Animal Health Technician

Full Job Description

The Ready Response Corps (RRC) is an APHIS-wide cadre dedicated to rapidly deploying in support of animal and plant health-related emergencies and all hazards' events to safeguard American agriculture.

The Animal Health Technician performs emergency management response work, including deploying and performing response activities to stop the spread of animal diseases.

Recruitment incentive may be authorized, but not guaranteed.

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

Individual Occupational Requirements for the 0704 job series Examples of qualifying experience may include work: As a laborer, manager, or owner of a livestock ranch or farm involving direct work with livestock.

With livestock in a feed lot. As a Livestock Market Inspector. As an Animal Welfare Inspector. As an assistant to a veterinarian who works with livestock.

FOR THE GS-7 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-6 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Experience providing husbandry or animal health within production animal systems, including but not limited to poultry and livestock.

Applying basic principles of animal science including recognizing, managing and preventing common diseases of production animals under the direction of a veterinarian.

Handling poultry and livestock for inspections, husbandry, sample collection, and/or veterinary care. Training in or use of biosecurity measures and disease prevention protocols.

Communicating technical information (animal health and welfare) to internal employees and external stakeholders.

OR 1 year of graduate level education (18 semester hours) in animal science or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

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-7 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed 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. Major Duties:

• The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity.
• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Deploys to agricultural emergencies, primarily animal disease outbreaks to assist Veterinary Medical Officers (VMOs) with emergency response, containment, and mitigation risk reduction activities.
• At the direction of VMOs, helps coordinate emergency response depopulation activities with Incident Management Teams (IMT).
• Serves as a member of an Incident Management Team, providing support to VMOs.
• Assists VMOs in establishing and enforcing surveillance, quarantine, movement control areas to stop the spread of animal and plant pests and diseases.
• Supervises cleaning and disinfection of vehicles and premises that are contaminated by disease organisms or as a precautionary measure.
• Contacts owners of diseased or exposed animals or poultry, and inquires about first appearance of disease, clinical signs, disease progression, and death losses.
• Assists in program work that develops strategies, tools, techniques, and other measures to reduce adverse effects of animal related hazards and facilitates and promotes implementation of measures.
• Assists VMOs with inspection and testing of livestock, poultry, and other avian species on ranches, farms, auctions, markets, etc., to detect animal diseases and parasites.