This position is located in the Biological Resources Division (BRD) of National Park Service (NPS) and is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. BRD is responsible for policy formulation, planning, and coordination, and implementation of wildlife, vegetation, and natural resources programs of board Servicewide importance. This position is responsible for providing specialized expertise and technical assistance to parks, regions, and headquarters regarding wildlife biology and veterinary medicine.
Summary
This position is located in the Biological Resources Division (BRD) of National Park Service (NPS) and is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. BRD is responsible for policy formulation, planning, and coordination, and implementation of wildlife, vegetation, and natural resources programs of board Servicewide importance. This position is responsible for providing specialized expertise and technical assistance to parks, regions, and headquarters regarding wildlife biology and veterinary medicine.
The major duties of Veterinary Medical Officer position include, but are not limited to the following:
-Provide Servicewide leadership and specialized expertise and technical assistance to parks, regions, or headquarters levels through application of the tools and principles of wildlife biology and management and veterinary medicine.
-Assist national level science efforts related to wildlife management and wildlife health by developing Servicewide direction, reviewing proposals for their technical and scientific merit, and commenting on science documents for policy and technical accuracy.
-Assist parks and regions in evaluating the outcomes and effects of park management activities as they relate to wildlife management and animal health.
-Assist parks in coordinating their activities with internal and external government agencies, non-governmental institutions, and interested stakeholders, where such coordination will increase effectiveness and efficiency of park programs.
-Provide professional veterinary medical expertise and advice to NPS.
Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males
Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement..
You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
Applicant must enter the position with: Current license to practice veterinary medicine in at least one state or the ability to obtain a license within 6 months of being hired.
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/30/2020-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.
Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect either full-time or 40 hours per week. If a part-time work schedule is reflected, the hours must be annotated to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.
In order to qualify for the 0701, Veterinary Medical Science Series you must possess the Basic Qualifications below:
Experience: One year of progressively responsible professional veterinary experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
-OR-
Education: Ph.D. degree in the area of specialization including but not limited to: wildlife biology, avian medicine, food safety, infectious diseases, veterinary clinical sciences, pathobiology, biomedical sciences, veterinary anatomy, veterinary preventive medicine, comparative biological sciences, epidemiology, veterinary parasitology, public health, microbiology, pathology, immunology, toxicology, wildlife management, zoological animal medicine, or sciences related to the work of a veterinary medical officer position.
-OR-
Residency/Post-Graduate Training Programs: Successful completion of three years of an internship, residency program, or fellowship training program in a discipline related to the position.
-OR-
Board Certification: Veterinarians who successfully complete all requirements for Diplomate status in an ABVS-recognized veterinary specialty organization may qualify for the GS-13 grade level.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying:
EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience must include: (1) application of principles of wildlife biology, conservation biology, and population management in a variety of ecosystems; (2) applying relevant laws, regulations, and policies regarding wildlife management and veterinary medicine; (3) experience in establishing and maintaining effective and productive working relationships with partners, in particular state wildlife management agencies at the local, regional, and national levels in regards to wildlife management and animal health; (4) experience in field settings and applying veterinary medical concepts, principles, and practices to a full range of wildlife and domestic animal health issues including wildlife diseases, diagnostic sample collection, application of prevention and control methods, and wildlife capture/handling; (5) demonstrated knowledge of wildlife conservation and animal health policy development, and program direction; and (6) communicating orally and in writing with field, management, and senior leadership.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Ph.D. degree in the area of specialization including but not limited to: wildlife biology, avian medicine, food safety, infectious diseases, veterinary clinical sciences, pathobiology, biomedical sciences, veterinary anatomy, veterinary preventive medicine, comparative biological sciences, epidemiology, veterinary parasitology, public health, microbiology, pathology, immunology, toxicology, wildlife management, zoological animal medicine, or sciences related to the work of a veterinary medical office.
Volunteer Experience: 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.
You must include hours per week worked.
Education
To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.
Additional information
This notice is being issued to recruit personnel to occupations for which a severe shortage of candidates exists and/or a critical hiring need has been identified. To assist in filling these positions, OPM has granted agencies "Direct Hire Authority".
This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
Physical Demands: The work involves both sedentary and strenuous physical demands including periods of standing, crouching, walking, climbing and lifting and carrying heavy objects. The ability to defend against physical attack by wildlife, including those that inadequately sedated, is also required. Documentary research and writing assignments involve sedentary work, which requires long periods of concentration and composition.
Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather. Assignments may be performed in potentially hazardous areas including steep slopes, rocky terrain, under extreme conditions, and with potentially dangerous animals. There is exposure to pathogens, some of which are transmissible to humans, which require personal protective gear and other precautions. Flying in helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft is possible.
The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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.
Applicants will be evaluated based on how well they meet the qualification requirements.
Upon receipt of the completed application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure basic qualification requirements are met.
This vacancy will be filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to positions filled under this Authority. All qualified applicants, as determined by the SHRO, will be referred for consideration. While managers and supervisors are not required to conduct interviews, it is highly recommended that they do so in order to assess the competencies of each applicant.
If an applicant's resume is incomplete or does not support the requirements for minimum qualifications or specialized experience a rating of "ineligible" or "not qualified" will be applied.
If a determination is made that an applicant has inflated qualifications or experience on the resume, consideration for the position will be denied, as per OPM regulations.
Your resume will be reviewed for the following competencies:
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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.
The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/30/2020:
Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, dates specified in month and year format, and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade.
Documentation of Veterinary Medical License.
Documentation of transcripts and/or Board certifications.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/30/2020. WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES.
Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account.
Prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application."
Select documents you want included in this application.
Review package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed.
Select if you want to include your demographic information.
After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown.
Upload any missing required documents or optional documents.
Review and Submit Application.
While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement.
To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job.
Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. So it is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.
Natural Resources Stewardship and Science
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
US
Next steps
Once the Occupational Questionnaire is received you will receive acknowledgement that your submission was successful. If you are among the qualified candidates, your name will be referred to the hiring official, and you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/30/2020:
Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, dates specified in month and year format, and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade.
Documentation of Veterinary Medical License.
Documentation of transcripts and/or Board certifications.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/30/2020. WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES.
Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account.
Prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application."
Select documents you want included in this application.
Review package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed.
Select if you want to include your demographic information.
After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown.
Upload any missing required documents or optional documents.
Review and Submit Application.
While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement.
To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job.
Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. So it is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.
Natural Resources Stewardship and Science
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
US
Next steps
Once the Occupational Questionnaire is received you will receive acknowledgement that your submission was successful. If you are among the qualified candidates, your name will be referred to the hiring official, and you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
