Demo

Senior Laboratory Evidence Control Specialist

Drug Enforcement Administration
Sterling, VA Full Time
POSTED ON 6/5/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 7/3/2026
Summary

This position is located in the DEA, Operational Support Division, Office of Forensic Science (SF) Field Laboratories.

This position(s) primary purpose is to manage the life cycle of all evidence submitted to the laboratory including non-drug, drug, bulk, and non-diversion/diversion seizures.

Duties

Help

As a Your Typical Work Assignments May Include

  • Receiving, inspecting, cataloging, and organizing all evidence as well as legal document submissions.
  • Creating records in accordance with DEA and the Office of Forensic Science office.
  • Providing operational assistance to customers, both domestic and international, in the area of evidence handling and submission.
  • Conducting evidence storage and handling in compliance with all laboratory accreditation requirements.
  • Organizing the vault in preparation for major events including bulk and non-bulk evidence destructions, inventories, and audits and inspections.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation. Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
  • Incumbent is subject to random drug testing.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: http://www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.
  • Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
  • Applicant must possess and maintain a valid motor vehicle operator's license while employed in the position and will be required to operate the motor vehicle in accordance with applicable OPM regulations and related requirements of DOJ/DEA.
  • Employee may be required to be trained/certified in the operation of industrial equipment, such as forklifts. Employee may be required to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Class B and drive semitrucks and/or box trucks.

Qualifications

For more information on eligibility requirements see: DEA Employment Eligibility

Applicants must meet the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of the announcement. If you are qualifying based on education or if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcripts with your application.

Basic Qualification Requirements

Applicants applying for the GS-11 must meet one of the following requirements:

  • Have at least one full year of specialized experience that is at least equivalent to work performed at the GS-9 grade level. Specialized 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.

Qualifying experience must demonstrate the following: 1) Assisting with oversight, receipt, maintenance, safekeeping, and disposition of seized evidence from cradle to grave; 2) Utilizing an evidence or inventory automated system to appropriately document and update evidence or inventory processed through or withdrawn from custody; 3) Assisting with the development and distributing evidence inventory management policies and procedures; 4) Conducting training on evidence processes and procedures, gathering information, assisting with preparing seized evidence reports, and assisting with troubleshooting problems relating to basic evidence management systems/applications, and resolving other evidence related issues as they arise.

OR

  • Have completed three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

OR

  • A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Additional information on the position qualification requirements are located in the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Qualifications Standards Handbook.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php.

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire CompetencyBased Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If an applicant is currently, or has been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, applicants must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office listed in this announcement.

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to similar positions in any Division/Office listed in this announcement. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Salary.com Estimation for Senior Laboratory Evidence Control Specialist in Sterling, VA
$79,163 to $104,068
If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Senior Laboratory Evidence Control Specialist?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Senior Laboratory Evidence Control Specialist career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$97,688 - $130,047
Income Estimation: 
$126,935 - $163,412
Income Estimation: 
$47,543 - $64,320
Income Estimation: 
$56,220 - $78,495
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Drug Enforcement Administration

  • Drug Enforcement Administration Gulfport, MS
  • Summary This is a Student Internship position under the Pathways Internship Program. This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA, ... more
  • Just Posted

  • Drug Enforcement Administration Louisville, KY
  • Summary This is a Student Internship position under the Pathways Internship Program. This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA),... more
  • Just Posted

  • Drug Enforcement Administration Green, WI
  • Summary This is a Student Internship position under the Pathways Internship Program. This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA, ... more
  • Just Posted

  • Drug Enforcement Administration Newark, NJ
  • Summary This is a Student Internship position under the Pathways Internship Program. This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA, ... more
  • Just Posted


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Senior Laboratory Evidence Control Specialist jobs in the Sterling, VA area that may be a better fit.

  • Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel, MD
  • Description Are you passionate about collaborating with experienced engineers to design and develop the next generation of weapon systems? Can you design a... more
  • 28 Days Ago

  • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Washington, DC
  • Company Description Join us and make YOUR mark on the World! Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has turned bold ideas into world-changing impact... more
  • 12 Days Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!