Chemist/Chemical Engineer

Job Title/Req: Chemist/Chemical Engineer

Location: Fort Belvoir, VA

Job Description:

This position provides operational, research and development and training support along with subject matter expert advice and decision support to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) as part of its 24/7/365 Reachback contract. Shift work is required. The DTRA Technical Reachback team's prime focus is to respond to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and (high yield) Explosive (CBRNE) related requests for information (RFIs) from the Combatant Commands (COCOMs), Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Joint Staff (JS), Intelligence Community (IC), command elements, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), other U.S. Government agencies, and first responders.

Responsible for providing general knowledge and subject matter expertise as a Chemist/Chemical Engineer in support and working closely with other members of the multi-disciplinary Reachback team. . Required tasks include performing complex engineering and scientific analyses and conducts special studies. It also includes the preparation of scientific reports, technical assessments to military decision makers and their technical staffs,, and performs independent verification/validation of CBRNE effects models. Stand-alone CBRNE decision support software toolkit contains numerous models that each team member uses to fulfill RFI requirements. Examples of this models used include HPAC, IMEA, VAPO and PDCALC. Candidates must complete the certification process on the use of the models before becoming an active member of the Reachback team.

Must be team-oriented and possess strong multi-tasking abilities and contribute Chemical expertise to the multi-disciplinary team. Tasks may include consequence management support in the areas of threat detection, attribution, protection, and remediation applications. Uses applied knowledge to develop, integrate, test, verify, validate and apply CBRNE software/scenarios based on results of experiments and predicted phenomena based on theoretical and computational methods. Work with other engineering groups to define the modeling objectives, obtain the required model inputs and outputs, and verify and validate results. Presents modeling results and decision support aid to both internal and external customers in the form of written reports and oral presentations. Reviews technical work of other engineers performing modeling and analysis projects.

Job Requirements:

Education: Masters Degree in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering or a very closely related field (PhD preferred), along with at least 1-4+ years of relevant experience supporting the DoD/Military in the field desired (Bachelors degree may be considered with sufficient related experience).

Competence: Able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills for applying physics expertise to scientific problems through the use of analytical instruments, mathematics, modeling and simulation.

Experience: CBRNE/WMD with a focus on Chemistry or Chemical defense is desired. Related experience in other CBRNE/WMD defense areas will also be considered. Education level considered.

Shift work is required-Reachback is a 24/7/365 operation.

Applicant must be a U.S. citizen and be able to obtain and/or maintain a Top Secret SCI Security Clearance. Strong communication skills, both orally and verbally, technical presentation, teamwork mentality, graphic visualization and Microsoft Office proficiency skills are required.