What are the responsibilities and job description for the Supervisory Biological Science Laboratory Technician (Animal) position at Defense Health Agency?

Summary

About the Position : The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), a subordinate research laboratory under the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, is the lead medical biological defense research laboratory for the DOD Chemical Biological Defense Program. For additional information about USAMRIID and Fort Detrick, please visit http : / / usamriid.health.mil and http : / / www.detrick.army.mil.

This job is open to

The public

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

Clarification from the agency

See "Who May Apply" in the "Qualification" section for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.

Duties

Supervises government and military personnel conducting day-to-day animal husbandry operations for animals housed within the USAMRIID vivarium and warehouse / logistical functions in support of animal husbandry operations.

Manages animal husbandry manpower, animals, supplies, equipment and animal space. May conduct day-to-day animal husbandry operations or warehouse / logistical functions with subordinates as mission requires.

Serve as Technical Point of Contact for contract personnel conducting day-to-day animal husbandry operations for animals housed within the USAMRIID vivarium and warehouse / logistical functions in support of animal husbandry operations.

Coordinates contract personnel support with contractor project manager. Develop support contract requirements.

Develops, implements, and reviews animal husbandry procedures and practices in accordance with applicable regulations, policy, and guidance.

Prepares for visits by any internal or external oversight body. Develops responses to findings made during such visits or inspections as they pertain to animal husbandry operations.

Interprets strategic and / or operational plan(s), identifies animal husbandry requirements and develops animal husbandry capabilities to meet the identified requirements.

Develops and implements animal husbandry training plans. Identifies, evaluates and mitigates risk in coordination with other institutional activities.

Coordinates and synchronizes animal husbandry operations with safety, medical maintenance, facility maintenance, veterinary care, protocol support and any other activity within the institute or vivarium as necessary.

Identifies inadequacies within the animal facility and alerts leadership, then coordinates with facilities to repair / renovate facilities as necessary.

Coordinates with medical maintenance to repair / calibrate / replace animal husbandry equipment as necessary.

Develops the animal husbandry budget / service rates, tracks purchases, and approves / reconciles expenditures.

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 is supervisory as defined by the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) General Schedule Supervisory Guide (GSSG). A one year probation to assess your ability to perform supervisory duties is required unless previously completed.

Appointment to this position is subject to a two year probationary period unless the appointee has previously met the requirements as described in 5 CFR Part 315. While probationary the incumbent can be terminated with limited appeal rights.

This position requires the completion of a pre-employment Physical Examination and an annual examination thereafter to ensure the continued, required level of physical health and ability or fitness to perform the duties of the position.

This position is subject to a pre-employment screening, and random testing thereafter, to include testing based on reasonable suspicion and testing due to direct involvement with an on-duty accident.

This position has a requirement to lift up to 50 lbs. in the regular performance of duties.

Employee may be subject to stand by and or on call duty; night and weekend duty including holidays; and irregular tours of duty.

This position requires the incumbent to participate in the Occupational Health Surveillance Program (OHSP).

This position requires the incumbent to participate in the Biological Personnel Reliability Program (BPRP).

This position has been designated "Mission Essential". In the event of severe weather conditions or emergency type situations the incumbent is required to report to work or remain at work as scheduled to support mission operations.

This position requires the incumbent to possess or obtain and maintain Laboratory Animal Technologist (LATG) certification within 12 months of

employment.

This position requires the incumbent to possess or obtain and maintain Certified Manager of Animal Resources (CMAR) certification within 2 years of

employment.

Qualifications

Who May Apply : US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the 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.

USAMRIID is participating in an alternative personnel system known as the Personnel Demonstration Project (PDP) . The DE-04 payband is equivalent to the GS-12 step 1 to GS-13 step 10 level. In keeping with the Demonstration pay fixing policies, employees earning a salary that falls within this payband equivalent, will not receive an immediate pay increase (promotion) if appointed to this position. Future pay increases within the payband will be accomplished through the pay for performance management system.

Specialized Experience : One year of specialized experience which includes : 1) Coordinating veterinary technical research support of activities within biosafety laboratories; 2) Reviewing research and development regulation requirements for implementation into existing programs; AND 3) Manage research facility budget reports to include approving expenditures or reconciling monthly expenditures.

This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade / level position in the federal service (DE-03 / GS-11).

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 aloneno substitution of education for experience is permitted.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas :

Animal Husbandry

Planning and Evaluating

Technical Competence

Education

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.

Two year probationary period may be required.

One year Supervisory 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.

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.

BIOLOGICAL PERSONNEL RELIABILITY PROGRAM / ARMY BIOLOGICAL SURETY PROGRAM -Performs duties that require the individual to obtain and hold Biological Personnel Reliability Program (BPRP) enrollment pursuant to the requirements of the Army Biological Surety Program. Individuals must maintain a current certification of enrollment in the BPRP as a condition of eligibility for continued employment. The BPRP is a suitability and reliability program operated by the agency and requires the employee to submit to and satisfactorily complete suitability and reliability screening and analysis. The employee must maintain the standards prescribed for the Army Biological Surety Program. As a condition of employment, employees in this position must also be approved by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice for access to laboratories containing biological select agents and toxins pursuant to the terms of 42 CFR Part 73.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM - Incumbent works in containment suites with highly hazardous infectious agents and toxins (bio-safety levels 3 and 4) and is required to participate in the Occupational Health Surveillance Program (OHSP), IAW with AR 40-5 and DA Pam 385.69. The OHSP monitors worker health and provides vaccinations aimed at additional protection above personal protective devices. Licensed vaccines are approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because data support the conclusion that they are both safe and effective. These vaccines are administered according to the manufacturers' product labels. The incumbent may also consent to participate voluntarily in the Special Immunization Program (SIP), which offers Investigational New Drug (IND) vaccines according to specific protocols which are written following FDA, International Conference on Harmonization / Good Clinical Practices guidelines, DOD and Army regulations which protect the rights and welfare of research subjects. If the incumbent agrees to receive the IND vaccine, his / her signature is required before the initial administration of the vaccine by SIP. The OHS or surety medicine staff will monitor incumbent's general health to ensure that working with biological select agents and toxins (BSATs) and / or infectious agents and toxins (IATs) will not put incumbent at additional or unnecessary risk. To safely carry out the laboratory research mission, personal protective equipment (PPE) will be required as a condition of employment. In addition to PPE, FDA licensed vaccines may be available to employees.

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. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. 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. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Basis for Rating : Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of three quality categories : Best Qualified, Highly Qualified and Qualified. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category.

Best Qualified. Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for the announced position.

Highly Qualified. Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for the announced position.

Qualified. Candidates in this category meet the minimum experience requirements for the announced position.

You may claim Military Spouse preference.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must : (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

Benefits

Review our 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 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 may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.

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 qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month / year to month / year or month / year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.

For additional information see : What to include in your resume.

2. Other supporting documents :

Cover Letter, optional

Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable

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 02 / 28 / 2025to 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 / 12693553).

Follow the prompts to select your resume and / or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. 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. You must re-select your resume and / or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will 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 : / / my.usajobs.gov / Account / Login), 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 : / / www.usajobs.gov / Help / how-to / application / status / .

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk

Website

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

Address

KF-DHA-DD60RG DHA R / D ACT-USAMRIID

DO NOT MAIL

Fort Detrick, MD 21702

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.

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