What are the responsibilities and job description for the Supervisory Animal Scientist position at Veterans Health Administration?
Basic Requirement : The following are basic requirements for appointment as a Supervisory Animal Scientist in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met. Basic Education : Degree - bachelor's (or higher) degree in animal science, dairy science, poultry science; or a related discipline or field of animal science that included at least 30 semester hours in the basic biological and agricultural sciences, and 20 semester hours in animal science. For animal scientist positions, at least 10 of the required 20 semester hours in animal science must have been in courses dealing with the breeding, feeding, production, and management of livestock, and the care and preparation of their products. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED : Education must have been obtained at an accredited college or university. If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) Basic Combination of Education and Experience : Combination of education and experience : courses equivalent to a major in the basic biological and agricultural sciences, including a minimum of 20 semester hours in appropriate animal science subjects, as described in "Basic Education" above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. For animal scientist positions, at least 10 of the required 20 semester hours in animal science must have been in courses dealing with the breeding, feeding, production, and management of livestock, and the care and preparation of their products. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT AND / OR CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED : Education must have been obtained at an accredited college or university. If you do not submit the required document, your application may not be reviewed.) Note Regarding Evaluation of Education : (a) Course work in such subjects as agronomy, animal, dairy, or poultry science, biology, botany, zoology, microbiology, physiology, genetics, and biochemistry may be used to meet the general 30-semester-hour requirement in the basic biological and agricultural sciences; (b) Course work in such subjects as zoology, embryology, animal breeding or genetics, physiology, biochemistry, and any phase of animal, dairy, or poultry science may be used to meet the 20-semester-hour requirement in animal science; (c) Course work in animal science includes those subjects dealing with the specific kinds and classes of livestock, e.g., cattle, swine, sheep, or fur bearers, their breeding and development, nutrition, management, and utilization; and the qualities and uses of their products, e.g., meat, wool, or leather. Note Regarding Graduate Education : To be qualifying, graduate study must have been in animal, dairy, or poultry science; or in a specialized subject-matter area of science directly related to these sciences, such as feeds and feeding or nutrition, breeding, and development, physiology, or genetics, where the curriculum or pattern of training placed major emphasis on one of the recognized specialized subject-matter areas of animal, dairy, or poultry science. Graduate study in related disciplines or fields of science, such as agronomy, microbiology, biochemistry, biophysics, and dairy, food, or fiber technology (if it dealt with pertinent products or their production) may also be qualifying, provided the graduate work placed a sufficient amount of emphasis on one of the recognized fields or subject-matter areas of animal, dairy, or poultry science. AND Minimum Requirement : In addition to meeting the basic requirements one of the following minimum requirement criteria must be met to be qualified for this position. Specialized Experience (GS-13) : You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-12) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to : serving as an Animal Scientist for an Animal Care and Research Safety Program; performing animal husbandry for multiple species, veterinary nursing, veterinary surgical procedures and assistance, veterinary anesthesia, regulatory oversight, and budget analysis; interfacing with federal and state regulatory agencies, and demonstrating success with required certification reviews and procedures; preparing required annual reports for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), National Institutes for Health (NIH), and Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC); and resolving regulatory / compliance issues identified by the above-noted oversight agencies. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED : Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and / or total hours worked per week.) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position : Animal Husbandry Communications Compliance Critical Thinking IMPORTANT : A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start / end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Physical Requirements : The duties performed require both regular and recurring walking, bending and carrying of moderately heavy equipment (<50 pounds). The incumbent must be able to assist other research staff with the unloading of heavy feed and bedding bags and the pushing / pulling of very heavy stainless mobile caging units. The incumbent must be able to take over all duties of subordinates in the event of absence or need. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https : / / www.opm.gov / policy-data-oversight / classification-qualifications / general-schedule-qualification-standards / .
