Biological Science Specialist

Full Job Description

This position works in the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), Biorisk Management unit (BRM).

The Biological Science Specialist is responsible for working as a team member of the BRM on tasks relating to policies, procedures, guidance documents, inspections, and records and reports to ensure compliance with regulations for registration with the Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP).

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

Basic Education Requirement: Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

AND In addition to the basic requirements above, all applicants must also meet the following minimum qualification requirements: GS-11: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled.

Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised.

The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position and 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: working for a biorisk or biosafety program in a BSL3/4 laboratory; implementing guidelines and polices related to high containment laboratories; participating in inventory control and accountability; and developing oversight on procedures related to biosafety and high containment operations.

OR Education: Successful completion of 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, if directly related to the position.

Related degrees may include Biology, Plant Science, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Animal Science, or Chemistry.

OR a combination of doctorate-level education and specialized experience as described above.

GS-12: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised.

The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-11 which is directly related to the work of this position and 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: leading a biorisk or biosafety program in a BSL3/4 laboratory; developing and implementing guidelines and polices related to high containment laboratories; leading inventory control and accountability; and developing and providing oversight on procedures related to biosafety and high containment operations.

There is no education substitution for the GS-12 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:

• Participates in the planning, implementation, coordination, and integration of NBAF Biosafety and high containment operations activities.
• Participates in the development and/or review of procedures, documents, checklists, and other tools.
• Providing input into the training and administration of the NBAF Diagnostics and Research Biologics Inventory (DARBI) database management system.
• Performs, coordinates and conducts regularly scheduled inventory audits of physical biological inventory storage and data accuracy within the DARBI.
• Provides input into the scheduling and conducting of inspections and/or surveys of various biosafety level (BSL) laboratory and support service areas of NBAF.
• Develops, coordinates, and reviews biosafety and containment operations related SOPs, work instructions, risk assessments, checklists, plans, and other tools to ensure program compliance with regulatory components.
• Performs routine validation and sterility testing for containment systems such as autoclaves, effluent decontamination system (EDS), and thermal tissue autoclaves.
• Participates in incident investigations in containment and inventory discrepancies concerning biological materials.