Job description

Overview
Accepting applications
Open & closing dates

09/23/2022 to 10/13/2022

Salary

$148,484 - $176,300 per year

Pay scale & grade

GS 15

Location

1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
1 vacancy
Remote job

No

Telework eligible

Yes—as determined by the agency policy.

Travel Required

25% or less - Travel required one to three times a year.

Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

Appointment type

Permanent

Work schedule

Full-time -

Service

Competitive

Promotion potential

15

Job family (Series)

1301 General Physical Science

Supervisory status

No

Security clearance

Top Secret

Drug test

Yes

Position sensitivity and risk

High Risk (HR)

Trust determination process

Suitability/Fitness

National security

Announcement number

HRSC/T/AVC-2022-0008

Control number

679091400
Summary

This position is located in the office of Chemical and Biological Weapons Affairs (CBW), Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and compliance (AVC). The Bureau is responsible within the Department for all matters relating to verification and compliance with international arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament agreements and commitments. The incumbent serves as the senior physical scientist on chemical and biological weapons affairs.

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This job is open to
The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

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This job is also open in another announcement to:
Individuals with disabilities
Federal employees - Competitive service
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Land & base management
Military spouses
Family of overseas employees
Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
Special authorities
Veterans
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Duties
Leads or participates in bilateral and multilateral consultations overseas with representatives of close allies and other countries related to the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention.
Assists in the development of negotiating strategies and tactics and recommends original substantive approaches on verification and compliance matters to achieve U.S. national security objectives.
Represents bureau at committees, interagency meetings, and U.S. delegations to arms control and disarmament negotiations and consultations, engaging on scientific/technical issues and policy issues, including chemical and microbial forensics.
Advises on and participates in international negotiations and consultations related to technical and scientific aspects of Chemical and Biological Weapons (CBW)-related arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament agreements and commitments.
Manages CBW-related verification fund oversight and strategy development for the office and develops new concepts, plans, and long-range programs to support investigation and attribution of chemical and biological weapons use.
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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
U.S. Citizenship is required.
Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
Obtain/maintain eligibility to access Sensitive Compartmented Information
Statement of Employment & Financial Interest required prior to appointment.
Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/
Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.

Applicants MUST meet the required basic entry qualification requirements described below:

BASIC REQUIREMENT:
A. Have an undergraduate or higher level degree from an 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

B. Have 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.

Note: All applicants WILL BE required to submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

IN ADDITION to meeting the basic entry qualifications requirements listed above, the applicant MUST have at least one year of specialized experience that has equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience is related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in the Federal service.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

Experience developing and presenting briefings on policy or technical issues related to the areas of arms control, compliance and verification of chemical and biological weapons affairs to high-level agency officials.

Experience advising on the areas of arms control, compliance and verification of chemical and biological weapons affairs.

Experience participating in meetings and/or working groups with decision makers in government on issues related to microbial forensics.

Note: All applicants WILL BE required to submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.

Additional information

For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.
If eligible, telework and/or remote work agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Please note that any approved remote work arrangement is subject to the locality pay area of the alternative telework worksite.
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

Benefits
How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume will be conducted and compared against your responses to the assessment questions to determine if you are qualified for this job. Note: Responses to questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as described in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement, will be assigned to one of three quality categories:

Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.
Well Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in some but not all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) for the position.
Highly Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must fully demonstrate proficiency in all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.

Highly Qualified applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

Knowledge of U.S. foreign policy objectives and programs.
Knowledge of chemical and biological warfare issues.
Knowledge of the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others (colleagues, clients, other agencies, other offices).
Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.

Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the Highly Qualified category ,except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. This position is considered scientific/professional. Other 10-point preference eligible and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligible applicants within the category in which they qualify. View information on veterans' preference on OPM’s Fed Hire Vets website.

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never been a Federal employee, you are not CTAP or ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category for this position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement to receive consideration for selection priority.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

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Required Documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1. Resume showing relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours per week worked/volunteered. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must support your answers to the completed online assessment questions.

2. Transcripts, if applicable and you are qualifying based on education. See the Qualification and Education sections of this announcement for more information. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

3. Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable:
To claim 5-point preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.
To claim 10-point preference, submit all required documentation outlined on the SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, etc.). If we cannot verify your 10-point preference claim, your application will be reviewed for 5-point preference.
To claim 10-point derived preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), submit a completed SF-15 and all required documentation listed on the SF-15 to support your claim.
To claim 0-point Sole Survivorship preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 or another form of official documentation showing that your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge.

For all preference claims:
DD-214 Member 4 copies are preferred and must show the dates of service, type of discharge, and any qualifying service campaign medals.
If you are currently on active duty and applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must provide a certification on letterhead from your military branch which contains your military service dates, expected date of discharge or release, and the character of service to show that your military service was performed under honorable conditions. The expected date of discharge or release must be no later than 120 days after the certification is submitted for consideration for this vacancy announcement.
For more veterans’ preference information, visit the USAJOBS Help Center.

4. ICTAP/CTAP documentation, if applicable (e.g., reduction-in-force (RIF) separation notice, RIF separation SF-50 personnel action, certification of expected separation, etc.). Visit our agency’s ICTAP and CTAP eligibility information sites for more information and required application 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 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.

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How to Apply

Prepare your application in USAJOBS

To start your application, click Apply and we’ll walk you through the process to attach a resume and any required documents.

During the application process you can review, edit, delete, and update your information. We’ll automatically save your progress as you go, so you won’t lose any changes. You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement to complete the application process.

STEP 1: Select the "Apply" button and follow the instructions to register or sign into USAJOBS.

STEP 2: Submit your resume. Please see the Required Documents section for specific information that should be outlined in your resume.

STEP 3: Complete the online assessment questions.

STEP 4: Submit all required documentation applicable to you, as listed in the Required Documents section.

To learn how to view the status of your submitted supporting documentation and application, visit the Application Instructions section of our agency’s Civil Service selection process site.

Technical assistance with your on-line application is available through the Help Desk at mgshelp@monster.com or by calling (866) 656-6830 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET

Alternate Application Procedures

If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package. Contact the Human Resources office listed on the announcement between the business hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET at least 2 working days prior to the closing date of this announcement. The application package for alternate application procedures must be submitted and received in the Human Resources office no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement. Paper applications and information sent by mail will not be accepted.

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