What are the responsibilities and job description for the Supervisory Biological Science Technician (Animal) position at Agricultural Research Service?

Summary

The position is in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center located in Orono, Maine. The physical duty location is Franklin, Maine.

In this position, you will be responsible for supervising and managing the technical work in support of the care and maintenance, and health and behavior of animals (including birds and fish) involved in the scientific research projects located in ARS animal research facilities.

This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

Special authorities

Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted only from current permanent USDA employees with competitive status; and CTAP / RPL eligible candidates and permanent Farm Service County Office employees.

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Duties

Participates in the development of any SOPs which may require searching scientific literature concerning animal care for pertinent information concerning current or new procedures or techniques that may be of value in improving SOPs.

Ensures animals are routinely observed for appearance and activity and signs of illness, disease, discontent behavior, and / or refusal of feed.

Participates in the several stages with the supervisor and scientific staff in support of scientific objectives, including animal needs and experimental design to ensure successful completion of the research studies.

Establishes deadlines and priorities and determines staffing levels and materials required for daily operations, taking into consideration animal populations, agents under study, and special animal project needs.

Assigns daily work based on priorities, project schedules, resources, customary work cycles and sequences, and specific work plans set by the supervisor.

Ensures and monitors the collecting, preparation, and verification of samples from animals such as blood and other body fluids, tissues or secretions, and culture samples using techniques as prescribed by animal care.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a US Citizen or US National.

Males born after 12 / 31 / 1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.

Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and / or fingerprint check.

Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.

Subject to one year supervisory / managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.

Direct Deposit : Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.

Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https : / / www.e-verify.gov /

Motor Vehicle or Commercial Driver's License Required.

Supervisory Responsibilities (EEO Statement).

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and / or education, as defined below.

Time in grade : Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

Specialized Experience : Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for this position are : Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-08 which is directly related to the work of this position which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience providing technical training to staff members in a veterinary setting; coordinating staff or hospital schedules; and ensuring activities are in compliance with policies, laws, or regulations.

Education : Two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include Agricultural Science, Veterinary Science, Animal Science, or Biology.

A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience as described 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; 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.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL) : Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP or RPL eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP / RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees : Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.

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.

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.

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below :

Administration and Management

Planning and Evaluating

Technical Competence

Supervisory / Managerial Competencies

1. Ability to lead and accomplish work through others (i.e. team building, conflict management, cultural awareness, strategic thinking, technology management, and political savvy.)

2. Ability to communicate with individuals or groups from diverse backgrounds in a variety of situations.

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need only meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note : If after reviewing your resume and / or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit : https : / / apply.usastaffing.gov / ViewQuestionnaire / 12670551

Benefits

Required Documents

As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

Resume that includes : 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.

If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, official transcripts will be required prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

Current USDA Federal employees :

Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing you are / were in the competitive service, highest grade held (or promotion potential) on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND

Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. A performance plan is not an acceptable substitute.

Current permanent FSA County employees must submit your most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing your highest grade (or promotion potential) held on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) per above.

Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP or RPL priority must provide : proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.

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

Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11 : 59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8 : 00a.m. - 4 : 00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.

To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.

NOTE : Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded resumes must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats : GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.

Agency contact information

MICHAEL ONTIVEROS

Phone

202-205-1180

michael.ontiveros@usda.gov

Address

Agricultural Research Service

10300 Baltimore Avenue

Beltsville, MD 20705

Next steps

Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status.

You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.

Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to Candace.Jacobs@usda.gov, subject line : Fair Chance Act.

Fair and Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

Criminal history inquiries

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy

Financial suitability

New employee probationary period

Privacy Act

Reasonable accommodation policy

Selective Service

Signature and false statements

Social security number request

Required Documents