Biological Science Lab Technician - Animal

Summary

This Biological Science Laboratory Technician position is assigned to the Veterinary Medical Unit and is responsible for the overall care, safety, and well-being of the research animals. The position is located at the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Learn more about this agency

Help

Duties

• *THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***
  
  

Duties include but may not be limited to:

• Makes daily and routine observations of animals, recognizing deviations from normal health status.
• Feeds and waters all animals in accordance with verbal and/or written instructions.
• Checks in new animals and setting up initial records.
• Maintains census records by room and investigator.
• Weans and sexes animals in breeding colony.
• Collects specimens (blood, urine, tissues) for chemical or histological examination.
• Maintains orderly and sanitary conditions throughout the Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU).
• Cleans cages, racks, pans, floors and other areas (walls, trash barrels, ancillary rooms) of the facility according to schedule.
• Operates various types of laboratory equipment used in animal care.
• Monitors usage of supplies and notifies supervisor so items can be ordered in a timely manner.
• Assists in developing, implementing, and maintaining a program of monitoring VMU compliance with American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC), Animal Welfare Act (AWA), U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Health (NIH), Veterans Affairs (VA) laws and guidelines.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
  
  

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved



Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required



NOTE: This is a TERM appointment (not-to-exceed 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.

Help

Requirements

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
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
  
  

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Requires one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service. Experience must have been related to the work of the position for which application is made. The specialized experience required for some positions in this series is normally work performed in a controlled environment. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Research activity or control program work.
• Nursery work that required the growing and maintenance of plants in a controlled environment.
• Work comparable to that with a large dairy farm where production records, animal environment, and sanitary conditions were kept in accordance with modern dairy practice.
• 
  
  NOTE: Farming experience that was not performed in a controlled environment, or experience as a laborer who was not responsible for planning and scheduling his/her own work, but only performed assigned tasks, would not qualify as specialized experience.
  
  

In addition, this position requires at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-04) that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of this Biological Science Lab Technician position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience includes assisting in a research program within a laboratory environment; assisting with cleaning and housing (caging) of animals; assisting with making routine observations of animals; assisting with collecting animal specimens (blood, urine, tissues) for examination; and assisting with maintaining inventory of laboratory supplies. (Resume(s) must clearly support the duties and experience required for this position. We will not make assumptions regarding experience.) -OR-

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. The successful completion of a full course of study of at least 12 months in a school for clinical laboratory technicians may be substituted for the 1 year of specialized experience required at the GS-5 level for positions involving microbiology and biochemistry technician work. -OR-

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience as described above, are also qualifying.

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

• Animal Husbandry
• Customer Service
• Technical Competence
  
  

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.



Physical Requirements: Work requires significant physical exertion. Most activity will be walking, but other activities will involve standing for extended periods, considerable bending, climbing of step stools/ladders, and carrying or lifting items weighing more than 50 lbs., including larger animals such as dogs, sheep, or pigs. Other situations may involve moving heavy equipment such as individually ventilated cage racks, portable x-ray machines or cage racks, while using appropriate mechanical assistance (cart, dolly, etc.).

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education


IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.



NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (202) 020-2020.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Read more

• Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Little Rock ORD VISN 16

2200 Fort Roots Dr, Bdlg 65

N Little Rock, AR 72114-1756

US