Summary

About the Position: This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service. This position is located in Bethesda, Maryland.

Work schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM (work hours are non-negotiable), with occasional schedule flexibility to support urgent operational needs.

This is a Direct Hire Solicitation

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Duties

Leading and supporting routine high-complexity molecular diagnostic testing—primarily next-generation sequencing (NGS) and/or PCR—to ensure accurate, timely, and reliable results.
Designing, validating, and optimizing new molecular assays in compliance with CLIA, CAP, and institutional standards.
Clinical service: Routinely perform one category of molecular testing, PCR or NGS assay.
Maintaining and improving quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) programs, and supporting the Medical Director in ensuring regulatory compliance and inspection readiness.
Supervising laboratory staff, managing performance (including addressing under-performance), and ensuring appropriate on-boarding, training, and mentorship.
Investigating test failures or instrumentation issues, leading root cause analysis, and implementing corrective actions to maintain laboratory efficiency and reliability.
Working closely with physician pathologists, IT, and quality teams to implement laboratory initiatives and technical improvements that support clinical and research missions.
Supporting research and development efforts, contributing to publications or presentations, and providing subject matter expertise in molecular diagnostics.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Secret security clearance or access for the duration of employment. A background investigation and credit check are required.
This position has been designated Mission Essential. In the event of severe weather conditions or other such emergency type situations, the incumbent is required to report to work or remain at work as scheduled to support mission operations.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Molecular Scientist:

Degree: Bachelor's or graduate (or higher level) degree with major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes independently conducting molecular diagnostic procedures such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), next generation sequencing (NGS), or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH); contributing to assay validation, quality control and quality assurance; drafting or revising procedures and protocols; providing training and mentorship to laboratory staff or technologists; and contributing to research projects, method development, or publications. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-13).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone-no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

ASCP Certification Preferred: Certification by a nationally recognized board such as MB (ASCP) - Molecular Biology or MLS( ASCP) - Medical Laboratory Scientist.

Doctoral Degree Preferred: MD/DO or PhD in a relevant field (e.g., pathology, molecular genetics, molecular biology, genomics).

NGS Experience Preferred: Demonstrated hands-on experience with clinical NGS assay development/validation, troubleshooting, quality metrics review, and interpretation/reporting workflows in a regulated laboratory environment.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
One year trial/probationary period may be required.
Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
Recruitment incentive MAY be authorized for highly qualified candidates.
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.

2. Other supporting documents:

Cover Letter, optional
Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses.

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/11/2026to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12893617).
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section.
You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete.
It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your 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://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk

Website

https://portal.chra.army.mil/hr_public?id=app_inq

Address

JT-DDAAFE NCR DHN - JPC or MKT NCR
DO NOT MAIL
Bethesda, MD 20889
US

Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.

Overview

Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

02/25/2026 to 03/11/2026

Salary

$143,913 to - $187,093 per year

Pay scale & grade

GS 14

Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

Bethesda, MD

Remote job

Telework eligible

Travel Required

Not required

Relocation expenses reimbursed

Appointment type

Permanent

Work schedule

Full-time

Service

Competitive

Promotion potential

None

Job family (Series)

0601 General Health Science

Supervisory status

Yes

Security clearance

Secret

Drug test

Position sensitivity and risk

Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process

Suitability/Fitness

Financial disclosure

Bargaining unit status

Announcement number

HSJT-26-12893617-DHA-R

Control number

858674400

US Defense Health Agency

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