Chemist

About the role

This position is located in the Clinical Pharmacology Program (CPP), Office of the Clinical Director (OCD), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

What you will do

• The incumbent serves as an analytical chemist supporting clinical pharmacology and translational drug-development research.
• The position develops, optimizes, validates, and applies quantitative bioanalytical methods to determine concentrations of drugs, metabolites, and related analytes in biological matrices, supporting pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic investigations and clinical study objectives.
• Develop, optimize, qualify, validate, transfer, and apply chromatographic and mass-spectrometric methods, particularly LC-MS/MS, for quantitative analysis of small-molecule drugs, metabolites, and selected peptides in biological specimens.
• Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot HPLC/UHPLC and tandem mass spectrometry systems; investigate sensitivity, selectivity, carryover, matrix effects, chromatographic interference, and analyte stability.
• Design and execute sample preparation procedures, including protein precipitation, liquid-liquid extraction, and solid-phase extraction; prepare calibrators, internal standards, blanks, and quality-control samples.
• Evaluate assay performance, including accuracy, precision, calibration range, lower limit of quantification, dilution integrity, selectivity, stability, and reproducibility; apply predefined acceptance criteria and document investigations.
• Acquire, process, critically review, and report quantitative data; contribute to pharmacokinetic data interpretation and coordination with clinical pharmacology investigators.
• Maintain traceable records, SOPs, method-validation protocols, sample-analysis reports, and quality documentation consistent with applicable FDA/EMA bioanalytical guidance, ICH M10, and laboratory quality practices.
• Coordinate specimen receipt, inventory, storage, transfers, and disposition; train laboratory personnel and communicate analytical findings to multidisciplinary study teams.

Education

This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades). Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package.

Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Click here for information on Foreign Education.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. A direct hire authority covers the position(s) advertised in this announcement. Traditional rating and ranking of applicants, including category rating, does not apply.

Qualified candidates meeting the minimum proficiency score on the technical assessment will be referred for further consideration in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire guidelines. Veterans' Preference does not apply. The position(s) advertised in this announcement are covered by the agency's Reemployment Priority List (RPL).

RPL candidates will be rated, placed into one of the quality categories below, and referred to the hiring office, once veterans' preference is applied.

Qualified Well Qualified Best Qualified To be considered well qualified for the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry and substantively exceed the basic qualifications and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements.

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.

Documents you must provide

• Your resume must clearly demonstrate, in two pages or less, how your skills and experiences align with the "Qualifications" section and support your questionnaire responses.
• While cover letters provided with your application will be shared with hiring officials, they will not be used for initial qualification determinations.
• We cannot assume required experience based on your work or academic history.
• If your resume exceeds two pages, only the first two will be reviewed.
• Use a legible font such as Lato, Calibri, Helvetica, or Arial, with 0.5-inch margins.
• Suggested formatting: 14-point for titles and 10-point for body text.
• You may use the USAJOBS Resume Builder or upload your own resume.
• If uploading, ensure it includes all required information and is organized so we can match the following to each position: Job title Employer name Employment dates (MM/DD/YYYY) Hours worked per week (full-time assumed; part-time prorated) Detailed duties, accomplishments, skills, responsibilities, and supervisory details (if applicable) Series and grade or equivalent (for federal positions) If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, you must list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study.
• If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume.
• Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter.
• We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications.
• For resume writing guidance, please visit the following resources: NIH Help Applying, USAJOBS Resource Center, and the USAJOBS Resume Guidance.
• If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study.
• APPLICATION QUESTIONNAIRE: You must submit a completed application questionnaire.
• Unless otherwise stated, we will only use the information above to determine your qualifications.
• Not providing the required information may result in a determination that you do not meet minimum requirements for the position (e.g., an ineligible rating) or a lower rating.
• REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION FOR CAREER TRANSITION CLAIMS Visit our websites to claim selection priority through the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): CTAP: Career Transition Assistance Program | Office of Human Resources ICTAP: Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan | Office of Human Resources If you do not provide the required information, we will assume you are not eligible or you do not wish to be considered for any preference or eligibility.
• Please do not submit any other supplementary documentation that is not requested of you.
• To protect your personal information, we will only send your resume and cover letter to the selecting official or hiring manager.

What to expect next

Once you submit your application package, you will receive an acknowledgement email. You will be notified of the status of your applications via email. In addition, you can track the progress of your application package through your USAJOBS account.

At the discretion of the agency, you may be contacted via phone or email for an interview or to provide additional information up to several months from the closing date of the announcement. Please ensure you have provided accurate contact information.

To remain in consideration, you must respond in a timely manner to our correspondence and requests for documentation or information throughout the hiring process.

Additional information

This position is designated as a "non-emergency/teleworker" position and the selected candidate will be considered a "non-emergency/teleworker" employee. In the event of a closure, you must be available to telework or request leave.

A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for prior work experience or active-duty uniformed service that otherwise would not be creditable for the purpose of determining his or her annual leave accrual rate.

All creditable service must be directly related to the duties of the position being filled and decisions to allow for such credit must be finalized prior to the selectee's entrance on duty. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.

Based on your appointment, a one or two-year trial/probationary period may be required. A decision regarding your continued employment with NIH will be made as you near the end of this period. PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps should also apply online to this announcement in order to receive consideration.

The National Institutes of Health participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. The NIH maintains a tobacco free work environment and campus.

Military Spouses selected from this announcement will remain in their current duty location (i.e., the official duty station of the military service member.

Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Visit our Help Applying page for helpful information on the application process. 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 Competency Based 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 here: Reasonable Accommodation. If selected, you may be eligible to receive a salary above the minimum based on superior qualifications and/or a special need of the Government for your services.

This applies to employees paid under the General Schedule (GS) and Federal Wage System (FWS) pay systems and is at the discretion of the hiring manager. A salary above the minimum must be approved before the appointment.