Supervisory Microbiologist

Full Job Description

As a Supervisory Microbiologist you will be leading a unit of scientists in a complex, world standard laboratory in veterinary sciences that deals with many complex, high impact diseases that affect both animals and humans.

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.

BASIC REQUIREMENT Degree: microbiology; or biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included at least 20 semester hours in microbiology and other subjects related to the study of microorganisms, and 20 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences combining course work in organic chemistry or biochemistry, physics, and college algebra, or their equivalent.

OR Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in microbiology, biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included courses as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

In addition to the basic requirement above, applicants must also meet the following: 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.

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: Experience working in a BSL3 and/or BSL4 containment laboratory setting.

Experience with methods utilized in diagnosis of animal pathogens, (ie serological, molecular, and virus isolation methods).

Selecting and interpreting appropriate testing for the diagnosis of diseases and evaluation of test methods. Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS are required if: This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified.

This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university 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:
• Supervising subordinates more than 25% of the time including, but not limited to, recruitment, selecting, appraising, rewarding, and addressing performance problems.
• Serves as Subject Matter Expert, regularly providing technical expertise to programs and agencies within APHIS, World Organization for Animal Heath (OIE), Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
• Maintains and coordinates a response structure within the unit to meet customer needs.
• Plans and directs the quality assurance activities of the unit in a manner that is consistent with the overall quality management system’s policies and goals.
• Actively identifies and creates plans to address areas within the unit needing method development or workflow improvements.