Responsibilities

Summary: You will serve as a chemist assigned to the Trace Evidence Division of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) at the Defense Forensic Science Center (DFSC). USACIL provides evidence examination, expert court testimony, consultation, crime scene support, forensic training, and research and development in support of the criminal investigation and legal agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal and non-federal agencies worldwide.

Duties:

Independently examine for the purpose of identifying, quantifying, and/or comparing physical evidence.
Interprets and evaluates the results of the examinations performed and prepares formal, comprehensive laboratory reports of analyses which, based on the results, are suitable for use in legal proceedings.
Assumes direct personal responsibility for the technical accuracy and adequacy of the product.
Testify in federal, military, state, local and foreign country courts as an expert witness.
Accompany investigative personnel and act as a technical advisor during the processing of complex crime scenes.
Distribute information via personal communications, formal oral presentations, position papers, newsletters, and training classes.
Support other forensic organizations' initiatives to advance the field of forensic science.
Studies the chemistry involved in problems, searches all pertinent literature, evaluates possible approaches, devises and performs the analyses, evaluates and interprets the data, and makes modifications, if needed, to optimize the final procedures.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Education required: To qualify as a Chemist (Forensic Examiner), applicants must meet certain education requirements. Education requirements can be met in the following ways:

Degree in 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 six semester hours of physics.

A combination of education and experience, coursework equivalent to a major as shown 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 sufficient to demonstrate the possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the work of the position and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study.

GS-9 Specialized Experience: At least one (1) year of specialized experience that is equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal Service which includes work involving assisting in forensic evidence examinations including at least one of the following: trace evidence textile fibers, fabric damage, fire debris/ignitable liquids, lubricants, hair, glass and glass fracture, explosives, firearms discharge residues, fracture match or pressure sensitive tape.

Education: Master's degree or equivalent doctoral degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as, Biochemistry, Chemistry, or Physical Science. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

GS-11 Specialized Experience: At least one (1) year of specialized experience that is equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal Service which includes work involving assisting in forensic evidence examinations in at least one of the following: trace evidence textile fibers, fabric damage, fire debris/ignitable liquids, lubricants, hair, paints/coatings, glass and glass fracture, explosives, firearms discharge residues, fracture match, or pressure sensitive tape. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).

Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as, Biochemistry, Chemistry, or Physical Science. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

GS-12 Specialized Experience: At least one (1) year of specialized experience that is equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal Service which includes work involving examining forensic evidence including: trace evidence textile fibers, fabric damage, fire debris/ignitable liquids, lubricants, hair, paints/coatings, glass and glass fracture, explosives, firearms discharge residues, fracture match, or pressure sensitive tape.

GS-13 Specialized Experience: At least one (1) year of specialized experience that is equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal Service which includes work involving leading forensic evidence examinations in: trace evidence textile fibers, fabric damage, fire debris/ignitable liquids, lubricants, hair, paints/coatings, glass and glass fracture, explosives, firearms discharge residues, fracture match, or pressure sensitive tape.

Compensation

Salary: $63,369 - $142,065 per year

Pay scale & grade: GS 9 - 13

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/28/2024 to receive consideration

To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12600023).

Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted.

Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.

You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.

Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

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