Biological Science Technician (Animal)

Summary

This position involves wildlife management and use of techniques to control damage caused by wildlife to help protect agriculture, natural resources, property, and threats to human health and safety. The work is concerned with wildlife damage management operations relating to the assessment, reduction, and/or elimination of problems associated with wild and/or feral animal species.

Duties

• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Works independently and with other team members to provide care for caged or penned captive animals.
• Reviews records for which they have assigned responsibility and ensure records are clear, accurate, and secured when personnel rotations occur.
• Complete written records on animals used for research and are used for archival purposes as part of Good Laboratory Practice and Animal Welfare Act provisions.
• Ensures that appropriate veterinary medical care, as determined by a veterinarian, is followed.
• Collects daily records of animal behavior, response to environmental enrichment, and for forming and following an environmental enrichment schedule.
• When engaged in providing care and in the handling of animals, observe proper safety precautions required to prevent disease transmission and injury.
• Collects, prepares, evaluates, and verifies samples and supporting records, maintains records, and locates and compiles data and other information from various sources.
• Monitors and operates a variety of computer driven autoclaves, ventilated cage racks, rack washers, and anesthetic gas equipment.
• Provides care for and solving problems that arise during care of caged or penned captive animals.
• Operates large machines used for disinfection in animal care (e.g. commercial autoclaves, whole-room aerosol foggers, and large motorized sanitizing sprayers).

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. FOR THE GS-07 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-06 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Capturing and restraining 2 different mammalian wildlife species for examinations and transportation; Capturing and restraining 2 different avian wildlife species for examinations and transportation; Monitoring at least 3 wildlife species in captivity for evidence of illness. OR Education: Successful completion of one (1) full year of graduate education directly related to the position. Related degrees may include Animal Science, Animal Physiology, Veterinary Medicine. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level. TRANSCRIPTS are required if: You are qualifying for the position based on education. You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education. This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-07 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. 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 information. How You Will Be Evaluated

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. This means you will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Self-Management Teamwork Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. 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. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. 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. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13071673 Other Information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP 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/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected. Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.