Supervisory Chemist
What you'd do
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) maintains and operates the Division of Chemistry in the Directorate for Laboratory Sciences (LS). This laboratory is responsible for a wide range of analytical and technical testing activities, researching test methodologies, establishing national testing protocols and standards, and compliance testing pursuant to several Federal Acts and regulations.
Major duties
The incumbent will serve as the Division Director reporting to the Associate Executive Director (AED) for Laboratory Services and is responsible for supervising staff within in the Division as assigned by the AED. As the Division Director, you will: Direct scientific research, analysis, and testing activities related to imminent hazards, substantial product hazards, and banned hazardous substances, ensuring technical accuracy and regulatory compliance. Oversee day-to-day laboratory operations, including the maintenance, repair, and enhancement of chemical testing laboratories, specialized analytical equipment, and associated storage and test areas. Direct the Division's quality assurance program, including calibration, verification, documentation, and traceability processes to ensure all compliance testing equipment operates properly and meets required standards. Supervise and develop staff by establishing performance standards, evaluating performance, addressing conduct and performance issues, resolving complaints, and ensuring equitable hiring, training, and advancement opportunities. Represent the Division in the exchange of scientific and technical information with universities, Federal agencies (including NIST, EPA, ATF), and independent laboratories to support research and compliance objectives. Serve as a technical expert and advisor in litigation and high-level discussions, providing guidance to senior officials and collaborating across organizational units on issues impacting broader Commission programs.
What you need to qualify
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: 1) advising and providing interpretation of chemistry data to the regulatory process; 2) conducting regulatory reviews; 3) researching and analyzing data and information from scientific and engineering literature in order to determine risk and severity of potential injuries and death related to hazards of consumer products. GS-15: 1) providing professional interpretation and consultation of chemistry data and application of the data to the regulatory process; 2) conducting regulatory reviews; 3) researching and analyzing data and information from scientific and engineering literature in order to determine risk and severity of potential injuries and death related to hazards of consumer products. 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.
Before you apply
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