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Medical Officer (Medical Director)

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

Summary

If selected for this position, you would serve as the principal medical advisor for the Agency. The Medical Director serves as the Agency's sole authority for providing guidance related to control measures to reduce hazards and maintain occupational health priorities.

Additional positions with similar duties may be filled in other duty stations and elsewhere within USDA.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/25/2026 to 03/31/2026
Salary
$169,279 to - $191,900 per year

Pay shown is for Washington, DC. Physicians Comparability Allowance may be available.

Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Washington, DC
Additional locations may be identified
Location Negotiable After Selection
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
MP-12918943-26-ER
Control number
862405600

Duties

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  • The duties may include, but are not limited to:
  • Represents APHIS, serving as a scientific and technical advisor for issues with a human/animal health focus.
  • Serves as the senior APHIS official on the Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise.
  • Provides expert advice on policy and development and operational planning for activities related to occupational health hazards.
  • Participates in formulation of policies for safety and health management.
  • Interfaces with USDA, Federal Occupational Health, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
  • Provides consultative services to assist in adjudication of employee injury/occupational illness claims.
  • Adjudicates employee fitness for duty issues, reasonable accommodation requests, and pre-employment physical requirements.

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.
  • 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/.
  • In accordance with Office of Government Ethics regulations concerning conflict of interest, the incumbent will be required to submit a financial disclosure report within 30 days of their effective date of appointment and annually thereafter.
  • 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.
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary or trial period. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, 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:

Degree: Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine or equivalent from a school in the United States or Canada. This degree must have been accredited by the Council on Medical Education of the American Medical Association; Association of American Medical Colleges; Liaison Committee on Medical Education; Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association, or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

Degree from Foreign Medical School: A Doctor of Medicine or equivalent degree from a foreign medical school must provide education and medical knowledge equivalent to accredited schools in the United States. Evidence of equivalency to accredited schools in the United States is demonstrated by permanent certification by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, a fifth pathway certificate for Americans who completed premedical education in the United States and graduate education in a foreign country, or successful completion of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination.

Licensure: For all grade levels and positions, applicants must possess a current, active, full, and unrestricted license or registration as a Physician from a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States.

Graduate Training: Subsequent to obtaining a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree, a candidate must have had at least 1 year of supervised experience providing direct service in a clinical setting, i.e., a 1-year internship or the first year of a residency program in a hospital or an institution accredited for such training. For purposes of this standard, graduate training programs include only those internship, residency, and fellowship programs that are approved by accrediting bodies recognized within the United States or Canada. Descriptions of such programs are described below.

  • An internship program involves broadly based clinical practice in which physicians acquire experience in treating a variety of medical problems under supervision (e.g., internal medicine, surgery, general practice, obstetrics-gynecology, and pediatrics). Such programs are in hospitals or other institutions accredited for internship training by a recognized body of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA).
  • A residency program involves training in a specialized field of medicine in a hospital or an institution accredited for training in the specialty by a recognized body of the American Medical Association, (AMA), American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
  • A fellowship program involves advanced training (beyond residency training) in a given medical specialty in either a clinical or research setting in a hospital or an institution accredited in the United States for such training.
In addition to the basic requirement:

FOR THE GS-15 LEVEL: 5years of graduate training in the specialty of the position to be filled or equivalent experience and training.

TRANSCRIPTS/DOCUMENTATION are required:
  • This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified.
  • License/Certification: This position requires a job-related license or certification. You MUST submit a copy of your license or certification with your application package or you will be rated ineligible.
  • Board Certification if applicable
  • Residency Certificate
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

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Additional information

  • 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 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/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
  • Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).
  • 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.
  • For more information on applying under special hiring authority for certain military spouses, explore the Hiring Path on the USAJOBS website.
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information.
  • 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. 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.
Location Negotiable: Additional vacancies outside of the Washington, DC local commuting area and/or with other USDA agencies may become available. You will be asked to identify additional states or territories that you are interested in, but are not required to indicate any additional interest. If vacancies arise you may be contacted to determine your interest in those specific locations.

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.

The application process involves a technical assessment. Applicants should review the information below, it is the applicant's responsible for monitoring their email for additional information about assessments and any deadlines that may need to be met. Failure to respond may result in disqualification/ removal from consideration.

Your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume demonstrates the required education and/or experience is met as described in the qualifications section of the job announcement. Your resume must clearly address the experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position.

Structured Interview - Competency Responses: A panel of subject matter experts will review your responses during a Structured Interview. These responses to questions/scenarios will be evaluated to provide your rating in the application process. You will be assessed on the following competencies.

  • Leadership and Strategic Vision
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Administrative and Clinical Integration
  • Ethics

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. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need only meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

To preview the application questionnaire, please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12918943

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