Supervisory Life Scientist/ Environmental Engineer/Physical Scientist

EPA

$100K — $130K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of relevant experience in program management at the GS-14 level or equivalent.
  • Bachelor's or higher degree in biological sciences, environmental engineering, or related field.
  • Demonstrated expertise in overseeing program planning to align organizational goals.
  • Strong leadership and supervisory experience in personnel management.
  • Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with high-level officials.

Responsibilities

  • Plan and direct activities to achieve organizational goals.
  • Supervise and coordinate the work of subordinate supervisors.
  • Build and maintain working relationships with senior management and external stakeholders.
  • Manage resource allocation to meet program objectives efficiently.
  • Ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive federal benefits package including health, life insurance, and retirement plans.
  • Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays.
  • Eligibility for situational telework as permitted by agency policy.
  • Commitment to work-life balance with multiple quality options available.
Full Job Description
Summary

This position is in Region 2, Caribbean Environmental Protection Division, Municipal Water Programs Branch. About Region 2: Region 2

This is an office-centered positionyou must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.

Duties

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You will:

  • Plan, organize, and direct the activities/goals of the organizational unit to integrate organization and program objectives.
  • Exercise supervisory personnel management responsibilities including directing, coordinating, and overseeing work through subordinate supervisors.
  • Represent the organizational unit and Agency by establishing, developing, and maintaining effective working relationships with other Managers including the Director, Deputy Directors, other Second-Level Supervisors, and high-level officials outside of the Division and Region and in EPA Headquarters.


You will spend less than 25% of your work time on contracts, grants/cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements.

One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

#LI-Onsite

You must be a U.S. citizen.

You must meet time-in-grade requirements no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement.

If you are selected, you may be required to complete a one-year probationary period if appointed as Competitive Service or a two-year trial period if appointed as Excepted Service.

This position is designated as High Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

REAL ID requirements became effective on 05/07/25. If you are selected for this position and plan to use your driver's license or identification card during the onboarding process (i.e., for employment eligibility verification or to obtain your EPA identification card), the document must be a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver's license or identification card that includes the REAL ID-compliant star marking, or must be an Enhanced Driver's License (EDL). You will receive information about alternative acceptable documents (e.g., passport) prior to onboarding. For more information about REAL ID, see Dept. of Homeland Security and REAL ID FAQs.

If you are selected, you must complete (or have already completed) a 1-year supervisory or managerial probationary period.

Upon acceptance of an initial appointment to a supervisory or managerial position with the EPA, you agree to complete all elements of the EPA Successful Leaders Program. This development program is designed to enhance leadership competencies and meet the agency's goal of providing new leaders with the tools needed for success.

If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure form within 30 days of your first day of employment and annually thereafter.

Qualifications

NOTE: You must meet qualification requirements, including any requirements described in the Education section, by the closing date of this announcement.

In addition to the basic entry education requirements, you must have specialized experience and/or directly related education as described below:

To qualify for the GS-15 level, you must have 1 year of full-time* specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level defined as demonstrated experience in overseeing program planning strategies to support the alignment of organizational goals with multiple invested parties; and in managing time and resources to develop deliverables and meet program objectives.

You will need the following competencies in order to perform the duties of this position successfully:

  • Decision Making.
  • Manages and Organizes Information.
  • Technical Knowledge (Related to Position). *
  • Coaching and Developing Others. *
  • Conflict Management.
  • Managing Employees.
  • Accountability.
  • Environmental Laws and Regulations.
  • Partnering.
  • Organizational Awareness.
  • Problem Solving.
  • Strategic Thinking. *


*You will be evaluated on these critical competencies.

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.

*If you have part-time work experience, read this: Part-Time Experience.

Education

Life Scientist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR a combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major, as listed.

Environmental Engineer: You must have one of the following:

  • Successful completion of a professional engineering degree at an accredited university or college


OR

  • Combination of college level education or training AND technical experience that has furnished you with (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:


  1. Professional registration as an engineer.
  2. Evidence of passing the Engineer-in-Training written test.
  3. Successful documented completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences as described by OPM.
  4. Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field and at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.


Please review the OPM page on specifics about required curriculum and for more information on qualifications, please visitGS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications.

Physical Scientist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics; OR a combination of education and experience with education equivalent to one of the majors listed that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

For information about accreditation requirements, visit Accreditation.

Additional information

Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.

Although the Service type indicated in the Overview section is Competitive, you may be appointed as Excepted Service based on your eligibility to be hired under certain appointing authorities.

Are you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents section and visit the EPA website for additional information on the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): CTAP/ICTAP

NOTE: To be entitled to selection priority, you must be rated well-qualified (i.e., you must have a score of 87 or highersee the How You Will Be Evaluated section).

If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.

This position is not in the bargaining unit.

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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.

Join EPA in protecting human health and the environment and enjoy many work life quality options! Working for the EPA offers you a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. To learn more about us, visit Life and Careers at EPA.

If you are selected for this position, situational telework may be approved by your supervisor if you meet eligibility requirements, as allowable by agency policy and/or applicable collective bargaining agreement. EPA policy only allows telework to be approved situationally. Situational telework is for work or assignments of specific limited duration on an occasional, emergency, or ad hoc basis.

NOTE: If you are an EPA employee who currently works at a remote work location (i.e., full-time telework), your approval for remote work does not transfer to this position, subject to Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Review our benefits

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.

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