Summary This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Office of Forensic Sciences, Forensic Laboratories. The Recent Graduates Program offers dynamic, 1 to 2-year program opportunities that give early career talent the chance to support key Foreign Science (FS) program functions through focused administrative and technical work. Selectees will learn and contribute to essential FS operations by providing liaison, administrative, and financial support services. Responsibilities The Recent Graduates Program is designed to provide graduates the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in the field of Forensic Science through a robust training program. The program will provide entry-level career development training for participants to learn and apply forensic science management principles. As a Business Operations Specialist (Recent Graduate), your typical work assignments may include: Partners with program officials to provide feedback or recommendations concerning operational policy. Assists in the allocation of funds to individual activities/functional areas based on analysis of activity budget estimates, historical expenditures, projected workload, and approved funding. Assists in the planning, development, and establishment of the contractual strategy for laboratory acquisitions. Writes correspondence, memoranda, or other documents relevant to laboratory activities. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications For more information on eligibility requirements see: DEA Employment Eligibility Applicants must meet all of the required qualification requirements described below by the closing of this announcement. To be eligible for the Pathways Recent Graduate program, you must be: A recent graduate who has completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, diploma, vocational, technical degree, or certificate from a qualifying educational institution or completed a qualifying career or technical educational program that awards a recognized postsecondary credential (such as Registered Apprenticeship Programs, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Job Corps, Climate Corps). If you are qualifying based on education or if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application. OR A preference eligible veteran who has been precluded from applying due to their military service obligation can begin their two-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years after degree or certificate completion. You MUST submit a copy of your DD-214 showing the duration and dates of service that precluded you from applying due to military service obligation. Applicants applying for the GS-09 must meet one of the following requirements: A. Have at least one full year of qualifying specialized experience that is at least equivalent in difficulty and complexity to work performed at the GS-07 grade level. Specialized 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. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 1) Assisting supervisors, customers, and team members with administrative management matters regarding policies, procedures, and regulations that impact the operation of a laboratory, division, or major office; 2) Supporting management decisions and business operations by tracking project milestones, schedules, and deliverables; 3) Assisting with day-to-day operations to support mission requirements; and 4) Assisting in managing the business support activities and functions of an office related to at least two of the following: administrative support services, human resources liaison or advisory activities, acquisition of products and services, and/or records management. OR B. Education: A master's or equivalent graduate degree. OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. OR LL.B. or J.D., if related. OR C. Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. For qualification purposes, an academic year is computed as follows: At the undergraduate level, four years of progressive study or 120 semester hours meets the degree requirements. An academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 academic year of full-time study. This determination is made based on normal course loads for a full year of study in the graduate program. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. When academic credit is expressed in contract months, units, or other terms that differ from conventional semester or quarter hours, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide an interpretation of such credits from the appropriate institution in order to equate them to the semester or quarter hours specified in the standard. NOTE: If your college, vocational, trade, or technical institution's definition of "academic year" differs from above, you must submit proof of this difference (e.g., copy of course catalog that defines an academic year). Absent this documentation, you will screened for academic qualifications based on the academic hours as defined in the bullets above. Additional information on the position qualification requirements are located in the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Qualifications Standards Handbook. Education See the qualification section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements. To be eligible for an appointment, you must meet requirement A or B. A. Completed all requirements for a diploma, associate, bachelor, master, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution or career or technical education program (including registered Apprenticeship Programs, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Job Corps, Climate Corps) within the previous two years; OR B. Was released or discharged from active duty within the previous two years, where the applicant is a veteran who, due to a military service obligation, was precluded from applying for a recent graduate position during any portion of the two-year eligibility period following completion of his/her degree or certificate requirements, provided that not more than six years have transpired since the applicant completed the requirements for a degree or certification. You must submit an academic transcript from your academic institution showing the date that you most recently completed the academic requirements described above. For Accredited Post-Secondary Institutions, click Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs For Registered State Apprenticeship Programs Information, click State Apprenticeship Programs For Other Apprenticeship Programs, click Apprenticeship Programs For Industry-Endorsed Certificate Programs, click Career One Stop Certificate Finder Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service. Pass/Fail Courses: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php. If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Additional Information Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information) Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office listed in this announcement. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to similar positions in any Division/Office listed in this announcement. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions. Recruitment and/or Relocation Incentives may be considered and approved under conditions specified provided the agency has determined that the position is likely to be difficult to fill in the absence of an incentive and funding for such an incentive is available. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. If eligible, telework and/or remote work agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Please note that any approved remote work arrangement is subject to the locality pay area of the alternative telework worksite.
