Supervisory Physical Scientist; Branch Chief

Please see announcement on USAJOBS for available locations.

Organizational

Location:

This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Laboratories and Scientific Services, located in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico;
Detroit, Michigan;
Donna, Texas;
Laredo, Texas;
Queens, New York.

Applicant Cap:
This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 100 applications have been received, whichever happens first. It is recommended that you apply as soon as possible in order to receive consideration. Joining the Custom's and Border Protection's Laboratories and Scientific Services (LSS) will allow you to use your skills in supervising and directing the performance of employees working a full range of duties in physical, chemical, biological, microscopic and forensic analyses.

This position starts at a salary of $ (GS-13, Step
1) to $ (GS-13, Step 10). GS Salary:
Visit this link to view the locality pay tables by geographic area. If you do not see your geographic area listed, select the "Rest of United States" pay table. Some positions fall under a special pay rate depending on the series, grade level and location of the position. Please visit this link to view special pay rate charts. While serving as a Supervisory Physical Scientist (Branch Chief), your duties will include:
Planning and assigning work to be accomplished by subordinates, setting priorities and preparing schedules for completion of the work, using selective consideration of the difficulty, the requirements of the assignment, and the capabilities of employees. Supervising a small to medium sized staff and performing a full range of supervisory personnel functions. Making technical decisions based on agency objectives, requirements, and precedents considering terms of assignments, time and cost limitations, etc.,

and directing or making technical determination as to course of action to pursue. Providing technical advice to higher-level CBP managers on chemical and physical testing and forensic analysis. Collaborating with Technical Advisors on complex, new, unknown samples, or potentially controversial findings with review of background material, performance of preliminary exams, review of pertinent regulations, and determination of customer's request and proper approach.

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service Primary U.S. residency for at least three of the last five years (additional details below) All pre-employment processes will be conducted in English You may be required to pass a background investigation. CBP follows the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan for drug testing procedures As an employee of CBP, you will be joining a workforce that is dedicated to accomplishing our mission while maintaining the trust of our Nation by strictly adhering to all government ethics standards.

Your conduct will be subject to the ethics rules applicable to all Executive Branch employees, and to CBP employees specifically, as well as the criminal conflict of interest statutes. Once you enter on duty, these rules include obtaining approval for outside employment or business activity, to ensure such employment or business activity is not prohibited and does not interfere or conflict with performance of your official duties.

Please review further details via the following link. DHS uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities. Bargaining Unit:
This position is not covered under the bargaining unit.

Basic Requirement:
Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics; OR Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

You qualify for this position if you meet the basic requirement listed above and possess the experience or substitution of education, if applicable, as described below:

Experience:

You qualify for the GS-13 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as:
Conducting complex physical science research and analysis to support program objectives, including designing experiments, interpreting data, and preparing technical reports for management review. Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to develop and implement scientific methodologies, ensuring compliance with federal regulations and organizational standards. Providing expert advice and technical guidance to colleagues and…