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Supervisory Veterinary Medical Officer

Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Marketing and Regulatory Programs

Summary

The Ready Response Corps is a cadre dedicated to rapidly deploying in support of animal and plant health-related emergencies and all hazards' events to safeguard American agriculture. The Supervisory Veterinary Medical Officer (VMO) leads a team of VMOs and Animal Health Technicians (AHTs), providing leadership and technical expertise to prioritize pest and disease related response activities requiring travel 75% of the time.

Recruitment Incentive may be authorized, but not guaranteed.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/12/2026 to 02/19/2026
Salary
$106,437 to - $172,980 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
3 vacancies in the following location:
Location negotiable except National Capital Region
Location Negotiable After Selection
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
75% or less - You will be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
DH-12882408-26-ER
Control number
857432900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

Duties

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  • The duties may include, but are not limited to:
  • Acts a supervisor and technical expert, managing a staff of VMOs and AHTs during high stress, rapidly evolving emergency response situations.
  • Works with the Branch Chief to advance APHIS emergency response objectives ensuring a cohesive Agency approach that accounts for animal and plant pest and disease emergencies and all hazard events.
  • Consults with and provides expert veterinary advice to the Branch Chief and other management officials regarding agency-wide emergency preparedness and response programs and plans.
  • Help establish and maintain a comprehensive Ready Response Corps training plan including incident command system and APHIS-specific emergency response training, with focus on VMO and AHT activities.
  • Deploys to agricultural emergencies, primarily animal disease outbreaks to assist with emergency response, containment, and mitigation risk reduction activities through the Ready Response Corps.
  • Coordinates emergency response depopulation activities with Incident Management Teams (IMT) following the direction of the Incident Commander or other onsite leadership.
  • Establishes and enforces surveillance, quarantine, movement control areas to stop the spread of animal and plant pests and diseases.
  • Develops, prepares, and/or finalizes a variety of published materials to educate groups about the impacts of animal disease on livestock producers and the United States food supply.
  • Works with states and industry on biosecurity assessments and improvements to prevent the introduction of pests and diseases.

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.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information.
  • 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 E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/
  • Valid state driver's license is required at the time of application.
  • All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.
  • Must participate in a medical evaluation program.
  • Travel, possibly on short notice, for work both in and outside of the United States.

Qualifications

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

All applicants must meet the Basic Requirement outlined in the Education section below.

FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-12 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

  • Providing leadership and technical expertise to veterinarians and/or animal health technicians.
  • Experience with production animal systems, including but not limited to livestock and poultry, including experience applying veterinary medical concepts and practices for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and control diseases of livestock and/or poultry.
  • Executing disease response protocols to prevent and respond to animal diseases of concern in production animal systems.
  • Maintaining positive interactions with customers, animal owners, producers, animal health authorities, and/or other stakeholders in the management and promotion of animal health and disease prevention and treatment/response.
OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-13 GRADE LEVEL: Successful completion of a PhD degree in an area of specialization including, but not limited to: animal science, avian medicine, food safety, infectious diseases, veterinary clinical sciences, pathobiology, biomedical sciences, veterinary anatomy, veterinary preventive medicine, comparative biological sciences, epidemiology, veterinary parasitology, molecular veterinary biosciences, public health, microbiology, pathology, immunology, laboratory animal medicine, toxicology, wildlife, zoological animal medicine, or other sciences related to the work of a veterinary medical officer position.

OR RESIDENCY/POST GRADUATE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR THE GS-13 GRADE LEVEL. Successful completion of three years of an internship, residency program, or fellowship training program in a discipline related to the position. Applicants should provide a certificate or letter documenting the completion of this program.

OR BOARD CERTIFICATION FOR THE GS-13 GRADE LEVEL-Specialty boards that are recognized by the American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS) of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) certify eligible candidates as specialists in specific veterinary medical fields. Veterinarians who successfully complete all requirements for Diplomate status in an ABVS-recognized veterinary specialty organization may qualify for the GS-13 grade level. Applicants should provide a certificate or letter documenting their diplomate status.

TRANSCRIPTS are required. This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. this education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college or university.

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

BASIC REQUIREMENT: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) 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. AVMA website: https://www.avma.org

OR Graduates of foreign veterinary medical schools that are not accredited by the AVMA Council on Education must meet one of the following requirements:
a) Proof of certification of their final transcript by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG);
b) Possession of a permanent, full, and unrestricted license to practice veterinary medicine in a State, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States that includes successful completion of the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) or its predecessors, the National Board Examination (NBE) and the Clinical Competency Test (CCT); OR
c) Proof that the education obtained in a foreign veterinary medical program is equivalent to that gained in a veterinary medical program that is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education. An AVMA-accredited veterinary medical school or college must have accepted the final transcript from the foreign veterinary medical school at full value for placement into an advanced degree, postgraduate educational program, or training program (e.g., residency or graduate program).

In addition, graduates of foreign veterinary medical programs must also provide proof of proficiency in the English language by successfully completing one of the nationally and internationally recognized examinations that incorporate assessments of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Examples of examinations that assess mastery of the English language are shown below:
a) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Minimum scores for the TOEFL are 560 for the paper-based version; 220 for the computer-based version; or overall score of 83 for the internet-based version (including 26 or higher in speaking, 26 or higher in listening, and 17 or higher in writing). For the computer-based and paper-based test versions, applicants must also complete the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and the Test of Written English (TWE). Minimum required scores are 55 for the TSE and 5.5 for the TWE.
b) Academic tests (listening, writing, and speaking) offered by the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Applicants must achieve a minimum overall band score of 7.0, with at least 7.0 in speaking, 6.5 in listening, and 6.0 in writing; OR
c) Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL). Applicants must achieve a minimum overall band score of 70, with at least 60 in speaking, 60 in listening, and 50 in writing.

Graduates of foreign veterinary medical programs must submit test results with their application. Results of more than one test or testing session cannot be combined to meet the standard.

Waiver Provision: English language proficiency assessments may be waived for qualified job applicants whose native language is English (i.e., the official or common language of an individuals country of birth is English) who submit a diploma or other official documentation as proof of graduation from a high (secondary) school where the entire curriculum and educational programs were taught in the English language for the entire 3 or 4 years of full-time attendance.

Additional information

  • New positions will not be established in the National Capital Region. Selectees who are current Federal employees with a current duty station in the National Capital Region defined as the District of Columbia; Montgomery and Prince George's Counties of Maryland; Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties of Virginia and all cities and towns included within the outer boundaries of those counties will need a new duty station established prior to entrance on duty.
  • Emergency Response Assignment - Every APHIS employee has regular and recurring emergency response responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency response operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency response may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to travel to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.
  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be well qualified, which means having knowledge, skills, abilities, and/or competencies that exceed the minimum qualification requirements for this position. CTAP/ICTAP applicants may be required to take a manual assessment and must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
  • First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.
  • Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid to establish a duty station. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
  • Locality pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection.
  • This position involves Mobile Work: Mobile work is characterized by routine and regular travel to conduct work in customer or other worksites as opposed to a single authorized alternative worksite. Examples of mobile work include site audits, site inspections, investigations, property management, and work performed while commuting, traveling between worksites, or on Temporary Duty (TDY).

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.

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, all applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, to include any specialized experience and/or selective placement factor(s), if applicable, will be referred to the selecting official. CTAP/ICTAP applicants may be required to take a manual assessment and must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100 to receive selection priority. Before a certificate is issued to the selecting official, your application is reviewed to ensure that you meet all the qualification requirements. A rating will not be used; veteran's preference does not apply due to the existence of the Direct Hire authority for this position.
Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, 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/12882408

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