Physical Science Technician

US-Agricultural-Marketing-Servic; Gastonia (NC); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

US Agricultural Marketing Service is seeking a Physical Science Technician (GS-05) in Gastonia, NC to support analytical testing and ensure compliance with customer requests, contract specs, and quality control requirements.

The role requires a 4-year bachelor's degree in physical science/engineering/maths or at least 24 hours in those fields; combinations of education and experience may qualify. You will work with analytical staff to process samples efficiently and accurately.

Qualifications

• Education and Training: For GS-5, a full 4-year bachelor's degree in physical science/engineering/math, or equivalent.
• At least 24 semester hours in physical science, engineering, or mathematics.
• Equivalent education/experience combinations may qualify for this grade.

Responsibilities

• Reconcile samples with documentation and review for correctness and completeness.
• Prepare laboratory samples for testing by following grinding and homogenization procedures.
• Coordinate with analytical staff to prioritize samples based on priority and schedules.

Skills

Sample reconciliation

Sample preparation

Sample coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in physical science, engineering, or math

Job description

In this position you serve as a Physical Science Technician responsible for supporting and performing analytical testing to determine the acceptability of agricultural and food products in relation to customer test requests, contract specifications, quality control requirements, and regulations of various agencies. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Individual Occupational Requirement:

Education and Training: For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in an appropriate field of physical science, or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as physical science, engineering, or any branch of mathematics, except financial and commercial mathematics.

FOR THE GS-05 LEVEL:

• Reconcile samples with sample information documentation and review for correctness and completeness.
• Prepare laboratory samples for testing by following sample grinding and homogenization procedures for each type of sample.
• Coordinate with analytical staff to prepare samples for testing in the most efficient manner possible by prioritizing work according to sample priority and analytical staff work schedules.

OR

Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in an appropriate field of physical science, engineering, or any branch of mathematics, except financial and commercial mathematics. or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as physical science, engineering, or any branch of mathematics, except financial and commercial mathematics..

Note: Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS

• You are qualifying for the position based on education.
• You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education.
• This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university.

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-05 GRADE LEVEL:

Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level.

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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.