Summary This employee supports the USDA Forest Service, Forest Product Laboratory and serves as a laboratory technician assisting staff in conducting scientific research by preparing and testing samples analysis. THIS IS AN OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. See Additional Information section for more information. Applications will expire every 90 days. To remain active for consideration, applicants must resubmit their application. Responsibilities Duties listed are at the full performance level GS-9. Train others in the operation and maintenance of standard and specialized chemical laboratory equipment. Perform chemical reactions and wet chemical tests including laboratory operations like weighing, dilution, and adjusting pH. Process wood and biomass samples including traditional pulping and bleaching, making handsheets, advanced biorefining, and/or producing nanocellulose and processing lignin. Perform a variety of chemical and physical techniques, including rheology, spectroscopy, thermal analysis, mechanical testing or product specific performance, specimen preparation and testing. Conduct analytical chemistry techniques, such as titration, chemical and physical analyses of samples, and operate specialized instruments and interpret the results of these analyses. Prepare progress reports related to laboratory work that are presented orally and/or in writing. Prepare study plans, proposals for funding, presentations, posters, and publications for internal and/or external distribution. Develop new or improved techniques and methods related to processing of biomass based on existing methods and practice. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the date the certificate of eligible candidates is issued. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary. Work Experience: Your resume must clearly document the following for each block of work experience; the beginning day, month and year the work assignment started and ended; the hours worked per week; position title, and series and grade if applicable; and description of duties performed. This information must be provided for each permanent, temporary or seasonal appointment/work assignment or volunteer work and should be clearly documented as a separate block of time. Incomplete, inaccurate or conflicting work history may not be credited for qualifications purposes. This can result in an applicant not being considered for the position. Minimum Qualifications Requirements: Experience in a trade or craft may be credited as specialized experience when the work provided intensive knowledge of engineering principles, techniques, methods, and precedents. Examples are trade positions with substantial developmental, test, or design responsibilities such as: Planner and estimator who analyzed designs for production purposes. Instrument maker or model maker who performed design or development work on devices fabricated. Certification: Engineering technicians may be certified by the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies, an organization sponsored by the National Society of Professional Engineers. Certification by the Institute will be helpful as a measure of the technician's quality of experience. Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GS-7 level: At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level in the Federal service. To qualify at this grade level, your specialized experience must include: Preparing, maintaining and analyzing biomass and biomass processed samples, such as wood, agricultural biomass, pulp, and paper. Analyzing data using standard software and writing reports, plans, or guidelines related to laboratory projects. You must also show one year of experience EITHER Performing a variety of standardized chemical and/or physical techniques, tests, and procedures in a laboratory environment OR Operating and calibrating standard chemical or physical science related laboratory equipment. OR One full year (18 semester/27 quarter hours) of graduate level education directly related to the work of the position. Acceptable coursework includes the following: General, Analytical, Organic, and/or Wood Chemistry; Introduction to Chemical Engineering, Engineering, and/or Bioprocess Engineering; Unit Operations, Mass & Energy Balances, Pulping & Bleaching, and/or Papermaking. OR A combination of graduate level education that is directly related to the position and specialized experience described above. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. For the GS-8 level: At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service. To qualify at this grade level, your specialized experience must include: Assisting with processing wood and/or biomass samples. These processes may include traditional pulping and bleaching, and biorefining to produce fuels, chemicals, and materials. Maintaining laboratory records such as a laboratory notebook, computer database observation records, graphical representations, and spreadsheets showing calculations from laboratory data. You must also show one year of experience EITHER Conducting analytical chemistry techniques, such as titration, chemical and physical analyses of samples, and operating specialized instrumentation such as those related to spectroscopy or thermal analysis OR Operating, calibrating and maintaining a variety of chemical or physical science related laboratory equipment. OR Master's degree or two full years of graduate level education directly related to the work of the position. Acceptable coursework includes the following: General, Analytical, Organic, and/or Wood Chemistry; Introduction to Chemical Engineering, Engineering, and/or Bioprocess Engineering; Unit Operations, Mass & Energy Balances, Pulping & Bleaching, and/or Papermaking. OR A combination of graduate level education that is directly related to the position and specialized experience described above. Only that graduate level coursework in excess of 18 semester/27 quarter hours is creditable for this grade level. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. For the GS-9 level: At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-8 grade level in the Federal service. To qualify at this grade level, your specialized experience must include: Independently processing wood and/or biomass samples. These processes may include traditional pulping and bleaching, and biorefining to produce fuels, chemicals, and materials. Analyzing and preparing data and results for inclusion in scientific briefings, study papers, research manuscripts, or project reports. You must also show one year of experience EITHER Independently planning and conducting a wide variety of chemical and physical techniques, tests, and procedures in a laboratory setting OR Operating, calibrating, maintaining, troubleshooting, and ordering a variety of chemical or physical science related laboratory equipment. OR Master's degree or two full years of graduate level education directly related to the work of the position. Acceptable coursework includes the following: General, Analytical, Organic, and/or Wood Chemistry; Introduction to Chemical Engineering, Engineering, and/or Bioprocess Engineering; Unit Operations, Mass & Energy Balances, Pulping & Bleaching, and/or Papermaking. OR A combination of graduate level education that is directly related to the position and specialized experience described above. Only that graduate level coursework in excess of 18 semester/27 quarter hours is creditable for this grade level. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met as of the date a certificate is issued. Education Additional Information THIS IS AN OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until the close date or until the position is filled whichever comes first. The first due date for applications is Thursday, May 23rd, 2024. The second due date for applications is Thursday, August 22, 2024. Applications expire every 90 days. To remain active for consideration, applicants must resubmit their application. This type of announcement provides the Forest Service with a readily available source of applicants when vacancies occur. Eligibility and qualifications will be verified when there is a vacancy for the location and grade for which you applied. Salary wage as shown is for Rest of the U.S. Final salary will be determined at the time of selection dependent on the duty location For more information, refer to the Office of Personnel Management, Salary and Wages web page. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA). PROMOTION POTENTIAL: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied or guaranteed. This is a bargaining unit position and is represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE. Forest Service daycare facilities are not available. Government Housing is not available. The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional information is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-and-leave-flexibilities-for-recruitment-and-retention/