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Supervisory Veterinary Medical Officer/Entomologist/Biological Scientist (Director)

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

Summary

In this position you will serve as the national Director of the Ruminant Health Center that is responsible for formulating, coordinating, and directing activities related to the development and implementation of national, animal health programs in cattle, sheep, goats, and farmed cervids, including the development of policies, rules, and procedures that support the Agency's and Department's mission, goals and objectives.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/03/2026 to 03/09/2026
Salary
$147,945 to - $197,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Montgomery, AL
Fort Collins, CO
Conyers, GA
Ames, IA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
25% or less - 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
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
MP12896669-26-VS
Control number
859139900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted only from current permanent USDA employees with competitive status, CTAP/RPL eligibles, and Farm Service Agency permanent county employees.

Duties

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  • The duties may include, but are not limited to:
  • Participates fully with the formulation and administration of the broad national and international plans, policies, and objectives of APHIS, particularly those affecting ruminants.
  • Participates in developing and implementing Federal regulations, policies, and procedures to control the interstate movement of ruminants.
  • Oversees the formulation of the budget, which is based on past experience, anticipated workload, and the production capability.
  • Directs efforts to combat incursions and epidemics of foreign animal diseases through prompt detection, assessment of needs and appropriate response.
  • Administers policies and procedures by providing authoritative leadership and guidance, establishing benchmarks for operational performance, and analyzing and monitoring budgets and other resources.
  • Organizes, directs and operates the ruminant health program.
  • Provides authoritative expertise on ruminant diseases of national and international significance to ensure uniform and accurate application of national policies and procedures.
  • Provides leadership on national ruminant health program activities, often acting upon highly difficult, unusual, or controversial cases.

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.
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
  • 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/
  • 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.

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.

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR THE 0401 SERIES:
Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR THE 0414 SERIES:
Degree: entomology; or a related discipline of the biological or physical sciences that included at least 16 semester hours in entomology.
OR
Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major that included course work as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR THE 0701 SERIES: All applicants must meet the Basic Requirement outlined in the Education section below.

In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, the applicant must demonstrate the below experience.

FOR THE GS-15 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-14 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

  • Evaluating the effectiveness of animal health programs and policy, animal health outbreak emergency response, and the methods and tools used to carry out these activities.
  • Representing the program and maintaining cooperative relationships with counterparts across Federal and State Governments to identify areas for collaboration when responding to animal disease outbreaks and all hazard response activities that affect animal health.
  • Supervising, assigning, and reviewing the work of others to ensure compliance with quality standards and timelines; developing performance plans and managing the performance of direct reports; managing and resolving conflicts; and advising leaders on best courses of action to resolve administrative or programmatic issues.
Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

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.

0401/0414 Series: An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program. For further information, visit the following: Foreign Education Evaluation. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

0701 Series: You must provide documentation outlined in the Required Documents section of this job announcement.

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 FOR THE 0701 SERIES: 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.

*Please Note: Current USDA employees, regardless of the series occupied, DO NOT have to meet the English language proficiency requirement. These candidates are covered under the In-service Placement Provisions if they meet the minimum education and experience requirements.

Additional information

  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, 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.
  • Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.
  • Locality pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection.
  • This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled in any of the job series/position titles listed. In addition to the specialized experience requirements, applicants must submit proof that they meet the educational requirements for at least one of the series described in the announcement. Applicants may only be appointed to job series/position titles for which they meet all experience and educational requirements.
  • Domestic and international travel (approximately 25% or less) is required as an essential function of the job for the purpose of negotiations and field visits to agricultural production or processing sites, which may involve the use of protective measures to alleviate risks from moving around machinery, exposure to loud noise, traversing uneven terrain, and exposure to disease agents or uncomfortable weather conditions.
  • This position is subject to mandatory physical deployments in support of an emergency response to an animal disease outbreak for several weeks at a time, as required by the Agency.
  • Occasional, infrequent assignments may require visits to secured areas, such as field locations, laboratories, etc., where protective gear will be required.

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.

Your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements. Your resume must address experience and education relevant to this position. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

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. 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/12896669

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