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Duties may include but are not limited to:

• Perform basic animal husbandry duties necessary for the care and feeding and watering of laboratory animals
• Clean and disinfect animal cages, cage racks, sterilize cages, sterilize bedding.
• Transport or assist in transporting, loading, or unloading cages, animals, supplies, as needed for the care of laboratory animals or conduct of research.
• Observe animals' appearance and activity for obvious signs of illness, disease, discontent, and their general physical condition; report observed signs of illness, disease, injury or unusual activity to VMU Supervisor and/or Animal Health Technician.
• Observe environmental conditions in assigned animal wards and reports deficiencies such as temperature, humidity, air exchange or lighting conditions to VMU lead caretaker or supervisor.
• Assist in setting animal room temperature, humidity, light cycle under direction of the VMU supervisor or with lead animal caretaker; charts temperature, humidity readings as necessary.
• Maintain accurate animal inventory sheets for every principal investigator who has animals in his/her assigned area.
• Maintain accurate animal inventory sheets for every principal investigator who has animals in his/her assigned area.
• Maintain supply and equipment inventories in assigned areas, and reports.
• Identify laboratory animals' bye ear tags, ear notches, or tattoos as directed by VMU supervisor.
• Restrain and handles commonly used animal laboratory species using applied techniques in handling and restraint. Catches, handles and maintains control of docile but agile animals.
• Determine which animal can be placed together and which one must be housed separately.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

NOTE: This is a TERM appointment (not-to-exceed 1 year and 1 day, with extension up to 4 Years). Term appointments are non-status, nonpermanent appointments of limited duration (more than 1 year but not more than 4). Term employees are eligible to earn leave and generally have the same benefits as permanent employees including health and life insurance, within-grade increases and Federal Employees Retirement System and Thrift Savings Plan coverage. Term appointments may be extended without further competition (up to the 4 year maximum). The appointment to a Term position does not confer eligibility for promotion or reassignment to other positions or the ability to be non-competitively converted to permanent employment.

Work Schedule: Duty days and hours will vary, will include some weekends and holidays.
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Pre-employment physical required
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

PHYSICAL EFFORT AND WORK CONDITIONS: The physical strength and manual dexterity to safely work with all species of animals, both wild and domestic, are required. Animal enclosures, including cages, vary in size from shoebox dimensions to the size of a moderate dining table, and can be heavy and quite bulky. The incumbent will be required to manipulate these items around a large cagewasher and sterilization equipment, which also requires strength and dexterity to work safely.

Varies from the aseptic, ideally controlled environment (such as that of the surgical suite) to that of excesses of temperature, humidity and poor air quality encountered in field conditions. Work in the rack/cagewashing area involved exposure to high temperatures and humidity. The work environment includes exposure to allergens, humidity and odors in animal rooms and necropsy areas, exposure to exotic and zoonotic diseases, animal bites and scratches, and biological and carcinogenic hazards.


Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success. Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element (WG-2 and higher only; screen-outs are not applicable to WG-1). Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements. While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume.

You will be rated on the following Job Elements as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Dexterity and Safety
• Interpret Instructions, Specifications (other than blueprint reading)
• Materials
• Measuring Instruments
• Technical Practices
• Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
• Without more than normal supervision

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.