About this role
Job SummaryThis position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Tobacco Products (CTP). Duty Station and Telework Notice: This is not a fully remote position. The selectee must adhere to the FDA Telework Policy, which requires regular in-person reporting to a designated FDA facility as determined by agency policy.
QualificationsThe position of Chemist falls within the 1320 occupational series. To qualify for this position at grade GS-13, you must meet Time-in-Grade requirements by 11:59 pm EST on 11/04/2026. Basic Requirements: A. Degree: physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry,supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6semester hours of physics. OR B. Combination of education and experience -- course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above,including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential andintegral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additionaleducation. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, you must also meet the specialized experience requirements outlined below. 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. Specialized Experience - To qualify for the Chemist GS-13 position, applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in Federal service. This experience must include: 1. Applying chemical principles to analyze, investigate, and/or characterize the chemical composition and physical properties of complex products or substances; 2. Reviewing manufacturing processes and analytical methods related to chemical or scientific product applications; and 3. Communicating complex technical and scientific findings orally and in writing to both scientific and non-scientific audiences. 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 DutiesThe incumbent serves as a Chemist and recognized scientific expert in the analysis, investigation, and characterization of the chemical composition and physical properties of tobacco products and tobacco product smoke/aerosol.Identifies knowledge gaps that require additional laboratory studies in order to better understand tobacco product chemistry.Communicates technical scientific information in a clear, simple way such that non-scientists can understand the information contained in the rulemakings and guidance documents.Serves as the principal scientific advisor with other scientists, lawyers, and stakeholders to develop comprehensive policies supporting rulemakings and guidance documents.