Physical Scientist (HAZMAT) – Direct Hiring Authority

You will serve as a Physical Scientist (HAZMAT) – Direct Hiring Authority GS- 1301-12 working in Sacramento, California for the Division of Environmental Affairs. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Major duties
Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Serve as the Regional Hazardous Materials Coordinator by implementing a comprehensive environmental management, hazardous materials, and hazardous waste oversight program for the region which includes interpreting and encouraging compliance with local, state, and federal hazardous materials rules and regulations as well as Departmental and Bureau directives and policies. Evaluate regional compliance with environmental laws and Reclamation's hazardous materials management program through on-site audits, inspections, investigations, and corrective action activities. Advise regional leadership on environmental policies, procedures, and systems and how these will affect facility operation. Develops and reviews environmental requirements for region-wide documents, including regulatory guidance, acquisition details, contract specifications, test plans, material releases, environmental site assessments, hazardous materials clean-ups or disposals, or other documents. Project manager/activity lead for assigned projects and investigations in the areas of hazardous materials, hazardous waste, and regulatory environmental compliance to support environmental monitoring, assessment, and reporting activities.

Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/06/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. In order to qualify for this position, you must possess both the Basic Requirement and Minimum Qualifications. Basic Requirement for 1301 series: Successfully completed a bachelor's degree or higher degree from an accredited college or university that included a major field of study 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. ORSuccessfully completed a combination of education and experience that included course work equivalent to a major (i.e., 24 semester hours) in physical sciences and/or a related engineering science; plus, appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination must demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the work of this position and is comparable to that normally acquired through the completion of a full four-year course of study with a major as described above. Minimum Qualification GS-12: One year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility equivalent to grade GS-11 in the Federal service. Experience includes 1) identifying and evaluating hazardous materials issues and problems; 2) serving as a project manager or study team leader for projects and investigations in the areas of hazardous waste and environmental compliance; 3) interpreting and providing guidance on hazardous materials rules and regulations;4) conducting environmental analysis on collected data to identify and report on emerging environmental trends; 5) preparing environmental documentation for compliance with regulatory requirements. Volunteer Experience: 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.

How to apply
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the 10/06/2026–unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. To PREVIEW the application questionnaire, select the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13058831 Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources. 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 view the announcement status or your application status, visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.