The Division of Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Directorate for Health Sciences, Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction (EXHR), in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is seeking a Senior Toxicologist/Biological Scientist/Health Scientist to serve as the Commission’s technical expert, program manager, adviser and consultant on all matters concerning numerous areas of chemical hazards of consumer products.

Duties

The incumbent serves as the Commission’s technical expert, program manager, adviser and consultant on all matters concerning numerous areas of chemical hazards of consumer products and serves as an authoritative source of knowledge on the principles of chemical risk assessment (which encompasses hazard assessment, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization), high-interest substances, including flame retardant chemicals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), metals, and substances related to indoor environments, and relevant consumer products.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship Required.
• Background Investigation Required.
• Must meet education requirements.

Qualifications

In addition to the mandatory education requirement, all applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: GS-14: Extensive experience in analyzing and applying professional knowledge of general and specific practices in the areas of toxicology, exposure assessment, and chemical risk assessment to determine whether exposure to and/or use of certain consumer products are a human health hazard OR developing complex toxicological, exposure, or risk analyses in order to produce reports. Evidence of the above specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of duties performed in positions held.  Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience or based on job titles alone.  If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. 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. Applicants must meet the qualifications for this position by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Mandatory Education Requirement. All applicants must meet one of the following requirements to qualify:

FOR 0415 SERIES: Degree: 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.

FOR 0401 SERIES: 1. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR 2. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

FOR 0601 SERIES: Bachelor’s or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement indicated above, applicants MUST have 52 weeks of specialized experience as indicated in the Qualifications Section above.

You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable during the application process. Official transcripts will be required upon appointment.

All materials must be submitted by the closing date of this announcement.

All education claimed by applicants will be verified. 

Contacts

• Address CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION Office of Human Resources Management 4330 East West Highway, Room 838 Bethesda, Maryland 20814 United States
• Name: HR Specialist
• Phone: 301-504-7925
• Email: [email protected]