Job Opportunity

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: NERL-08-42-05
DIRECTOR, HUMAN EXPOSURE AND ATMOSPHERIC 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/, Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

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 Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) of the National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL). The Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division conducts intramural and extramural research to characterize exposures across the whole of the exposure assessment paradigm from pollutant source to the exposed person or receptor. While the principal focus for the Division’s research is human exposure and pollutants that are emitted to and move through the atmosphere, much of the process-oriented research is equally applicable to an importance for understanding ecosystem exposures and pollutants found in media other than air. The Division’s research mission encompasses aspects of all components of the exposure assessment paradigm, including exposure/source research; physical, chemical, and biological processes modeling research; environmental characterization research, including characterizing microenvironmental concentrations/exposures, and defining the critical routes of exposure; exposure analysis research; and exposure/dose research. It is anticipated that the incumbent will develop, direct, and lead a research program in human exposure and atmospheric sciences, coordinate the HEASD program with other relevant programs inside and outside the Agency, and communicate the impact 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 HEASD. 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 100 employees. The incumbent supervises employees located in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Establishing, directing and leading a research program to address critical needs related to assessing human exposure to air pollutants and other contaminants. Areas of particular relevance are the development of innovative approaches for assessing the fate, transport, and exposure to air pollutants from different sources and the development and application of tools for the assessment of aggregate exposures and cumulative risk. A broad-based multidisciplinary research program would include the development of tools (methods, models, and data bases) for assessing exposures and their application to critical Agency problems to demonstrate their impact.
Providing scientific leadership and expertise to ORD’s human exposure and atmospheric science research program by working with appropriate management and staff to help ensure that the program is on the leading scientific edge of such research. The incumbent will take full advantage of the expertise and capabilities in ORD, maximizing the use of resources dedicated to solving high-priority problems in this area. The incumbent will also seek opportunities to integrate research activities with those supported through the other research laboratories and centers within ORD.
Serving as a scientific leader and senior spokesperson/representative for ORD in the area of human exposure and atmospheric sciences research, including participation on workgroups within and outside EPA.
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-08-42-05 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. Linda Sheldon at (919) 541-2205.

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

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