel Required

    Occasional travel – 1-5 Nights per Month

    Supervisory status

    No

    Promotion Potential

    13

  • Job family (Series)

    1301 General Physical Science

    1310 Physics

    1320 Chemistry

  • Requirements

    Requirements

    Conditions of Employment

    • Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National

    The experience may have been gained in either the public or private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

    SUITABILITY, CLEARANCE & REQUIREMENTS: A background investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant’s successful completion of a background investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for disqualification in the hiring process. The background investigation process conducted by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is very thorough. Therefore it is imperative that applicants exercise candor and honesty when answering background questionnaires, especially as it relates to arrest, employment, education, finances, illegal drug use, and/or other criminal history. Falsification discovered in security documents or during the background investigation process may result in an immediate negative suitability determination or immediate revocation of your interim clearance (if applicable).

    Qualifications

    You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

    Specialized experience: For the GS-13, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes:

    • Performing research and development on materials; AND
    • Working with or as a part of a project team performing research and development; AND
    • Developing new materials or technology; AND
    • Developing new optical methodology
    Specialized experience: For the GS-12, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes:

    • Performing research and development on materials; AND
    • Working with or as a part of a project team performing research and development; AND
    • Developing new materials or technology

    Education

    Individual Occupational Requirements For the Physical Scientist:

    A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor’s or higher degree 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
    B. 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.


    Individual Occupational Requirements For the Chemist:

    A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor’s or higher degree 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
    B. Combination of education and experience – course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education.


    Individual Occupational Requirements For the Physicist:

    A. Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor’s or higher degree in physics; or related degree that included at least 24 semester hours in physics.
    OR
    B. Combination of education and experience – courses equivalent to a major in physics totaling at least 24 semester hours, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
    In either A or B above, the courses must have included a fundamental course in general physics and, in addition, courses in any two of the following: electricity and magnetism, heat, light, mechanics, modern physics, and sound.

    The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

    Additional information

    • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
    • This is a non-bargaining unit position.
    • We offer occasional opportunities for telework. This will not be routine.
    • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
    • The facility typically shuts down annually between Christmas and New Year’s Day. As such, all BEP employees must take leave for work days during the shutdown period.


    CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT    :

    • A one year probationary period may be required.
    • Public Trust – Background Investigation will be required.
    • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency
    • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
    • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
    • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
    • Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position.
    • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
    • Wear required safety clothing and/or equipment required by the position. This may include safety shoes, hard hats, hearing protection, gloves, masks, etc.

    How You Will Be Evaluated

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

    Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a “not qualified” determination.

    Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Technical; Project Management; Communication. Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, Gold, Silver, and Bronze depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. A subject matter expert may be used in the evaluation. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

    Veterans’ preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category.

    Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

    If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must be assigned the middle category or better to be rated as “well qualified” to receive special selection priority.

    To preview questions please click here.

    Background checks and security clearance

    Security clearance

    Secret

    Drug test required

    Yes

  • Required Documents

    Required Documents

    A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

    All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips.

    VETERANS’ PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation. In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.

    CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.

    EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

    A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

    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.

  • Benefits

    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. Learn more about federal benefits.

    Our comprehensive benefits are very generous. Our benefits package includes:

    • Challenging work, opportunities for advancement, competitive salaries, bonuses and incentive awards.
    • Ten paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 to 26 days of vacation time each year.
    • Access to insurance programs that may be continued after you retire.
    • A wide choice of health insurance plans, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and no waiting periods. We pay a substantial amount (up to 75%) of the health insurance premiums.
    • A retirement program which includes employer-matching contributions.
    • Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_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.