Chemist

About the role

This position is with Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Technical Support, Pittsburgh Safety and Health Technology Center (PSHTC). MSHA works to prevent death, illness and injury from mining; promote safe and healthful workplaces for U.S. miners.

MSHA carries out the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act) as amended by the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006.

What you will do

• The duties described are for the full performance level.
• At the GS-11 grade level, assignments will be of a more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity.
• Performs specialized gas chromatography / GCMS analysis on mine air and bulk samples.
• Operates and maintains mobile gas chromatography laboratories and other equipment.
• Adapts, develops and validates gas chromatography methods to identify and quantify gases and organic compounds, interprets and evaluates analytical results.
• Advises on technical inquiries concerning the proper procedures and methods for the collection of mine gases and organic compounds and the interpretation of data.
• Directs the activities of less senior analysts and is a team leader and spokesperson of the analytical team.
• Deploy mobile laboratories to remote mining operations for the immediate analysis of mine air contaminants in the event of a mine emergency or disaster.
• Serves as a technical expert in resultant litigation.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

How you will be evaluated

Applicants meeting the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements will be referred to the selecting official. Rating/ranking and veterans' preference does not apply to this position.

You may preview application questions for this vacancy here: *** The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, volunteer, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled.

Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.).

USA Hire You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Under the authority of direct hire recruitment, evaluation factors are a tool to gauge one's proficiency in relevant competencies, but will not be used to determine who will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

All candidates who have provided a complete application, and meet the minimum qualification requirements will be referred for consideration. INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must meet the basic and minimum qualification requirements for this position to receive consideration.

Be sure to review the eligibility questions to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

Documents you must provide

• The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date.
• Resumes: Required: provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your profile.
• To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume.
• We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.
• NOTE: In alignment with the Presidential Memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, applicants may only submit a resume limited to two (2) pages.
• Only the résumé uploaded under the 'Resume" document type in USAJOBS will be reviewed.
• If the resume submitted exceeds two (2) pages, the application will be deemed ineligible for further consideration.
• Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point (TP) preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.
• Your DD 214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty.
• To claim 10-point (CP/CPS, XP) preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214 and the proof of entitlement of this preference, which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability.
• In addition, a Standard Form (SF-15) should be included, but is not required.
• (For active-duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Active Duty).
• For more information, go to Feds Hire Vets - Veterans Preference.
• Displaced Employee Placement Documents: Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.
• Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English): If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex.
• BA/BS, MA, JD, Ph.D., etc.).
• If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit.
• You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document with a maximum size limit of 5 MB.
• NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED, if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date.
• Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience but may be submitted.
• Reference the Education Section for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.
• Do not upload password-protected documents.
• Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.
• As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
• Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

What to expect next

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and refer candidates for selection consideration. Candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews. You will be notified of the outcome.

A selection is expected to be made within 30 calendar days of the issuance date of the certificate. For instructions on how to check the status of your application, go to USAJOBS Help Guide. USAJOBS will no longer send status alert email notifications.

You can check your application status in the TAS by logging into USAJOBS and in the Applicant Dashboard, click the hiring agency Talent Acquisition System (TAS). If the TAS does not provide application tracking information, contact the agency's point of contact on the job announcement.

To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link, and then select the more information link for this position. The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application.

Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement.

You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Additional information

This position is being filled through the Direct Hire Authority. Traditional rating and ranking of applications does NOT apply. Veterans' preference does not apply.

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. This position is inside the bargaining unit.

If the duty location is within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the Local 12, AFGE bargaining unit. If the duty location is outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the NCFLL bargaining unit.

All MSHA employees and their spouses, and minor children are prohibited by regulation from having any interest, direct or indirect, in any mine or mining company that may be directly affected by the work of MSHA through its investigations, technical research, or other activities.

These interests are prohibited under the Department of Labor's Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct Regulations at 5 CFR 5201.105. Certain MSHA employees are required to file a financial disclosure report. For questions, please contact Rhonda Dory at *** or *** X18471.

Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy. The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click here for Additional Information.

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment.

If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act. Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.

All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.

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 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.