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Veterinary Medical Officer (District Veterinary Medical Specialist)

Department of Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Multiple circuits

Summary

Positions are located in the Office of Field Operations, Raleigh District and report to the District Office with assigned area of in-plant coverage as determined by Agency.

This position serves as primary contact for all veterinary duties associated with food safety, animal welfare, foreign animal disease surveillance, ante-mortem and postmortem procedures and dispositions, and export certification.

Employee may be detailed to any shift at any plant in the Raleigh District.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
12/12/2025 to 12/18/2025
Salary
$105,383 to - $137,000 per year

Pay will be set based on the selectee's duty station. Pay shown is based on the Rest of the U.S. Locality Area

Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Clinton, NC
Edinburg, VA
Timberville, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
FSIS-26-MMP-12851885-JM
Control number
852339200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted only from current permanent FSIS employees with competitive status; employees eligible under the USDA Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and applicants on the Reemployment Priority List (RPL)

Duties

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  • Interpret and analyze guidelines and regulations.
  • Implement guidelines, policies, and regulations to provide personnel support.
  • Conduct research and investigations to make judgments and recommendations.
  • Foster working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Communicate guidelines and process to plant personnel.
  • Draft recommendations, reports, and guidance documents.
  • Apply veterinary medical concepts, principles, and practices.
  • Perform routine onsite humane handling and good commercial practices.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
  • Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.

Qualifications

Follow this link for more information on the Office of Personnel Management's qualifications standards for the 0701 Job Series.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and education, as defined below.

Time in grade: You must have completed one year at the GS-12 grade to meet the time-in-grade requirement for this position.

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-12 grade that demonstrates the ability to perform, plan or manage veterinary medical activities. Qualifying experience includes:

  • Applying and enforcing policies, practices, and regulations
  • Knowledge of veterinary medical concepts, scientific literature, and emerging issues related to food safety
  • Coordinating new or revised veterinary medical policies, methods, or procedures
  • Interpreting and applying the rules, regulations, policies, and procedures of the inspection program such as humane handling, antemortem, postmortem, inspection procedures conducted in slaughter establishments, Hazardous Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans, or Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP).
  • Establishing and maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
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

In order to meet the basic educational requirements for the GS-0701, applicants must have completed a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree or equivalent degree, i.e., Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD), obtained at a school or college of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA). The AVMA website has a listing of all AVMA-accredited veterinary medical schools.

Graduates of foreign veterinary medical schools that are not accredited by the AVMA Council on Education must meet the following requirements: click here

Additional information

Applicants must:

  • Be physically and medically able to efficiently perform the essential job functions, without being a direct threat to themselves and others.
  • Have full range of motion to perform rapid repetitive twisting and working with arms above shoulder level.
  • Be able to stand and walk on slippery and uneven floors and catwalks, and climbing stairs and ladders.
  • Be able to lift, carry, push and pull up to 30 pounds, with occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds.
  • Have manual dexterity of the upper body, including arms, hands, and fingers with a normal sense of touch in both hands.
  • Have good near and distance vision, be free of chronic eye disease and have correctable vision of at least 20/40 in one eye.
  • Have the ability to distinguish shades of color. Any significant degree of color blindness (more than 25 percent error rate on approved color plate test) may be disqualifying.
  • Individuals with some hearing loss and/or requiring hearing amplification will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP or RPL eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies in the announced duty stations.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies listed in this vacancy announcement. 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 review of your resume and education. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Accountability
  • Decision Making
  • Oral Communication
  • Organizational Awareness
  • Technical Competence (Veterinary)
  • Written Communication
In addition to the online questionnaire, applicants for this position will be evaluated by one or more subject matter experts. Subject matter experts will review your resume to determine your qualifications and assign a rating based on the required competencies. Only those highly rated by the subject matter experts will be referred to the selecting official. Please ensure that your resume does not simply list job duties but also highlights accomplishments that demonstrate possession of the required competencies.

Preference will be given to applicants who move forward after the pre-certificate evaluation. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and assessment questionnaire, this position requires a preliminary resume and education review to evaluate competencies and education required to perform the job.

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 view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12851885

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