Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

This position is based at the National Zoological Park (NZP) within the Smithsonian Institution (SI). The employee will be responsible for carrying out various tasks to ensure the proper care, feeding, exhibition, and breeding of the zoo’s animal collection.

In this position, you will:

• Provide daily care of animals in the collection ensure the health and welfare of the animals.
• Work closely with supervisors discussing animal natural history, conservation programs, natural habitats, status of animals in wild, care and feeding.
• Ensure proper care, feeding, exhibition and propagation of animals.
• Monitor animals for symptoms of illness, injuries or unusual conditions and reports to Curator, Assistant Curator or Veterinarian.
• Receives, inspects, stores, prepares, and issues food and dietary supplements, forage, and bedding materials.
• Maintain sanitary conditions of food areas and water containers.
• Clean animal enclosures by hosing, seeping, scrubbing, raking, and removing manure, unconsumed food.
• Report insect and pest infestations of animals.

Conditions of employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• May need to complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

Physical Requirements:
This position requires the physical ability to perform moderately heavy work including lifting and carrying heavy objects up to 100 lbs.; work outside in all weather conditions with exposure to dirt, dust, pollen and insects; climb ladders and stairs; and stand and walk for extended periods.

Qualification requirements must be met within 30 days of the closing date of the job opportunity announcement.

For information on the Job Qualification System for Trades and Labor Occupations, see OPM’s website.

Qualifications

In order to be rated qualified, an applicant's overall experience and training must indicate possession of the minimum knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the duties of this position such as, the ability to carry out routine animal keeper duties; the ability to understand instructions given by higher level animal keeper personnel; the ability to carry out training and developmental assignments; the ability to catch and handle animals by hand or by using nets without injuring the animals or endangering him/herself; the ability to identify animal species by natural markings such as color; and the ability to operate motorized vehicles/scooters on NZCBI grounds.

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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applications will first be evaluated to determine whether the following screen out element is met:

1. Ability to do work w/o normal supervision
2. Ability to do work of an animal keeper

If an applicant meets the screen-out element, the following Job Elements will be evaluated:

1. Animal care procedures
2. Animal Enrichment
3. Conducting Animal Demonstrations        
4. Behavioral Husbandry   
5. Monitor Animal Behavior

Applicants who meet or exceed the screen-out element will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:

Best Category - Meets the screen-out element and excels in most of the job-related elements above.
Better Category - Meets the screen-out element and satisfies most of the job-related elements above.
Good Category - Meets the screen-out element but does not satisfy most of the job-related elements above to a substantive degree.

This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-veterans within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no veteran in that category is passed over to select a non-veteran in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied.

Veterans who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher.
Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAJOBS system and/or have not answered all of the announcement questions will not be considered for this position.

Important Note:

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience.

Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.