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Environmental Health Scientist

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · Department of Health and Human Services

Open to the publicPermanentFull-timeSecurity clearance required
Salary
$90,925 – $118,204/yr
Pay grade
GS 13
Openings
—
Posted
Nov 9, 2026
Closes
Closes in 10 days

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Environmental Health, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

This announcement will close at 11:59 PM, on the day that 100 applications have been received or the closing date of the announcement, whichever comes first.

Duties

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING DAY TO DAY

As a(n) Environmental Health Scientist, you will:
  • Conducts operational sanitation inspections of cruise ships and produces a report of public health violations and recommendations.
  • Designs, oversees, implements, and conducts major scientific surveys/studies or projects to identify and solve environmental public health problems.
  • Conducts Scientific Studies/Surveys/Investigations.
  • Leads collaboration on programs/projects/studies and coordinates efforts, as appropriate, with other program staff, other CDC Centers, Institutes and Offices, other federal agencies, national, State and local health agencies, and private and non-profit organizations, etc.
  • Provides technical assistance and consultation about developing, implementing, and testing environmental health protocols for investigating and mitigating disease outbreaks with environmental etiologies, and for monitoring and controlling environmental health topics including but not limited to water and wastewater, food safety, solid waste management, vector populations, infection control, and air quality.

Qualifications

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: 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 from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained.

Minimum Qualifications: You must have one-year specialized experience to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service performing ALL of the following:

  • Conducting inspections and reviewing design and construction plans for food establishments, cruise ships, recreational water facilities, or other settings to assess public health compliance, identify risks, and recommend corrections.
  • Investigating disease outbreaks (e.g., foodborne, waterborne, or communicable disease) by reviewing environmental and health data, identifying contributing factors, or recommending prevention and control measures.
  • Providing public health assistance (e.g, consultation, training, and guidance); preparing reports and presentations; and collaborating with partners (e.g., government, industry, public health) on environmental health topics of concern (e.g., food safety, water quality, sanitation, infection prevention, or disease control).

Documenting experience: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational application questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment. The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the "percentage of times" the other duties were performed. It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record. In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.

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; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

OPM Qualification General Policies Website

Education

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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: http://www.ed.gov.

Requirements

U.S. Citizenship required | Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service - http://www.sss.gov | Suitable for federal employment | Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. All information concerning qualifications is subject to investigation. | Documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System. | All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice. | All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date. | Financial disclosure statement may be required. | Probationary (or trial) period may be required.

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Applications are handled on the official USAJOBS site — we never sit between you and the employer. You'll find full duties, qualifications and the application form there.

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Source: USAJOBS / U.S. Office of Personnel Management. HealthJobsFinderUSA is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by OPM or USAJOBS.