Chemist

Summary

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.

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Duties

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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.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Requires a valid driver's license.

Qualifications

You must meet the basic requirements to qualify for Chemist, as described below. Transcripts must be submitted to verify education requirements.

Basic Requirements:

Degree: physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics.

OR

Combination of education and experience course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Specialized Experience:

To qualify for this position, your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience and/or education requirements as defined below. If qualifying based on experience, be sure these types of examples are evident in your resume.

Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-9, in the Federal Service that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, experience and skills to successfully perform the duties of the position.

GS-11: Specialized experience must include at least three of the following:

• Demonstrated ability to follow laboratory policies and procedures;
• Perform routine gas chromatography analytical work to identify and quantify gases and organic compounds;
• Perform routine statistical data analyses;
• Assists with industrial hygiene field investigations and accident investigations involving exposures to hazardous chemical agents;
• Assists with preparation and presentation of technical reports and findings;
• Deploys and operates mobile gas laboratories for the analysis of mine atmospheric samples during mine emergency events with the goal of becoming a Principal Chemist;
• Calibrates, operates, and maintains variety of analytical instrumentation such as gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, and hydrogen generators in order to conduct established analysis and tests.

OR

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

OR

Appropriate combination of specialized experience and education as identified in options A and B above (only graduate education in excess of 2 years of full-time study (i.e. 36 semester hours) may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level).

GS-12: Specialized experience must include at least four of the following:

• Develops and verifies gas chromatography analytical methods to identify and quantify gases and organic compounds;
• Fabricates, troubleshoots, and repairs gas chromatography systems and equipment;
• Conducts routine analyses on mine atmosphere or bulk samples;
• Leads industrial hygiene field investigations and accident investigations involving exposures to hazardous chemical agents;
• Prepares technical reports or manuscripts and presents findings at professional meetings, conferences, workshops, or similar environments;
• Advises on the collection of mine gases and organic compounds and the interpretation of associated data;
• Functions as a principal chemist during mobile gas laboratory deployments and mine emergencies.

There is no substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level.

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.

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 View email address on click.appcast.io or View phone number on click.appcast.io.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.