Summary
The Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia is looking for an individual to serve as the Deputy Laboratory Director who performs the full range of forensic screening and confirmation analyses to detect drug use and provide interpretation of data, drug pharmacokinetics and drug pharmacodynamics to the Court and Pretrial Services Agency and Court Services & Offender Supervision Agency Staff.
Duties
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As a Supervisory Chemist (Forensic) or Supervisory Toxicology (Forensic) Deputy Laboratory Director, you will:
1. Serve as the Deputy Director of the Laboratory which is organized into two sections performing the full range of forensic drug testing. Participate fully and serve as alter ego to the Deputy Assistant Director of OFTS in managing and directing all phases of Laboratory operations.
2. Assist the Deputy Assistant Director in developing operating goals and objectives for the Laboratory and related plans and resource requirements. Assist the Deputy Assistant Director in long- and short-range planning initiatives. Design and recommend alternatives for Laboratory management to address mission critical requirements, change in legal or scientific requirements and standards, or to improve operational efficiency. Assist in directing special studies and assessments of Laboratory operations, evaluating accomplishments against established goals and objectives. Work with the Deputy Assistant Director to review operational efficiency, procedure validation, instrument certification and quality assurance and control. Identify potential problem areas with either scientific operations or management issues. Develop and implement strategies to correct deficiencies.
3. As a senior authority on forensic drug testing, interprets complex scientific data and advises staff on documentation and testimony. Consult with OFTS Deputy Assistant Director to establish, explain and defend scientific protocols and procedures, laboratory data, drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodymanics. Assist the OFTS Deputy Assistant Director to provide expert consultation and lectures to external agencies and visiting delegations and represents PSA and CSOSA in a variety of scientific, legal and community forums.
4. Manage a staff of scientists and technical employees performing the full range of screening and confirmation analysis, and interpretation and documentation of data. Plan and assign work, delegate responsibility, and establish priorities and time frames. Administer personnel programs in absence and leave, awards and recognition, and affirmative action and equal employment opportunity. Counsel employees and take or recommend disciplinary actions. Consult with the Laboratory Operations Manager to approve or recommend personnel selection and promotions. Set performance standards and evaluate performance. Identify training needs for staff in order to maintain scientific proficiency.
5. Consult with the Laboratory Operations Manager to perform financial management and administrative activities for the Laboratory. Develop budget projections, documentation and justification. Manage allocated funds ensuring compliance with relevant policy and procedures and maximum return on expenditures as assigned by the Deputy Assistant Director. Define procurement requirements and works with Laboratory Operations Manager and contract staff to obtain products and services and manage contracts to support Laboratory operations.
6. As required perform expert testimony duties on all phases of forensic drug testing and of Laboratory operations to PSA and CSOSA in DC Superior Court and US District Court.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment
Bargaining Unit Status and chapter: Not Covered, AFGE Local 1456
This is not a law enforcement position.
Conditions of Employment
1. Must be a U.S. Citizen
2. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
3. Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
4. May be required to successfully complete a probationary period, if not already completed
5. All applicants are subject to a comprehensive criminal background investigation, and required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment
6. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice
7. Status applicants for promotion must have 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade
8. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the close of this announcement
9. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
10. Will be required to complete a confidential Financial Disclosure Form within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet the basic professional education requirements, the specialized experience requirements listed below and currently hold a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification.
This position requires Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification from a board approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, such as the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT), the American Board of Clinical Chemistry (ABCC), the American Board of Bioanalysis (ABB). Please include a copy of your CLIA certificate with your application materials.
For Toxicology Series 0415, applicant must have a degree in toxicology; or an appropriate discipline of the biological, medical, or veterinary sciences that included at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, biochemistry, or physiology, and 12 semester hours in toxicology;
AND
One year (52 weeks) of specialized experience related to the duties of the position that was comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-13 grade level. Specialized experience is defined as managing and directing all phases of a Forensic Toxicology Laboratory, to include but not limited to performing the full range of forensic screening and confirmation analyses to detect drug use and provide interpretation of data, drug pharmacokinetics and drug pharmacodynamic to the courts.
For Chemistry Series 1320, applicant must have a degree in 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 6 semester hours of physics;
OR
Combination of education and experience, course work equivalent to a major as shown above, including at least 30 semester hours of chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education;
AND
One year (52 weeks) of specialized experience related to the duties of the position that was comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-13 grade level. Specialized experience is defined as managing and directing all phases of a Forensic Toxicology Laboratory, to include but not limited to performing the full range of forensic screening and confirmation analyses to detect drug use and provide interpretation of data, drug pharmacokinetics and drug pharmacodynamics to the courts.
NOTE: Your resume must clearly show the specialized experience related to this position. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the experience requirements will result in an "Ineligible" rating.
Education
There is no education substitution for specialized experience at this grade level.
ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit:https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/college-accreditation
Additional information
1. If you are an eligible Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) applicant or Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) applicant, you may apply for special selection over other applicants for this position. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal/PSA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified, you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. Click here for more information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility.
2. If you are a current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former Federal employee who has reinstatement eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" and/or a copy of the SF-50 that reflects career or career-conditional tenure, or you will not be considered under the merit promotion process. Also, you should submit your most recent performance appraisal.
3. Veterans' Employment Opportunities Act of 1998: Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous active duty service may apply. If you are applying under this provision, please submit a copy of your DD-214 (unedited long version).
4. You can apply for a non-competitive appointment if you meet the basic eligibility requirements and you are eligible for special appointment such as those authorized for the severely disabled; certain Vietnam era and disabled veterans; returned volunteers from the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps Vista , etc. Please indicate the type of special appointment you are seeking, if any, on your application and follow all other instructions for applying shown in this announcement.
5. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review in our office, in other Federal agency personnel offices, and on OPM's web site at OPM Qualification Standards.
6. In accordance with Executive Order 14170 and the Merit Hiring Plan guidance issued by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, applicants for this position are invited to respond to four essay questions. These questions are designed to provide you with an opportunity to share your commitment to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution, as well as your dedication to public service. While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. Click here to review the questionshttps://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/[redacted].
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
