Position: Research Chemist, GS-11/12

Division: Laboratory Division

Unit: Research and Support Unit

Location: Quantico, VA

Working Hours: 8:00am-4:30pm (Flexible)

Salary: GS-11 $78,592.00-$102,166.00

GS-12 $94,199.00-$122,459.00

Full Performance level: GS-13

Number of Positions Available: 1

Duration: Full Time/Permanent

Additional selections may be made from this announcement to fill positions within the same division when the position includes substantially the same duties, responsibilities, and qualifications.

Key Requirements

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Must be able to obtain a Top Secret-SCI clearance.
• Some travel may be required.
• As a condition of employment, DNA samples are required from all FBI personnel who interact with evidence or federal DNA database samples in Laboratory Division (LD) space or whose work requires them to enter LD examination areas where evidence or DNA database samples are processed or examined as part of the quality control process to detect samples are processed or examined as part of the quality control process to detect sample/evidence contamination, in accordance with the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), 75 Federal Register (FR) 68932; 29 C.F.R. 1635.8(b)(c).
• ALL applicants must verify completion of the basic education requirement by submitting a copy of college transcripts by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

Mission Statement:

The mission of the FBI is to protect the American People and uphold the Constitution of the United States.

Major Duties

• Lead small- to medium-scale research projects.
• Development of analytical chemistry methods for explosives (conventional and improvised), drugs and pharmaceuticals, toxic substances and poisons, and other materials using gas, ion, and liquid chromatography; isotope ratio, ion mobility, and other mass spectrometry approaches; x-ray fluorescence/diffraction, cathodoluminescence, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and other analytical techniques.
• Analysis of and improvements to pattern evidence methodology (fingerprints, handwriting, firearms and toolmarks, shoeprints, tire treads, etc.).
• Geographic attribution and provenance of soil and trace evidence using a variety of analytical methods, biological, physical, and chemical.
• Development of techniques for clandestine grave locations using geophysical techniques, multispectral imaging, and other approaches.
• Microscopic analysis of hairs, fibers, and trace evidence.
• Evaluation of new and novel techniques for collection of evidence.
• Development of methods for the forensic analysis of evidentiary items made with additive manufacturing/3-D printing technology.
• Developing new research project ideas, proposals, and plans.
• Conducting literature reviews for antecedent work.
• Developing experiment plans/experimental design.
• Sample collection (field and laboratory), preparation and extraction, sample analysis, data reduction and analysis, statistical analysis.
• Preparation of reports and present results at scientific conferences, symposia, and inter- and intragovernmental meetings.
• Analysis of additive manufacturing techniques, polymer chemistry, and attribution signatures.

Qualifications and Evaluations

Please make sure your specialized experience/requirement(s) can be identified in your resume. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Your application will be evaluated and rated under the FBI’s Candidate Rating Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement and will be compared to your responses to the online assessment questionnaire. High self-assessment in the vacancy questions that is not supported by information in your resume, and/or supporting documents may eliminate you from Most Competitive status.

Your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Most Competitive, Competitive, or Least Competitive. Names of candidates in the Most Competitive category will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration. Veterans’ preference will be applied.

All applicants will be rated on the following Competencies

• Analytic Thinking
• Chemistry
• Communication
• Research (Data)

Positive Education Requirement

This position has a specific education requirement; all applicants must verify completion of this basic educational requirement by submitting a copy of their college transcripts by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

All candidates must meet the basic requirements specific under A or B below:

A. Degree: physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience-course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and experience must have been sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major study in the appropriate field.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements provided you can show foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States.

Specialized Experience (SE):

GS-11: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level. SE is defined as follows:

• Experience conducting reviews of scientific literature to identify previous work relevant to planned research projects and experiments.
• Experience designing scientific experiments to development new analytical methods, improve existing methods, and strengthen scientific foundations of forensic methods.
• Knowledge of analytical chemistry using a variety of scientific methods including gas- and liquid-phase chromatography, ion chromatography, mass spectrometry, x-ray diffraction/fluorescence, and other instrumental systems.
• Experience with the analysis of research-derived experimental data and metadata using Microsoft Excel TM, R, MiniTabTM, MatLabTM, or similar systems to support interpretation of results, conclusions, and actionable outcomes.
• Familiarity with and experience using statistical techniques in probability, inference, and data analysis.
• Experience analyzing samples using optical microscopy (transmitted and polarized light), scanning electron microscopy, and other micro-scale examination techniques (e.g., atomic force microscopy, 3D confocal microscopy).
• Experience presenting research at scientific conferences and symposia and publishing scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.

GS-12: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. SE (In addition to above) is defined as follows:

Postdoctoral research experience

• Experience conducting reviews of scientific literature to identify previous work relevant to planned research projects and experiments.
• Experience designing scientific experiments to development new analytical methods, improve existing methods, and strengthen scientific foundations of forensic methods.
• Knowledge of analytical chemistry using a variety of scientific methods including gas- and liquid-phase chromatography, ion chromatography, mass spectrometry, x-ray diffraction/fluorescence, and other instrumental systems.
• Experience with the analysis of research-derived experimental data and metadata using Microsoft Excel TM, R, MiniTabTM, MatLabTM, or similar systems to support interpretation of results, conclusions, and actionable outcomes.
• Familiarity with and experience using statistical techniques in probability, inference, and data analysis.
• Experience analyzing samples using optical microscopy (transmitted and polarized light), scanning electron microscopy, and other micro-scale examination techniques (e.g., atomic force microscopy, 3D confocal microscopy).
• Experience presenting research at scientific conferences and symposia and publishing scientific papers in peer-reviewed journal

How to Apply
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