MD-82
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Training / Qualification; Situational Awareness; Human-Machine Interface
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance
Airspace Structure; Human Factors
A MD82 was heading westbound; a C510 was heading northbound. The C510 needed a descent due to his arrival airport. I descended him and realized that I had crossing traffic. I immediately turned the MD82 30 degrees right and turned the C510 right to a 070 heading. Then I told the C510 no delay in his descent and to report leaving FL330 for traffic. I called the traffic to him. ZDC has just gone through a complete area change. I am in a new area with 8 new sectors that I have never been certified on before. I believe that because of the limited time and knowledge on the sector my traffic scan is not as good as it usually is. I moved from an area where we had very little crossing traffic. We should have never moved out of the original configuration. In my current area I see no benefit to these changes. The change has only complicated the combining of sectors and is requiring more personnel to work the area. They told us we were moving to 6 areas due to staffing and if this is true we are requiring more in this new configuration. Plus we put the flying public safety at risk by now having the majority of our personnel with limited knowledge on the sectors. At times you might be the only one in the area able to work a particular sector and if you have any questions there is no one around who can assist.
ZDC Controller reported an loss of separation; citing sector reconfiguration as contributory.