This position is located in the USDA, ARS, Midwest Area, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Plant Polymer Research Unit in Peoria, IL. In this position, you will be responsible for performing a variety of tests using various references, guides, and precedents to obtain needed information and select or adapt methods and procedures related to plant polymers.

Duties

Constructs, assembles, installs, operates and maintains a variety of highly specialized, complex scientific equipment/instrumentation. Actively participates in the overall development and planning of work. Plans, installs, modifies, and calibrates complex/specialized instrumentation for collecting research data. Assembles, tabulates, and conducts analyses of collected data, with responsibility for recognizing and correcting errors, inconsistencies, and other deficiencies in the data.

Requirements

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Satisfactory Background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one-year trial period.
• Direct Deposit – Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Engineering Technical Series, 0802 (opm.gov) To be eligible, applicants must meet on of the following requirements: 1. Completed all requirements for an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the previous two (2) years; OR 2. Individuals who, due to military service obligation, were precluded from applying to the Recent Graduates Program during any portion of the 2-year eligibility period described above shall have a full 2-year period of eligibility upon release or discharge from active duty. This eligibility period cannot extend more than 6 years from the date on which the requirements for the academic course of study were met. In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements above, applicants must possess the experience requirements as follows: GS-08 Specialized Experience: Qualifying experience for GS-08 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience related to determining the mechanical properties of materials. OR Education: Two full years of successfully completed graduate level education or master's degree if the coursework is directly related to the work of the position. Related degrees may be in agricultural engineering, biosystems engineering, mechanical engineering, materials engineering, industrial engineering, or polymers engineering. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A qualifying combination of graduate education and experience as described above. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. GS-09 Specialized Experience: Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-08 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience related to determining the mechanical properties of materials; extrusion and property measurements of biopolymer-based materials (e.g., proteins, cellulosics, starch). OR Education: Two full years of successfully completed graduate level education or master's degree if the coursework is directly related to the work of the position. Related degrees may be in agricultural engineering, biosystems engineering, mechanical engineering, materials engineering, industrial engineering, or polymer engineering. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A qualifying combination of graduate education and experience as described above. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 5601 Sunnyside Ave Beltsville, MD 20705 US
• Name: Christina Olshawsky
• Phone: (970) 305-6708
• Email: [email protected]