Lead Animal Health Technician

Full Job Description

This position is located within the Research Service at the Central Virginia VA Health Care System in Richmond, Virginia.

TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-10 GRADE LEVEL, YOU MUST MEET ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service, that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

Specialized experience includes work such 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; or as an assistant to a veterinarian who works with livestock.

Additional Specialized Experience at this grade level is supporting veterinarians within a research facility; coordinating and evaluating the operational and environmental procedures of an animal research facility; and communicating with Investigators, biotechnicians, and veterinarians regarding the application of research requirements and training techniques.

-OR- EDUCATION: Successfully completed two and one-half (2 1⁄2) years of graduate education directly related to the work of this position with a major study or at least 24 semester hours of courses in zoology, biology, chemistry, or agricultural subjects, which are directly related to the work of this Lead Animal Health Technician position.

This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

~OR~ COMBINATION: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the 21⁄2 year) and specialized experience (as described above) to meet the requirements of this position.

NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

A Quality Ranking Factor* has been requested by the facility to help determine which of the basically qualified applicants are likely to be better qualified for a position.

The quality ranking factor for this position is: "a Master's degree in Lab Animal Science." Applicants who meet this quality ranking factor must submit a transcript with their application to support their response.

*Quality Ranking Factors are skills, knowledge, abilities, or other worker characteristics which could be expected to result in superior performance on the job.

Quality ranking factors will not be used for screening, but may be used as ranking criteria.

Applicants with higher proficiency levels may rank above those with lower proficiency levels on a quality ranking factor.

You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Animal Husbandry Compliance Inspection Quality Ranking Factor Technical Competence 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: Work requires some physical exertion.

Most activity will be walking, but other activities will involve standing for extended periods, considerable bending, climbing of step stools/ladders, and carrying of items less than 50 lbs.

Involvement in pre-surgical situations may involve some lifting of larger animals such as dogs or pigs.

Other situations may involve moving modestly heavy equipment such as portable x-ray machines or cage racks, while using appropriate mechanical assistance (cart, dolly, etc.).

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/.

Major Duties:

• ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties include, but are not limited to, the following: Serves as the lead floor manager of the animal facility assisting the VMU Supervisor in daily operations of animal husbandry processes; Organizes and implements a post approval compliance program for IACUC approved protocols; Monitors a wide range of complex and innovative protocols (surgical procedures, postoperative care, tumor maintenance, agent delivery by gavage or injection, behavioral training, etc.); Coordinates and monitors the administration of multiple biomedical research projects; Develops a systematic quality assurance and improvement program; Coordinates and monitors daily health checks, administers medications, treatments, post-surgical care, and oversees experiments by staff; Distributes and balances the workload among employees in accordance with established workflow; Monitors and reviews highly complex examinations and tests on a variety of laboratory animals such as dogs, rats, mice, pigs, and other species; Performs other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 4:00am-12:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved