Physical Science Technician

Full Job Description

This position will serve as a Physical Scientist with the Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management (DTSEM), in the Office of Science and Technology Assessment, located in Sandy, UT.

This position is in the bargaining unit. This position is at the full performance level. Selectee will be expected to report to the office listed above.

The Physical Science Technician series has an Individual Occupational Requirement. All applicants must meet this requirement in order to be considered.

You must meet the Individual Occupational Requirements and the Specialized Experience as described below to qualify for the Physical Scientist position.

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT: Work in the fields of astronomy, physics, geophysics, chemistry, hydrology, health physics, engineering, electronics, geology, oceanography, and metallurgy.

Experience as a laboratory mechanic or in a trade or craft may be credited as general or specialized experience when the work was performed in close association with physical scientists or other technical personnel and provided intensive knowledge of appropriate scientific principles, methods, techniques, and precedents.

Please review the additional information about the Individual Occupational Requirement which can be found here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1300/physical-science-technician-series-1311/ In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), applicants must meet the following specialized experience.

Specialized Experience: Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

Applicants must have at least 52 weeks of Specialized Experience equivalent to the GS-07 or higher, to qualify for this position.

For this position, examples of qualifying experience include: Qualifying specialized experience for the GS-09 includes: Applying principles, procedures and techniques of physical science.

Using knowledge of chemical and/or industrial hygiene terminology to effectively communicate with contacts throughout the agency.

Applying knowledge of requirements for industrial hygiene sample preparation. Utilizing knowledge of federal regulations to determine proper packing and shipping procedures and/or methods.

Education: Master's or equivalent graduate 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: OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this Major Duties:

Major duties of the Physical Scientist position include, but are not limited to the following: Applying principles, procedures, and techniques of physical science to maintain laboratories.

Resolving quality assurance problems through incident management and preventative or correction policies and procedures.

Applying the principles of quality assurance and quality control to all laboratory operations. Managing multiple tasks while tracking batches of samples through the preparation process.

Coordinating with others to ensure timely accomplishment of team tasks. Completed work is peer-reviewed for technical soundness.