Health Physicist

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Environmental Health, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

This announcement will close at 11:59 PM, on the day that 100 applications have been received or on the closing date, whichever is first.

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Duties

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WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING DAY TO DAY

As a Health Physicist, you will be:

• Serve as an expert on radiological assessment, environmental and medical radiation dosimetry, and other related nuclear/radiological issues, provides expert scientific leadership in planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating radiation studies involving exposure pathway analysis, source term estimation, and radiation dosimetry, including serving as project officer / scientific advisor and, when necessary, team leader on assigned intramural research projects or projects supported by interagency agreements, cooperative agreements, contracts, and grants.
• Provide technical assistance to federal, state, and local agencies, as well as members of the general public, for activities related to the responsibilities of the Radiation Studies Program.
• Participate in the design, development, and maintenance of mathematical models of human biokinetics and physiology for analysis of radiation dose In coordination with other Radiation Studies Program staff, and in collaboration with other federal and state agencies, contractors, and consultants, estimates to people, including development of detailed design criteria for biological models needed by the radiation studies program.
• Serve on interagency work groups and committees, to include the Advisory Team for Environment, Food, and Health, and the Nuclear/Radiological Incident Task Force (NRITF).

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship required
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service -
• Suitable for federal employment
• Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. All information concerning qualifications is subject to investigation.
• Documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.
• All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
• Financial disclosure statement may be required.
• Probationary (or trial) period may be required.
• This is a Test Designated Position. Incumbent must submit to and successfully pass a urinalysis drug screening prior to appointment.
• The incumbent will also be subject to unannounced random drug testing for the duration of their time in this position.

Qualifications

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Basic Qualifications:

A. Degree: natural science or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in health physics, engineering, radiological science, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and/or calculus.

or

B. Combination of education and experience courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or other education; or certification as a health physicist by the American Board of Health Physics, plus appropriate experience and other education that provided an understanding of sciences applicable to health physics comparable to that described in paragraph A.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Minimum Qualifications: You must have one year of specialized experience to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service performing at least ALL of the following:

• Performing complex dosimetry evaluations for internal exposure, external exposure, and skin contamination events; and ensuring proper documentation of evaluations and dose assignments; or
• Conducting exposure pathway analysis, source term estimation, or similar dosimetry work using various calculation methods such as Monte Carlo or Bayesian inference; and utilizing radiation modeling software such as RASCAL, RESRAD, MCNP or DCAL; or
• Planning, designing, and evaluating studies in the radiation sciences (health physics, medical physics, or other radiation protection disciplines); or
• Conducting preparedness, response, or recovery operations related to radiological/nuclear incidents.

Documenting experience: 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.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational application questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

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.

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; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

OPM Qualification General Policies Website

Education

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit:

Note: Applications can be accepted from students who expect to complete qualifying education within 9 months from the date of application. Education was completed successfully before the applicant can be appointed.

Additional information

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Incentives may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon multiple factors, including funds availability . If authorized, certain incentives may require you to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a period of up to 3 years. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Incentives may include the following: moving expenses, recruitment or relocation incentive; student loan repayment, superior qualifications appointment, creditable service for annual leave for prior non-federal work experience or prior uniformed military service, etc.

Bargaining Unit Position: No

Research position: No

Drug Screening Required: Yes

Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP/ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an CTAP/ICTAP eligible see To be considered well-qualified under I/CTAP, you must be rated eligible based on minimum qualifications for this position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement.

Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

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.

Help

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.