Supervisory Microbiologist

Full Job Description

This position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Tobacco Products, Office of Science located in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The position of Supervisory Microbiologist falls within the 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 03/13/2026.

Basic Education Requirements: Have a degree in 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 equivalents.

OR Have a combination of education and experience in courses equivalent to a major in microbiology, biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included courses as shown in above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

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

The specialized experience must demonstrate one year of full-time work experience , or the equivalent if part-time (for example, an employee working 20 hours per week for a 12-month period should be credited with 6 months of experience.) Experience may have been obtained in either the federal service or its equivalent with state or local government, the private sector, or nongovernmental organizations.

GS-14: You must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13, in the Federal service, which includes: Serves as a technical authority, providing biology and nonclinical science expertise related to the microbiological aspects of public health issues; Serves as a senior regulatory reviewer with responsibility for analyzing and determining the adequacy of data and tests submitted by a manufacturer regarding the safety and public health impact of regulated products; Serves as a principal advisor to Division leadership and is recognized as the authority in assigned responsibility, responsible for planning, coordinating, and evaluating the regulatory review programs and activities 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,https://secure.login.gov/ 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... Major Duties:

• Provides authoritative and professional expertise in dealing with the microbiological aspects of public health issues related to tobacco products.
• Drafts or critically reviews documents embodying policy and program proposals and decisions on the microbial composition of tobacco products.
• Leads the design and conduct of studies to define the composition and stability of tobacco products.
• Leads a team of microbiologists.
• Provides verbal and written conclusions to other Federal agencies, industry, universities, and state, local, foreign governments.
• Provides recommendations and guidance to other Center review organizations and review scientists and the regulated industry.