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Animal Health Technician (Animal Identification Coordinator)

Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

If selected as an Animal Identification Coordinator, you will be assigned to Veterinary Services, Field Operations and will be responsible for identifying the herd of origin through the use of the animal identification program within an assigned geographic territory.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/31/2020 to 03/13/2020
Salary
$47,899 to - $62,269 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 8
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Faulkner County, AR
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
75% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
9
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
MP-10698684-20-VS
Control number
558229000

Duties

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  • 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:
  • Gather information from the various individuals and organizations that owned or handled the animals prior to their being identified as a reactors.
  • Trace the movement of the animals back to the herd of origin.
  • Review data to determine program effectiveness, to identify problem areas, and to detect trends or developments.
  • Standardize the program, initiate measures to reach established program goals, and monitor all activities in support of the animal identification program.
  • Explain to affected parties the requirements of the animal identification program and enlist their voluntary compliance through a better understanding of the program requirements.
  • Observes/monitors contract or fee basis personnel to assure that they are performing work as agreed to in the contract or fee basis agreements.
  • Periodically reviews inventory of supplies and equipment used in the animal identification programs to ensure sufficient inventory for effective program operation.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
  • Valid state driver's license is required at the time of application.
  • In accordance with Office of Government Ethics regulations concerning conflict of interest, the incumbent will be required to submit a financial disclosure report within 30 days of their effective date of appointment and annually thereafter.
  • Standing, walking, running, bending, crouching and is sometimes required to wear various types of protective clothing. At times, lifts weights up to 100 pounds.
  • The duties of this position will be performed in Arkansas near locations advertised. The locations listed are not all inclusive; selectees are required to establish a home address near county advertised prior to start of employment.

Qualifications

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.

FOR THE GS-08 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

  • Using animal traceability procedures to identify herd of origin for infected animals.
  • Coordinating with other federal and state officials and veterinarians, slaughter plant and market employees, livestock industry representatives, and others in order to perform work.
  • Examining documents and forms to ensure that information is complete and accurate and following up if there are discrepancies or missing information.
OR Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education directly related to the position in a degree such as agribusiness, agricultural chemistry, agricultural development, agricultural economics, agricultural education, animal breeding, animal genetics, animal health, animal nutrition, animal physiology, animal products, animal reproduction, animal science, animal toxicology, animal welfare, biological and agricultural engineering, beef cattle production, dairy herd management, dairy marketing, equine production, farm management, feeding management, meat science, physiology of lactation, poultry science, ruminant nutrition, swine production, and wildlife and fisheries sciences.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS are required if:
  • 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-07 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.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Additional information

  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
  • Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).
  • Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.
  • For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website.
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information.
  • First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.
  • Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
  • This position is eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the duty location of the position. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor.
  • Must work in hard hat areas, mud, slush, wind, snow, blood, swine, and cattle pens, slaughter plants, and is required to drive many hours at a time. There is a high risk potential for exposure to unsafe working conditions and disease causing agents, some of which are highly contagious, infectious, and communicable to humans. Special safety control coordination, bio-security, and bio-safety precautions must be exercised and followed at appropriate times.
  • Travel to field locations will be required; further, this position is subject to unscheduled overnight details of undetermined lengths in the event of animal health emergencies or other conditions requiring immediate response, as required by the Agency (extensive periods may be designated for overnight details). Travel and work both in and outside of the United States in the performance of assigned duties is essential.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below:

  • Animal Husbandry
  • Animal Surveillance
  • Compliance Inspection
Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need only meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

To preview the application questionnaire, please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10698684

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