Interdisciplinary Biologist or Veterinary Medical Officer

Full Job Description

This position will help implement USDA's Veterinary Biologics Program under the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act and will support the efforts that uphold scientific integrity, regulatory compliance, and laboratory standards.

This work strengthens animal health systems, support disease control and eradication, and safeguard public confidence in veterinary biologics.

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

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

BASIC REQUIREMENT: 0701 - Veterinary Medical Officer: see Education section 0401 - Biologist Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR Combination of education and experience: post high school education with courses equivalent to a major, which is defined as 24 semester/36 quarter hours, in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, chemistry or related disciplines appropriate to the position, PLUS appropriate experience or additional course work.

The quality of the combination must demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the work of the position and is comparable to that normally acquired through the completion of a full four-year course of study with a major as described above.

In addition to the basic requirement above, applicants must also meet the following: FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Assisting in training and providing technical guidance to junior scientists or laboratory staff.

Conducting laboratory studies involving protein expression, stability, and/or characterization of diagnostic assays or antigens.

Preparing and communicating scientific findings through technical documents and/or oral presentations. EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION: 0401 - There is No Education Substitution.

0701 - Master's degree in an area of specialization, including but not limited to, animal science, avian medicine, food safety, infectious diseases, veterinary clinical sciences, pathobiology, biomedical sciences, veterinary anatomy, veterinary preventive medicine, comparative biological sciences, epidemiology, veterinary parasitology, molecular veterinary biosciences, public health, microbiology, pathology, immunology, laboratory animal medicine, toxicology, wildlife, zoological animal medicine, or sciences related to the work of a veterinary medical officer position.

OR RESIDENCY/POST GRADUATE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR THE GS-12 GRADE LEVEL.

Successful completion of two years of an internship, residency program, or fellowship training program in a discipline related to the position.

TRANSCRIPTS are required if: This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. 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-0701-12 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:
• Evaluating veterinary biologics that are licensed or proposed for licensing for purity, safety, potency, and efficacy.
• Developing new procedures and techniques to evaluate current products or to test emerging conventional and biotechnological veterinary biologics.
• Acquiring, producing, standardizing and controlling the quality of pathogenic or non-pathogenic strains of microorganisms, conjugates, antisera, monoclonal antibodies, primers, or probes.
• Full participation in the writing laboratory related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Supplemental Assay Methods (SAMs).