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Animal Caretaker

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work for approximately 25 pay periods and will be placed into a non-pay status for one pay period mid-to late August.

Open to the first 100 applicants or until 12/12/2023 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/28/2023 to 12/12/2023
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$49,336 to - $57,475 per year
Pay scale & grade
WG 7
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Flat Rock, NC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Career Seasonal
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
SE-1628-CARL-23-12207954-DE
Control number
762631600

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Duties

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As an Animal Caretaker, you will perform the following duties:

  • Performs maintenance and repairs on a variety of farm equipment and structures.
  • Performs farm animal care and handling (e.g., feeding, watering, turning out, grooming, monitoring health).
  • Determines proper types and amounts of rations for each animal, depending on species, health and overall nutritional needs.
  • Provides veterinary care, including but not limited to worming, vaccinating, administering medicine, cleaning/dressing wounds, de-budding, and hoof trimming and care.
  • Cleans animal stalls/pens/houses and farm related equipment so that stalls and pens are free of manure, debris, and hazards.
  • Mows and trims grass in farm area, including around historic buildings, pens and fences using a riding lawn mower, push mower and string trimmer.
  • Provides interpretation and demonstrations to visitors during normal workdays and at special events, using National Park Service accepted interpretive techniques.
  • Maintains a variety of farm equipment in working condition such as animal waterers, tack and controller boxes.
  • Remove and/or control barn complex pests.
  • Research appropriateness of parties interested in receiving park animals.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • 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.
  • You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, and overtime.
  • Government quarters may be available.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month.
  • Government Charge Card: You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must have sufficient knowledge and ability in the following job-related factors:

  1. Ability to Do The Work Of The Position Without More Than Normal Supervision (SCREEN OUT)
  2. Technical Practices: theoretical precise, artistic
  3. Use of Measuring Instruments
  4. Ability to Interpret Instructions, specifications; other than blueprints
  5. Ability to Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
  6. Knowledge of Materials
  7. Dexterity and Safety
If your knowledge and ability in the SCREEN OUT factor above is not sufficient, you will receive no further consideration. In preparing your application, describe in detail the experience and training which you have had that specifically prepared you for this job and to perform the duties described for this job. Experience should be clearly described and documented in your resume. The qualifications reviewer will not assume performance of such duties by Job Titles alone. Address your knowledge, skills and/or abilities in the areas shown in the job-related factors.

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.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience for Wage Grade (WG) positions.

Additional information

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR 575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.

A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.

Physical Demands: The work is very physical and requires walking, standing, stooping, pushing, pulling, bending and carrying for long periods of time. The work also involves routinely lifting 50 pounds or more, with considerable upper body exertion. Many physical activities are repetitive in nature.

Working Conditions: The vast majority of the work is performed outdoors and is subject to a variety of weather conditions. The employee is frequently exposed to extreme heat, cold and humidity. The nature of the work also necessitates occasional work in rain and snow. Work is performed over rough and uneven terrain. The employee will be required to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, boots, reflective vests, safety glasses, and hearing protection.

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected.

The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

How you will be evaluated

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

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a 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. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies and/or job elements:
  • Ability To Do The Work Of The Position Without More Than Normal Supervision (SCREEN OUT)
  • Ability To Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (other than blueprints)
  • Ability To Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
  • Dexterity and Safety
  • Knowledge of materials
  • Technical Practices (theoretical precise, artistic)
  • Use of Measuring Instructions

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