Health Scientist

About the role

If you are an exceptionally talented, knowledgeable, and motivated individual with experience in providing laboratory assistance to one or more senior investigators, performing various laboratory experiments in support of research programs, AND you want to play a significant role in a dynamic organization, then consider joining the NIH Office of Research Services!

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What you will do

• Serves as a Health Scientist and exercises responsibility for providing scientific and technical expertise for a broad range of safety and occupational health programs involving biosafety, including high containment laboratories.
• Provides leadership for the development of Biorisk Management syllabuses and course content, and delivers instructional content via multiple platforms to various intended audiences.
• Provides emergency support, advice on remedial action, and strategies for preventing and/or intervening in emergency situations.
• Works with the NIH Polio Containment Program manager to provide guidance or implementation on policy, prepare reports for documentation of depleted potentially infectious material inventory, and update policy.
• Researches, assesses, investigates, analyzes, and evaluates health and safety literature, records, activities, and strategies to ensure compliance and to provide guidance, consultation, and recommendations on prevention and intervention.
• Regularly consults and confers with scientists and subject matter experts in government, industry, and academia to keep up to date with developments and initiatives in occupational safety and health and biomedical research in general.
• Leads and participates in the implementation of policies and procedures pertaining to Branch programs and functions that are intended to eliminate and control hazards and establish safe and healthful work environments.

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. If you qualify based on education in lieu of specialized experience, 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 packages. 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 Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension 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. 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 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.

To be considered well qualified for the purposes of 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 by scoring at least 80 points on the assessment(s) and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements.

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.

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.
• ELIGIBILITY DOCUMENTATION: You must submit the following documentation, if applicable to you AND respond accordingly to the associated question on the online questionnaire.
• 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.
• SF-50 - A copy of your most recent competitive career or career conditional SF-50 that shows the effective date of your latest position and the full performance level.
• You may obtain a copy of your SF-50 from your eOPF.
• Veteran Documentation: (DD-214, VA Disability Letter, etc.).
• Reference Standard Form 15 (SF-15) for required documentation if you are a 10-point preference eligible.
• Submission of SF-15 is not required, unless you have derived preference (XP) as described in questions 7, 8, or 9 on the SF-15.
• In those cases, you must submit a completed SF-15 and the required documentation.
• For 5 point preference eligibles, you must submit your DD-214 (if separated) or any written documentation from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application package.
• Schedule A (Disability Appointment): Documentation of eligibility for employment under Schedule A can be obtained from a licensed medical professional (e.g., a physician or other medical professional certified by a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory to practice medicine); a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist (i.e., state or private); or any Federal agency, state agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits.
• The letter must be printed on a medical professional's letterhead.
• Please note the Schedule A hiring authority neither guarantees employment, nor gives an individual preference in the hiring process.
• Visit our sites on Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) for more information and required documentation.
• Do not submit 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(s).

What to expect next

Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement.

You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Once you submit your application package, you will receive an acknowledgment email with the status of your application.

To track or update your application or supporting documentation, during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

The Additional Application Information page provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application, including the invitation to take the USA Hire assessment.

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.

PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps should apply online to this announcement to receive consideration. Visit our Help Applying page for helpful information on the application process.

Military Spouses selected from this announcement will remain in their current duty location (i.e., the official duty station of the military service member. We may make additional selections for similar positions within the commuting area(s) of the locations listed through this vacancy announcement.

By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s). Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions.

Veterans' Preference only applies to Schedule A (disability appointment), HHS Reemployment Priority List (RPL) Eligibles, HHS Priority Reemployment List (PRL) Eligibles, and Veterans Recruitment Appointments (if applicable).

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. NIH may repay certain outstanding Federally insured student loans to facilitate the recruitment and retention of highly qualified people. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.

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.