Food and Drug Administration Logo
Position Title
Chemist
Agency
Food and Drug Administration
Announcement Number
FDA-ORA-24-RG-12272775-WW Opens in new window
Open Period
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 to Tuesday, January 30, 2024
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1. Do you claim Veterans’ Preference? (limit characters)
2. Are you claiming an eligibility under the Pathways Program for Students & Recent Graduates?
You may quality for this eligibility, if either of the following statements apply to you:
  • You recently graduated, within the last two years (from the date of this announcement), and you completed a qualifying degree program.
  • You are a Veteran and due to military service obligations you missed the two year eligibility window, but you completed a qualifying degree program within the last six years.
For the purpose of this question a "qualifying degree program" includes: Associates, Bachelors, Masters, Doctoral, professional, vocational, or technical degrees or certificate programs.

To verify your eligibility:
You must submit a copy of your academic transcripts.
If you are a veteran, please also submit a copy of your latest DD-214: Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (Member #4 copy indicating character of service) or other proof of service which includes character of service.
(limit characters)
Preferences
1. In the last five years, based on the closing date of this announcement, have you served or are you currently serving as an Executive Branch political, Schedule C, or Non-career SES appointee?
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.
  • A political appointee is an appointment made by the President without confirmation by the Senate (5 CFR 213.3102(c)) OR an assistant position to a top-level federal official if filled by a person designated by the President as a White House Fellow (5 CFR 213.3102(z)).
  • A Schedule C appointee occupies a position excepted from the competitive service by the President, or by the Director of OPM, because of the confidential or policy-determining nature of the position duties (5 CFR 213.3301 and 5 CFR 213.3302).
  • A Non-career SES appointee is approved by the White House and serves at the pleasure of the appointing official without time limitations (5 CFR 317 Subpart F).
(limit characters)
2.

===== Acknowledgement of Restrictions on the Employment of Relatives by Public Officials =====
5 U.S. Code, § 3110 lays out specific and important restrictions on the employment of relatives within an agency.
A public official of a government agency may not appoint, promote, or otherwise advocate for the employment, advancement, or promotion of relatives within the agency for which the public official is employed or has control over.
Employees hired in violation of 5 U.S. Code, § 3110 will not be entitled to any pay for their period of employment, and any pay already received before the violation becomes known, will be considered as a debt to the government on the part of the employed individual.

For the purpose of this question, a "relative" is defined as: father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, or half sister.

QUESTION:
After having read the definition of "relative" as stated above, does the Food and Drug Administration employ any of your relatives?

IF YES: You must provide the following information, for each relative employed by the FDA:

  1. The full legal name of the relative.
  2. The relative's relationship to you (from the list above).
  3. If known, the relative's employing organization and position.
IF NO: Please type "No" in the box below.
(limit 750 characters)
3. Your responses to the all questions, and any information or documentation which you provide as part of your application, will be thoroughly reviewed for accuracy and truthfulness. Please take this opportunity to review your responses to ensure their accuracy. If you fail to answer this question, your application will not be considered. Knowingly providing false information in your application (or submitted documentation) is a crime!
  1. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, all of the information included in my application is true, correct, and provided in good faith.
  2. I understand that if I intentionally make a false statement, or commit deception or fraud in my application, or in any document or interview associated with the examination process, I may be fined or imprisoned (18 USC, Sec 1001); my eligibility may be canceled, I may be denied an appointment, or I may be removed and debarred from Federal service (5 CFR, Part 731).
  3. I understand that any information I provide may be investigated.
  4. I understand that responding "No" to this item will result in my not being considered for this position.
Do you accept the conditions above?
(limit characters)
4. If you are a male at least 18 years of age, born after December 31, 1959, have you registered with the Selective Service System?


(Note: If you currently do not have an approved exemption or Status Information Letter you must request one from the Selective Service System. A copy of your proof of registration or the exemption/Status Information Letter must be provided prior to appointment.)
(limit characters)
5. If you are a male at least 18 years of age, born after December 31, 1959 AND you have NOT registered with the Selective Service System, do you have an approved exemption or Status Information Letter from the Selective Service System?


(Note: If you currently do not have an approved exemption or Status Information Letter you must request one from the Selective Service System. A copy of your proof of registration or the exemption/Status Information Letter must be provided prior to appointment.)
(limit characters)
Assessment 1
Your response to the question below will determine if you meet the eligibility requirements for the Recent Graduates Pathways Program. (limit characters)
1. To be eligible for the recent graduate program you must complete, within the previous two years preceding the closing date of the announcement, a qualifying associate, bachelor, master, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from an accredited educational institution. If your degree/certificate has not been conferred, your transcripts or resume must indicate the expected graduation date (day/month/year). Please select the best response. Note: You must submit the unofficial transcript to support your claim. Transcripts MUST reflect the degree/certificate program and the degree conferred date/expected degree conferred date. (limit characters)
If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, if a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your background information, you may be deemed ineligible or your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your skills and abilities. (limit characters)
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
2. Position may require driving to various job sites using private vehicles or government owned vehicles. Do you have a valid driver's license? (limit characters)
3. From the descriptions below, select the one which best describes how your education meets the basic qualification requirements for a GS-1320, Chemist. (limit characters)
4. From the descriptions below, select the one which best describes your experience and/or education and meets the additional qualification requirements for GS-1320-9, Chemist. (limit characters)
For each task in the following group, choose the statement from the list below that best describes your experience and/or training. (limit characters)
Select the one statement that most accurately describes your training and experience carrying out each task using the scale provided. (limit characters)
5. Operate a variety of lab equipment to conduct experiments using established methods and procedures. (limit characters)
6. Organize and monitor experiments to ensure quality. (limit characters)
7. Identify cause of equipment error message using reference manual. (limit characters)
8. Determine the approach, methods and procedures to use to obtain the information requested. (limit characters)
9. Perform numerical calculations and statistics on laboratory analytical result. (limit characters)
10. Conduct scientific and laboratory reviews, studies or analyses using scientific instrumentations utilizing various rules and regulations. (limit characters)
11. Analyze, conduct, or evaluate data. (limit characters)
12. Interpret analytical results and calculations. (limit characters)
13. Perform tests for regulatory monitoring and enforcement purposes, exercising judgment in selecting the appropriate methods and procedures. (limit characters)
14. Maintain detailed records of all experiments performed. (limit characters)
15. Draft reports documenting outcomes of experiments. (limit characters)
16. Write research papers or reports in a field of chemical science. (limit characters)
17. Prepare scientific reports to support regulatory monitoring and enforcement actions. (limit characters)
18. Provide information on scientific problems and issues encountered during the collection of samples. (limit characters)
19. Communicate with peers, scientists, or management to exchange information, gather data or provide status updates. (limit characters)
20. Deliver scientific presentations or reports at educational seminars, academic or professional conferences or meetings. (limit characters)
21. Provide training for less experienced scientists on procedure analyses, methods and instrumentation. (limit characters)