Photographer (Scientific-Technical)

About the role

Do you have experience using photography to capture what others might miss? Bring your technical skill and creative problem-solving to a clinical research environment, with physicians, scientists, and researchers to document work at the National Institutes of Health! Grow your expertise while helping advance biomedical research and discovery.

Bachelor's degree in photography or biomedical photography, or specialized training in medical photography, anatomy, and medical terminology is preferred.

What you will do

• Perform specialized medical and scientific photography using professional cameras, lenses, lighting, magnification, and imaging techniques to accurately document patients, specimens, procedures, research activities, and scientific findings.
• Plan and coordinate photographic coverage of medical and scientific projects, consulting with physicians, scientists, researchers, and other professional staff to understand project objectives and determine appropriate photographic approaches.
• Perform patient and clinical photography to document anatomical and pathological conditions, medical and surgical procedures, and other medically relevant subject matter in support of clinical research and patient care.
• Perform specialized close-up and magnified photography of biological and scientific subject matter, including specimens, tissue, microorganisms, experimental procedures, and other research subjects.
• Select and adapt photographic equipment and techniques based on subject matter, environmental conditions, scientific objectives, and desired results, including determining appropriate cameras, lenses, magnification, lighting, exposure, and image-capture methods.
• Develop solutions to challenging imaging requirements by adapting equipment and lighting techniques to improve image quality and accurately capture subtle, difficult-to-document, or scientifically significant details.
• Process, enhance, manage, and deliver digital images using professional imaging software and appropriate file formats and workflows.
• Provide technical consultation and photographic support to physicians, scientists, researchers, and other customers regarding photographic techniques, visual documentation, image design, file formats, and effective approaches for communicating medical or scientific information.
• If selected at the GS-11 level, you will essentially perform the same duties as those at the full performance level described above; however, duties are less complex and will be performed under closer supervision with more detailed guidance.

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) and your responses to the assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning 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.

If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position, your application and responses to the online questionnaire will be evaluated under Category Rating and selection procedures for placement in one of the following categories: Best Qualified - for those who are superior in the evaluation criteria Well Qualified - for those who excel in the evaluation criteria Qualified - for those who meet the minimum qualification requirements The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category.

Applicants determined to be Best Qualified will be referred for further consideration. Preference eligibles in the Best Qualified category are referred before all other applicants.

How You Will Be Evaluated 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 an 80 on the assessment and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements.

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.
• REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION FOR PREFERENCE OR ELIGIBILITY CLAIMS To claim veterans' preference, career transition selection priority, Schedule A or military spouse eligibility, you must provide the documentation listed below AND respond accordingly to the associated question on the online questionnaire.
• Veterans' preference (DD-214, VA Disability Letter, etc.): Reference Standard Form 15 (SF-15) for required documentation for 10 point claims.
• Submission of SF-15 is not required, unless you are claiming 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 claims, 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.
• Visit our sites on Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) for more information and required documentation.
• Visit our site on the Appointment of Certain Military Spouses for more information and required documentation to verify eligibility.
• Schedule A Eligibility (Applicants with Disabilities) Applicants who are eligible to be considered under Schedule A must submit appropriate documentation to verify eligibility.
• Documentation must 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 on a medical professional's letterhead.
• Veterans' preference takes precedence in these appointments.
• The Schedule A and military spouse hiring authorities do not guarantee employment or give an individual preference in the hiring process.
• 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 an "emergency essential" position and the selected candidate will be considered an "emergency essential" employee and will be required to be available, ready, willing, and able to report for duty under all circumstances (e.g., inclement weather, government closings and holidays, lapses in appropriations, non-emergency and emergency situations) for operation 24 hours a day and 365 days per year coverage.

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.

Visit Help Applying for helpful information on the application process. 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.

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 Information.

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).