Summary
TTB's mission is steeped in America's history, from the time of the Whiskey Rebellion to the work of agents like . We are a nationwide team dedicated to collect alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and ammunition excise taxes and ensure that alcohol beverages are labeled, advertised, and marketed by law. We rank among the top 12% of agency subcomponents in the 2023 .
Duties
This position is located at Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB),Assistant Administrator - HQ Operations - Scientific Services Division.
As a Physical Science Technician, you will:
The following are the duties of this position at the GS-9. 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.
- Maintain assigned laboratory equipment such as Water Baths, Ovens, Dishwasher, Sonicators and other basic lab equipment and proactively identify laboratory supply needs (chemicals, specialty gases, and disposables) and arranges necessary ordering and purchasing orders.
- Maintain and support laboratory operations through activities such as inventory of chemicals, preparation of simple solutions and reagents for use in the laboratory, safely dispose of waste materials, and wash laboratory glassware.
- Perform sample analysis using a variety of specialized equipment to support analysis for regulatory compliance, while keeping detailed records of data collected, and helping chemists in preparing samples, standards, andreagents.
- Communicate technical findings with supervisor and other SSD personnel via written reports and/or worksheets and participate in the laboratory's ISO accreditation efforts.
- Retrieve information from databases or files, maintain laboratory records and perform legal destruction, disposal or archiving of laboratory samples.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or . 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.
Key Requirements:- Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
- Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National
Qualifications
You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.For the GS-6, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-5 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized Experience for this position includes:
- Working in a laboratory environment either through academic coursework or professional setting to collect and record data using scientific practices including chemical solution preparation, measuring mass using an analytical balance, and measuring volumes; AND
- Following a laboratory scientific standard operating procedure, protocol, or method through academic coursework or in a professional setting.
OR -- You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:
One full year of graduate level education directly related to the work of the position.
OR -- You may qualify on a combination of education and experience: To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate level education in excess of the first nine semester hours (14 quarter hours) may be combined to be considered for qualifying education.
For the GS-05, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-04 level in the federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:
- Working in a laboratory environment either through academic coursework or in a professional setting to collect and record data using scientific practices including chemical solution preparation, weighing mass using an analytical balance, and measuring volumes.
OR -- You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:
Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study in an appropriate field of physical science or a degree that included at least 24 semester hours (36 quarter hours) in any combination of courses in physical science, engineering or any branch of mathematics, except financial or commercial mathematics.
OR -- You may qualify on a combination of education and experience:
To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours), beyond the second year is equivalent to one year of specialized experience.
Completion of appropriate training such as in-service training programs, training acquired while serving in the Armed Forces, and government-sponsored developmental training programs will be allowed credit on a month-for-month basis. Such training meets specialized experience requirements depending upon its applicability.
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 résumé may result in a "not qualified" determination.
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas:
- Attention to Detail
- Communication
- Customer Service
- Flexibility
- Integrity/Honesty
- Interpersonal Skills
- Learning
- Reading Comprehension
- Self-Management
- Stress Tolerance
- Teamwork
- Technical
Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, A (highest quality category), B (middle quality category), or C (minimally qualified category), 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.Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category.Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration.
If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the ) you must be assigned the middle category or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.
Required Documents
A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, 3. Submission of any required documents, and 4. Completion of your USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if applicable. 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).Please ensure all required documents, including any required work samples, narratives, or other materials as stated in this announcement, are attached to your application package.
It is anticipated that there will be significant interest in the announcement. As a result, the announcement will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on the date of receipt of the 100th application or at 11:59 p.m. ET on DATE OF CLOSURE; whichever occurs first. Any required documents should be submitted at the time that you apply as documents will not be accepted after the vacancy closes.
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 .
VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference, please see . 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 for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.
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 a list of courses showing title, number of credits, grade, and date of completion.
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 . 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 .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 .
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.
