Interdisciplinary Physical Scientist (Facility Representative)

Summary

This position is part of the Office of Science - Fermi Site Office, Department of Energy. As a Interdisciplinary Physical Scientist (Facility Representative), you serve as the on-site Facility Representative with responsibility for evaluating contractor environmental, operations, safety, and health contract compliance within a specified U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility or facilities.

Duties

• The Department of Energy's mission is to ensure America's security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. We are truly honored that DOE has been named America's #1 Best Employer for Veterans in 2023 by Forbes-not only among Government agencies, but among employers across the U.S. We are so proud of this ranking which reflects our commitment to the employment of veterans. As so many veterans at DOE renew their service to our Nation, we are deeply committed to their success and advancement. Veterans shape the future of energy As a Facility Representative, you will: Perform daily, on-site evaluations, inspections, and walk-throughs of DOE contractor facilities to ensure compliance with industrial, environmental, radiation safety, general safety, and health laws, regulations, and directives. Assess contractor performance, maintenance, quality assurance, and management systems to identify operational trends, systemic weaknesses, and areas needing safety or program enhancements. Lead and participate in investigations of abnormal events or accidents to determine root causes, evaluate corrective action plans, and ensure processes are established to prevent recurrence. Act as the primary technical point of contact between DOE management and the operating contractor for facility notifications, operational status updates, and emergency event response. Apply expert technical knowledge to enforce safety standards, evaluate operational readiness, and exercise immediate stop-work authority when conditions pose imminent danger to worker health or safety. Advise management and contractors on the implementation of Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) objectives, safety envelopes, and procedures for the safe stabilization and resumption of facility operations.

Qualifications

You must meet both the Basic Requirement and the Specialized Experience to qualify for this series as described below. BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR 1301 SERIES Degree: 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 Combination of education and experience: education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal service.GS-13: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-12). Specialized experience for this position is defined as meeting ALL of the following: Participating in inspections of facilities (industrial, chemical, research, or environmental processing facilities) to evaluate compliance with radiation safety, health, environmental, and quality control standards. Participating in investigations of facility accidents, equipment failures, or abnormal operational events, and verifying the implementation of corrective action plans to prevent recurrence. Meeting with facility management, contractors, or key technical stakeholders to enforce safety requirements, and persuade leadership to implement safety improvements or corrective measures. GS-14: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-13). Specialized experience for this position is defined as meeting ALL of the following: Performing independent inspections of facilities (industrial, chemical, research, or environmental processing facilities) to evaluate compliance with radiation safety, health, environmental, and quality control standards. Leading investigations of facility accidents, equipment failures, or abnormal operational events, and verifying the implementation of corrective action plans to prevent recurrence. Meeting with facility management, contractors, or key technical stakeholders to enforce safety requirements, and persuade leadership to implement safety improvements or corrective measures. NOTE: There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for the GS-13 or GS-14 levels. Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications. Your full resume will be made available to the hiring manager if you are referred. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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. Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration. CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must (1) meet all of the requirements as described in this section; and 2) be rated "well-qualified", which is defined as having a score of 85 or better. You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

This vacancy has a positive education requirement. In order to be rated as qualified, you must provide copies of your college transcripts. Failure to provide copies of your college transcripts may result in a rating of "Ineligible". Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR 1301 SERIES Degree: 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 Combination of education and experience: education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Read all instructions before you begin. Click "Apply Online." Complete the application and attach all required documents. Submit by 11:59 PM ET on the 09/07/2026. Resume Tips: Max 2 pages and 5MB file size. PDF is recommended to preserve formatting; we also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, ODT, or Word (DOC/DOCX). No PDF portfolios. Use clear fonts like Lato, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro, Roboto, or Noto Sans. Set 0.5-inch margins. Use 14-point font for titles, 10-point for main text. Managing Your Application: Update: Edit your application in USAJOBS before the closing date. Status: Log into USAJOBS to view your application status. Learn more here: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Support: USAJOBS Help: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/ for login.gov or USAJOBS assistance. Application Issues: If you have difficulty applying online, contact the Agency Contact listed in this announcement during business hours. Take screenshots of any system errors. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.