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Supervisory Biologist / Safety Engineer

Department of the Interior
Geological Survey
National Wildlife Health Center
This job announcement has closed

Summary

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?

This is an interdisciplinary position that may be filled as a Biologist GS-0401 or Safety Engineer GS-0803.

Salary: $98,496 (Step 01) to $128,043 (Step 10); NOTE: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

Open to current or former Federal employees: USGS-RES- 24-12239158-ST-SW

Overview

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Job canceled
Open date: 01/02/2024
Closed date: 01/23/2024
This job will close when we have received 75 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation expenses are authorized.
Salary
$98,496 - $128,043 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time - 40 Hours Per Week
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel on average 1-2 nights per month for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Supervisory status
Yes
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
USGS-RES-24-12214896-DE-SBW
Control number
767070200

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Duties

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As a Supervisory Biologist/ Safety Engineer within the National Wildlife Health Center, some of your specific duties will include:

  • Provides leadership, direction and guidance to the Center's engineering and facility maintenance, animal services, and safety groups.
  • Provides administrative, personnel, budget, and management oversight, technical coordination, and supervision to the Center's scientific support staff in the disciplines of animal care and use, safety and biosafety, the Select Agent Program, engineering, and facility maintenance.
  • Prepares reports and date, including budgetary, that can be used at the Center, Regional and National Level in formulating projects and initiatives; responsible for administering the Branch operations budget.
  • Establishes and maintains staff and Center guidance regarding biohazard containment and safety related to Center activities.
  • Leadership role for the Federal Select Agent Program at the Center and is responsible for the oversight, management and direction of the program and ensures compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements related to the Federal Select Agent Program.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Key Requirements:

  1. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
  2. Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
  3. Selectee may be subject to serving a one-year probationary period.
  4. More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
  5. Selectee must provide a valid state driver's license & safe driving record.
  6. Selectee subject to successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam.
Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?
  • This vacancy is limited to the first 75 applications received and will close at midnight Eastern Time on the day this application limit is reached regardless of the closing date specified in this vacancy announcement. Any application received prior to midnight Eastern Time of the day the application limit is reached will be accepted and considered. You are strongly encouraged to submit all required supporting documents at the time of application should the vacancy close earlier than stated in this announcement due to the applicant limit being reached. Supporting documents will not be accepted once the vacancy announcement closes.
  • Due to the nature of work and areas that will accessed for the required duties of this position, staff in this position will be offered a rabies pre-exposure vaccination series as well as a tetanus booster.
  • This position requires completion of a one year supervisory probationary period, if one has not previously been completed.
  • Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
  • Relocation expenses are authorized.
  • A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
  • Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.

Qualifications

For Biologist:

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Biologist, all grade levels.

A. Degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

*OR*

B. Combination of education and experience--courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above (24 semester hours or the equivalent in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position), plus appropriate experience and/or additional education for a total of 4 years. The education or combined education and experience must be comparable in type, scope and thoroughness to that acquired through successful completion of a 4-year course of study as described in "A" above.

For Safety Engineer:

Basic Education Requirement: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Safety Engineer, all grade levels.

A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

*OR*

B. Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: 1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1 , or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions. 2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional

For GS-13:

In addition to the basic education requirements as stated above, applicants must have one year of specialized experience at or equal to the next lower grade level. Examples of this experience may include, but are not limited to:

(1)Experience with facilities needs and operational requirements necessary to conduct animal disease investigations and scientific disease research that enables employee to develop program objectives and to provide consultative services to management and technical personnel; experience with project management, architecture, and engineering concepts, principles, practices, and theories;
(2) experience in current management systems and general administrative procedures involving personnel, fiscal, contracting and purchasing actions to facilitate basic operations and to develop input to administrative, facility maintenance and Automated Annual Work Plan reports;
(3) experience in developing long-range and short-term plans regarding operations, goals, objectives, staffing plans and budget strategies; experience in biosafety and biosecurity guidelines for working with infectious disease agents under in vitro and in vivo laboratory conditions; experience in working with animal care staff and animal care programs; experience in communications as evidenced by ability and skill in synthesizing information and clearly transmitting concepts, instructions and ideas both orally and in writing;
(4) experience in leadership and management to resolve unique or novel problems, or issues; or significantly alter standard practices, equipment, devices, processes, and known techniques; provide expert advice to senior colleagues and/or agency officials responsible for broad program operations;
(5) provide significant and innovative recommendations for advancing programs and/or methods; and execute significant projects representing an important segment of the agency's operating programs, or affecting the welfare of the public and/or the sustainability of natural resources and the environment.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

  • 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 completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/how-foreign-education-evaluated-federal-jobs .

Additional information

Other Information:

  • Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
  • Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
  • USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
  • The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
  • DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
  • The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.
  • THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
Agency Benefits:

How you will be evaluated

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

--Vacancy Related Questions: As part of the online application process, you will need to respond to a series of questions designed to assess your possession of the following knowledge skills, abilities and/or competencies:

  • Plan and Organize Work
  • Financial Management
  • Teamwork
  • Pressure/Deadlines
  • Infrastructure Maintenance
  • Regs/Procedural Guidance
  • Program/Project Management
--Basis of Rating: Category rating will be used in the ranking and selection process for this position. The quality categories are Best Qualified and Qualified. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment required for this position. Your responses must be substantiated by your resume. If you do not respond to the application questions you may be rated ineligible. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

Additional Assessment Required: If you meet the eligibility and basic qualification requirements for this position a subject-matter-expert will perform a structured review of your resume to evaluate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and competences as they directly relate to the duties of this position.

--NOTE: If it is determined that you have rated yourself higher than is supported in your description of experience and/or education as described in your resume/application, or that your resume or application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible, not qualified, or your score may be lowered.

To preview the announcement questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12214896

Geological Survey

Agency contact information

Selena Waterman
Phone
703 648-7449
Email
swaterman@usgs.gov
Address
NATL WILDLIFE HEALTH CTR
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Mail Stop 600
Reston, VA 20192
US

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