Job Opportunity
ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: NERL-08-42-06
DIRECTOR, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES DIVISION
Opening Date
July 10, 2008
Closing Date
October 31, 2008
Salary
Salary up to $200,000 per annum, dependent upon qualifications, experience and other factors.
Duty Location
EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory http://www.epa.gov/nerl/, Environmental Sciences Division, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Area of Consideration
Nationwide (All Sources). Non-U.S. citizens may be appointed provided they are citizens of nations with a treaty aligned with the U.S. or if they are citizens of a nation that has a legal employment arrangement with the U.S. All non-U.S. citizens must have the appropriate employment visa. Appointments of non-U.S. citizens may not exceed the expiration date of their employment visa. For further information, please refer to http://www.opm.gov/hr_practitioners/lawsregulations/citizenship/ .
Special Note
ORD is filling this position using EPA’s Title 42 Authority, which offers up to 5-year renewable term appointments at highly competitive, market-based salaries. The position is part of a larger EPA effort to use state-of-the-science approaches and technologies in its mission of protecting human health and the environment.
The position is subject to the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. Appointment will be subject to applicant’s completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Also, appointment will be subject to applicant’s completion of a financial disclosure process which includes completing an SF-278, Public Financial Disclosure Report.
High Level Career Opportunity
The Office of Research and Development (ORD) seeks to recruit a senior scientist to fill a supervisory management position as the Division Director for the Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) of the National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL). The ESD is a leader in the development and application of new methods and technologies to address the issues of environmental exposure. The ESD in-house scientific staff has expertise in developing analytical methods for detecting and characterizing chemical contaminants, including those of emerging concern, and investigating their fate in the environment. Complementary to that expertise are the disciplines involved in characterizing the environment itself, as is required for source characterization, fate and transport, and distribution of exposed (or potentially exposed) ecological and human populations and communities. Approaches utilized in environmental characterization range from instrumentation to remote sensing (aircraft and satellite), including statistical approaches for sampling and spatial analysis. The development of models, both empirical and process-driven, is essential for estimating environmental parameters in the absence of observations, determining back-trajectories for identification of sources, and evaluating outcomes of alternative actions and policies. In particular, ESD has established a national and international reputation in the fields of landscape ecology, remote sensing of the atmosphere, watershed modeling, integration and analysis of multiple complex and spatially extensive datasets, and the projection and evaluation of alternate future scenarios. It is anticipated that the incumbent will develop, direct, and lead a research program in environmental exposure, coordinate the ESD program with other relevant programs inside and outside the Agency, and communicate the outcomes and impacts of the research. The incumbent will have substantial hands-on involvement and participation in the scientific research of the Division. Major duties of the position are as follows:
Major Duties:
- Serving as the Director of ESD. In this scientific leadership role, the incumbent plans, develops, organizes, directs and implements a highly technical and complex science research and development program that has nationwide impact and a staff of approximately 75 employees. The incumbent supervises personnel located in Las Vegas, Nevada and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
Developing, directing and leading an exposure research program and applying that research to Agency issues. This requires integration of research results and collaboration with researchers in other NERL divisions, other ORD laboratories and centers, and external researchers. The incumbent is expected to identify, promote, and foster opportunities for collaboration and to steward the resources and staff of ESD to achieve maximal benefits for the Agency’s programs and mission.
Serving as a scientific leader and senior spokesperson/representative for ORD through participation in workgroups for the purposes of research advancement and coordination through incorporation of research into Agency work products. Such workgroups may include professional societies, interagency working groups, governmental and nongovernmental committees, and symposia where the incumbent may be called on to represent the Division or Agency.
- Providing scientific leadership and expertise by working in close coordination with appropriate ORD management and staff, the incumbent will seek opportunities to help guide the research agenda of outside research organizations with similar interests and define collaborative opportunities.
This position has no extramural resources management responsibilities.
Qualifications
The individual selected for this position will provide leadership across ORD in the activities stated above. He/she will have a combination of technical expertise, management, and supervisory experience applicable to the activities above.
To meet the eligibility criteria, applicants must have a doctoral-level degree in a pertinent science or engineering discipline and substantive specialized experience (technical operations, administrative or managerial) in a type of work or a combination of functions directly related to this position. In addition, the individual should be the recipient of recognition within the scientific community for significant contributions to research and high-impact collaborative efforts.
Evaluation Method
Candidates will be evaluated on the basis of meeting the qualifications stated previously. In determining the degree to which candidates possess the required or desired knowledge, skills, and abilities, an evaluation panel will consider related experience, education, training, awards, and professional references.
How To Apply For This Position
Send the following information: (a) a cover letter (1-2 pages), to include your experience in leading an environmental research program and how your experience relates to the duties of the position for which you are applying; (b) curriculum vitae; (c) the names of three references; (d) citizenship status; (e) compensation requirements and (f) how you heard about this vacancy. Please cite announcement number NERL-08-42-06 in your application.
Applications should be sent via email to title42@epa.gov or mailed to the attention of Ms. Dorothy Carr, U.S. EPA, HRMD, MD-C639-02, RTP, NC 27711. Applications must be received by October 31, 2008, in order to be considered. Electronic submission of application materials is encouraged. Applications sent via email must be submitted in a format readable by this office, such as MS Word, portable document format (PDF), rich text format (RTF), or plain text. Use of any format we cannot read may invalidate your application.
For additional information, Ms. Carr can also be reached at (800) 433-9633. Technical questions pertaining to this vacancy may be addressed to Dr. Rochelle Araujo at (919) 541-4109.
Travel / Relocation Expenses
In accordance with Federal and Agency travel regulations, the candidate selected for this position will be reimbursed for travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty to this position.
Benefits
The following benefits are available to appointees:
- 10 paid holidays
- Paid annual and sick leave
- Federal Employee Retirement Plan
- Thrift Savings Plan (similar to 401K plans offered in private sector)
- Health benefits
- Life insurance
- Incentive awards (monetary and non-monetary recognition)
- Flexible work schedule
- Transit subsidy
- Training and career development.
All EPA employees are required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
Declaration of Appointment
Applicants selected for Federal employment will be required to complete a "Declaration of Federal Employment" (OF‑306), prior to being appointed to determine their suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failure to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on the application may be grounds for not hiring an applicant, for dismissing an applicant after beginning to work and may be punishable by fine or imprisonment in accordance with U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 1001.
Selective Service
As a condition of employment, male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under Selective Service law.
E-Verify
NOTICE: Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.
This employer will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.
IMPORTANT: If the Government cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to provide you written instructions and an opportunity to contact SSA and/or DHS before taking adverse action against you, including terminating your employment.
Employers may not use E-Verify to pre-screen job applicants or to re-verify current employees and may not limit or influence the choice of documents presented for use on the Form I-9.
In order to determine whether Form I-9 documentation is valid, this employer uses E-Verify's photo screening tool to match the photograph appearing on some permanent resident and employment authorization cards with the official U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) photograph.
If you believe that your employer has violated its responsibilities under this program or has discriminated against you during the verification process based upon your national origin or citizenship status, please call the Office of Special Counsel at 1-800-255-7688 (TDD: 1-800-237-2515).
EEO/Diversity Policies
EPA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Selection for this position will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or any other non-merit factors.
This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case‑by‑case basis.
Privacy Act
Your application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579 and 5 USC 552a). This information is used to determine your qualifications for employment.
THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY IS AN
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER