Interdisciplinary Scientist

Overview Accepting applications Open & closing dates Opening and closing dates07/06/2021 to 07/15/2021 Service Competitive Pay scale & grade

GS 14

Salary $122,530 to $159,286 per year Appointment type Permanent Work schedule Full-time Duties SummaryThe Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) assures that patients and providers have timely and continued access to safe, effective, and high-quality medical devices and safe radiation-emitting products. CDRH facilitates medical devices innovation by advancing regulatory science, providing industry with predictable, consistent, transparent, and efficient regulatory pathways, and assuring consumer confidence in devices marketed in the U.S.ResponsibilitiesThis position(s) is located in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Devices and Radiological Heath (CDRH), Office of Product Evaluation and Quality, Office of Regulatory Programs (ORP), in Silver Spring, Maryland.ORP develops policy and provides support across all regulatory programs conducted within OPEQ.ORP performs cross-cutting analysis to assess the performance of programs, develops tools that aid in evaluating the safety and quality of devices and electronic products, and continually monitors the state of regulated industry.ORP programs strive to amplify and improve the impact that Center activities have on patients by facilitating accurate, consistent and timely assessment of medical and other technology over its full life.ORP staff provide programmatic expertise; develop regulatory policy, processes, and tools; provide interpretations of regulatory requirements; and address novel or complex policy exceptions encountered during reviews.Staff conduct program analysis and quality control activities for programs for purposes of ensuring consistency across OPEQ components and continually improving upon CDRH regulatory programs.ORP also provides technical and logistical support on document control and automated systems which support the review activities performed across OPEQ and CDRH.As a Senior Scientist in the ORP, you will develop regulatory programs and policies development for entities across CDRH engaged in the review of medical devices and radiological products;Apply knowledge of scientific methodology and the application of science to ensure scientific consistency and validity of policy-related documents; andServe as a subject matter expert in legal, regulatory, and scientific matters related to the review and authorization of medical devices and electronic products.Travel Required25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position. Supervisory status No Promotion Potential 14 Requirements Conditions of EmploymentCitizenship Requirement: You must be a U.S. Citizen to be considered for this advertisement unless explicitly stated otherwise.FDA participates in e-Verify: All new hires must complete the I-9 form; this information will be processed through e-Verify to determine your employment eligibility. If a discrepancy arises, you must take affirmative steps to resolve the matter.Selective Service Registration: All applicants born male, on (or after) 12/31/1959, must be registered with the Selective Service System OR have an approved exemption. Visit for more info.Background Investigation Requirement: All employees must pass a security investigation. Failing to pass the background check may be grounds for removal or legal action. If hired, you may be subject to additional investigations at a later time.Time-in-Grade Requirement: If you are applying as a current Federal employee, you must meet the time-in-grade requirements described in the Qualifications section, generally, 52-weeks of comparable experience at the next lowest grade.Certification of Accuracy: All information concerning eligibility and qualification is subject to investigation and verification. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection, or appropriate legal action.You must meet ALL requirements by the closing date of this announcement to be considered. Only education, experience, and qualifications attained by this date will be considered. You must continue to meet all requirements through the hiring process.Direct Deposit: You will be required to have all federal salary payments electronically deposited into a bank account with a financial institution of your choice.Additional selections may be made from this vacancy, within the same geographical area, by other organizational elements from within FDA, through shared corporate recruiting activities. QualificationsThe position of Interdisciplinary Scientist falls within the 0401/0403 occupational series. To qualify for this position at grade GS-14, you must meet Time-in-Grade requirements by 11:59 pm EST on 07/15/2021.For the Microbiologist you must meet the following basic education requirements: Basic RequirementsDegree: microbiology; or biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included at least 20 semester hours in microbiology and other subjects related to the study of microorganisms, and 20 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences combining course work in organic chemistry or biochemistry, physics, and college algebra, or their equivalent.ORCombination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in microbiology, biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. For the Biologist, you must meet the following basic education requirements:Basic Requirements:Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.ORCombination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. AND Both the Microbiologist and Biologist you must meet the following specialized experience: You must have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service. This experience includes:

• Developing regulations, policies, and programs affecting the regulation of medical products;
• Drafting or reviewing documents embodying policy and program proposals to ensure adherence to scientific and regulatory technical accuracy; and
• Conducting assessments on the impact of emerging laws, regulations, and standards for medical and radiological health products.Time-in-Grade: Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment. The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the percentage of times the other duties were performed. It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record. In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.PHS Commissioned Corps Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps may apply online to this announcement. Candidates will be referred to (CC) personnel and not as candidates for conversion to a permanent career or career-conditional appointment.NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify 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 Details 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.IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.You must submit supporting documentation to verify your eligibility to apply for this vacancy.

For internal applicants an SF-50 will be required. If Educational requirements are listed, you must submit a Transcript, even if you occupy the series/grade in question. See the Required Documents section for full details...EducationEDUCATION:TRANSCRIPTS: Positions which are scientific or technical in nature often have very specific educational requirements. You must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities, see the Foreign Education section below for additional requirements. Pay careful attention to the Qualifications and Education sections to identify vacancies where a transcript is required. Even if you hold a similar position or are a current employee, you are not exempt from transcript requirements.Electronic Transcript Caution: If you have obtained your transcripts electronically, the file might contain security measures that could prevent our application system from reading the file. Therefore, you should consider asking the institution to provide the file in a non-secured electronic format. Alternatively, you could scan or take a photo of the printed copy of the transcript. If your uploaded transcript cannot be read by our system, you may receive consideration and credit for the information we can access.See the Application Manager Documentation for tips on submitting your paper-based documents.FOREIGN EDUCATION Applicants using part or all of their education completed outside of the U.S. to meet the qualification requirements, must have their foreign education evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that the foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the U.S. We will only accept the completed foreign credential evaluation.To be acceptable, the foreign credential evaluation must include/describe at a minimum, the following information: (1) The type of education received by the applicant; (2) The level of education in relation to the U.S. education system, and state that its comparability recommendations follow the general guidelines of the International Evaluation Standards Council; (3) The content of the applicant's educational program earned abroad, and the standard obtained; (4) The status of the awarding foreign school's recognition and legitimacy in its home country's education system; and (5) Any other information of interest such as what the evaluation service did to obtain this information, the qualifications of the evaluator, and any indications as to other problems such as forgery. Note: Some positions require the completion of specific courses or a specified number of credit hours. Therefore, the foreign credential evaluation should provide information similar to that of an official transcript, to include a list of the courses taken, quarter and/or semester hours awarded, the cumulative grade point average (GPA), honors received, if any, date degree awarded.Applicants can request an evaluation from a member organization of one of the two national associations of credential evaluation services listed below:National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) Association of International Credentials Evaluators(AICE)Credential evaluations are not free, and applicants are responsible for the cost of the selected service.For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education EvaluationAdditional informationADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:We may make additional selections for similar positions across the entire Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) identified in this vacancy announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s) at HHS. There is no option to opt-out as your information will not be shared with other hiring agencies outside of HHS. Pre-employment physical required: noDrug testing required: noLicense required: noMobility agreement required: noImmunization required: noBargaining Unit Position: Yes, 3591If you are serving, or have served in the last 5 years (from 07/15/2021) as an Executive Branch political, Schedule C, or Non-career SES appointee, HHS/FDA may be required to obtain approval by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prior to beginning employment. You can find out if you have held one of these appointment types by looking at your Standard Form 50s in your Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), in Section 5 where the legal authorities are listed. If you have served or are currently serving, you must provide a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, documenting this appointment. In addition, you will be required to respond to the question in the assessment and certify your responses to the questionnaire. Political Appointees FAQ - OPM This position may require financial disclosure reporting and will be subject to FDA's prohibited financial interest regulation. If you are hired, you may be required to divest of certain financial interests. You are advised to seek additional information on this requirement from the hiring official before accepting any job offers. For more information please visit the FDA Ethics web page: .All requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement (07/15/2021); only education and experience gained by this date will be considered. You must continue to meet all requirements throughout the hiring process. Additional selections may be made within the same geographical area FDA-wide. How You Will Be EvaluatedYou will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. 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. Once the job opportunity announcement closes (at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on 07/15/2021), a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted, the information will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your eligibility for this internal position. Eligible internal candidates will be referred to the hiring official for consideration. If you are referred to the hiring manager for consideration, you may be further evaluated based on an interview; review of requested work samples, writing samples, most recent performance evaluation(s), or professional references; or results of an oral presentation or work-related test. Failure to comply with any of the additional assessment requirements will result in removal from further consideration. These assessment methods/tools may also be listed under Key Requirements.Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.Basis of Rating: Merit Promotion Procedures for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be used to rate and rank candidates. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Qualified candidates will be ranked into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well-Qualified or Qualified.Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): Well-Qualified is defined as an applicant who meets the qualification standards and eligibility requirements for the position, including minimum educational and experience requirements; any medical qualifications and suitability; is able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation; meets any applicable selective placement factors) for the position (such as the ability to speak a specific language or any other factor required immediately upon hire); and is able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, surplus or displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position. Learn more on the USAJOBS Career Transition Assistance Site.Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics). You do not have to respond to the KSA's separately, but your resume should contain sufficient information to demonstrate possession of the Competencies/KSA's.Policy and Regulatory KnowledgeScientific Research and Method ProficiencyPolicy Advice and GuidanceTo preview the application questionnaire, click the link below.Background checks and security clearanceSecurity clearance Not Required Drug test required No Position sensitivity and riskNoncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate RiskTrust determination processSuitability/FitnessThis job is open to Internal to an agency Current federal employees of this agency. Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL) Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee. Clarification from the agency Open to Current FDA, Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) Employees Only