Department Of Veterans Affairs Omaha , NE 68102
Posted 6 days ago
Summary
This position is located in the Research Department Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU) at the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System in Omaha, NE. The Supervisory Biological Laboratory Technician (Animal) is responsible for managing the Animal Care Facility, which includes providing husbandry and healthcare to research animals, providing operational and technical support to biomedical program animal studies involving animal subjects, and providing education and training in animal techniques.
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Overview
Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
07/05/2024 to 07/22/2024
$60,541 - $78,703 per year
GS 9
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Omaha, NE 1 vacancy
Remote job
No
No
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent
Full-time
Competitive
None
0404 Biological Science Technician
Yes
Other
No
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Suitability/Fitness
CARZ-12465100-24-LMP
798654500
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This job is open to
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
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Duties
Major duties and responsibilities include:
Maintains responsibility for the organization, management and supervision of the Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU) and its staff
Ensures compliance with Federal and American Association of Accreditation for Laboratory Animal Care International, Inc. (AAALAC) regulations
Provides technical and administrative supervision to animal care technical support staff
Develops performance standards and evaluates work performance of assigned staff
Identifies and provides for training needs
Coordinates purchases for all animal subjects, equipment, supplies and services based on Principal Investigators' research needs and availability of space
Maintains a variety of species in appropriate settings, ensuring work is performed with moral and ethical responsibility for the well-being and welfare of the animals
Assists investigators with technical procedures involving operative and autopsy techniques, gross pathology techniques, and special breeding and feeding methods
Performs and oversees preliminary physical examinations of animals arriving at the VMU
Collects a variety of biological substances for chemical, microbial or serologic tests
Provides prescribed nursing and health care to animals, and makes daily rounds to observe, evaluate and record progress of animal patients
Recognizes and reports abnormal health and behavioral conditions
In conjunction with the Veterinary Medical Officer, advises and monitors investigators in the selection and administration of appropriate anesthetics, analgesics and tranquilizers to laboratory animals
Performs as a highly skilled technologist, assisting during major complex animal surgical and non-surgical procedures
Recognizes, identifies, and interprets life threatening or emergency situations and immediately decides proper action
Oversees the daily animal husbandry care of research animals, and monitors staff for compliance with applicable procedures
Assists in the preparation of various reports and document
Performs risk assessment of hazards in the VMU and incorporated them into the local protocol and program
Performs other related duties as assigned
Work Schedule:
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
You may be required to serve a probationary period
Subject to background/security investigation
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
Qualifications
TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-9 LEVEL, YOU MUST MEET ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-8) in the Federal government. Specialized experience is experience performed in a controlled environment where you applied extensive knowledge of research animal husbandry and healthcare; provided assistance in managing the day-to-day operation of an animal research facility; ensured compliance with regulations regarding the care and use of laboratory animals, and the conduct of animal research; provided prescribed nursing and health care to animals; maintained complete and accurate husbandry records of all animals and procedures; and applied analytical and evaluative techniques to the identification, consideration and resolution of factual and/or procedural issues or problems impacting the safety, viability, accreditation, and funding for animal research. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week. ~OR~
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a master's degree that is directly related to the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~
COMBINATION: Equivalent combination of graduate education and specialized experience, as described above. Note: only education in excess of the first 1.5 years of progressively higher-level graduate education is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:
Animal Husbandry
Biology
Leadership
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: Requires both regular and recurring walking, bending, and carrying of moderately heavy equipment (less than 50 pounds). Must be able to assist other personnel with unloading heavy feed and bedding bags and pushing or pulling very heavy stainless-steel mobile caging units (hundreds of pounds on wheels). Requires agility and hand-eye coordination.
Work Environment: The work environment contains no windows, concrete floors, high security with limited access to outside people, strong odors, dirt, dust, animal dander and waste, chemical hazards, physical hazards, secluded workspace, and potential exposure to animal bites and scratches. Some of these conditions require the regular use of specific personal protective equipment such as gowns, gloves, shoe covers, face masks, eye protection, heat protection (gloves) and hearing protection.
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/.
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).
Additional information
Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (202) 020-2020.
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.
If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).
Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:
Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.
Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
Department Of Veterans Affairs