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Animal Health Technician

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

Summary

Selectees will serve on a time-limited basis as an Animal Health Technician. This position as an emergency responder is to assist permanent agency staff in a Foreign Animal Disease outbreak.

April 22 Update: Most needed deployment locations currently include Willmar, MN; Polk County, IA; and PA. However, you may be deployed to any location needing assistance.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open date: 04/25/2022
Closed date: 06/03/2022
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$17.31 - $22.50 per hour

Position is Overtime Eligible

Pay scale & grade
GS 5
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
75% or less - Extensive travel with multi-week deployments away from the duty station may be required.
Appointment type
Temporary - 1 Year
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Excepted Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
EX-11471146-22-VS-HPAI
Control number
650688100

Duties

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  • The duties may include, but are not limited to:
  • Identify disease signs and symptoms in poultry.
  • Properly dispose of animal carcasses and related materials.
  • Conduct cleaning and disinfection procedures.
  • Accurately completes government documents and forms and keeps accurate records.
  • Communicate effectively with a broad spectrum of coworkers, livestock and poultry producers, and the general public.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/
  • Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Personal protective equipment may be required for some tasks.
  • Selectee will be subject to a pre-employment medical statement and/or exam including respirator fit testing.
  • Multiple, multi-week deployments away from the duty station may be required.
  • Appointment not to exceed 180 working days in one year (may be extended up to 220 days).

Qualifications

Applications will be reviewed and referred on a rolling basis.

Any selectee for this position must be able to report for duty within 14 days of a job offer.

Travel and housing costs will be fully covered while on deployment(s) for this position.


Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

FOR THE GS-05 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-04 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

  • Working with livestock or poultry in a role such as production, caretaking, assisting a veterinarian, or working in the industry
  • Communicating general information about animal or avian health
  • Maintaining accurate records and documentation
  • Using guidelines or standard operating procedures while working with livestock or poultry
OR A full four-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours of courses in zoology, biology, chemistry, or agricultural subjects.

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-05 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

This position does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

  • Your home address would be your official duty station for this position.
  • Travel and transportation costs for training and deployment purposes will be covered by the agency.
  • Locality pay will vary based upon your official duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection.
  • First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.
  • Relocation expenses will not be paid. Any relocation expense associated with reporting to the official duty station will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
  • This is a temporary appointment not to exceed 180 days in one year (Appointment may be extended one additional year without reannouncing). For more details click: Temporary Appointments

How you will be evaluated

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

Applications will be reviewed and referred on a rolling basis.

Your application documents will be reviewed against the OPM education and experience requirements listed above. Please follow all instructions carefully. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

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/11471146

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

You can make a difference! The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP) needs bright, energetic and committed professionals to facilitate the domestic and international marketing of U.S. agricultural products and to protect the health and care of animals and plants in the United States. MRP offers an array of occupations and is committed to diversity in the workplace. We operate in domestic and global markets. Be part of an organization that protects the health and agriculture of the American people. Join our team!

To learn more about what it's like to work at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, what the agency does, and the types of careers, please visit the APHIS careers site.

APHIS is an emergency response agency. This means that all Agency employees may be asked or assigned to participate in rotating temporary duty assignments to support emergency programs at some time during their careers with APHIS. For details click: APHIS Emergency Response

Agency contact information

APHIS Human Resources
Phone
612-336-3227
Email
MRP.Application.Help@usda.gov
Address
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
USDA APHIS MRPBS
250 Marquette Avenue, Suite 410
Minneapolis, MN 55401
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/banner/careers

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