Microbiologist

Help Help

Requirements

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.
• 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.
• Work is primarily performed in an office environment which does not require any unusual safety precautions or protective gear.
• Much of the work is conducted in demanding, urgent, and high-profile circumstances requiring skills in stress management and emotional control.
• Repetitive tasks such as typing or keyboard entry are required, and some lifting (up to 50 pounds) may be required.
• Some work time may also be spent traveling domestically and internationally via airline, car, train, or other forms of transportation.
• This position is subject to unscheduled overnight details of undetermined lengths in the event of animal health emergencies or other conditions requiring immediate response, as required by the Agency.
• Long term assignments for disease investigations (e.g. foreign animal disease outbreak) may occur and may require working at a temporary duty station from one-to-four weeks or longer in extreme cases.
• Regular duties may involve mandatory participation in rotating overtime work schedules, and import/export or other time-sensitive testing may be required in the evenings, on weekends, and holidays.
  
  

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.

Basic Requirement

Degree: microbiology; or biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included at least 20 semester hours in microbiology and other subjects related to the study of microorganisms, and 20 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences combining course work in organic chemistry or biochemistry, physics, and college algebra, or their equivalent.

OR Combination of education and experience: of post high school education with courses equivalent to a major in microbiology; or biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included courses as shown above, PLUS appropriate experience or additional course work. The quality of the combination must demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the work of the position and is comparable to that normally acquired through the completion of a full four-year course of study with a major as described above.

FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL: In addition to the Basic Requirements, applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Summarizing and reporting surveillance data or other animal health related information to customers and constituents.
• Developing a plan for executing recommendations related to an animal health diagnostic program mission.
• Identifying which animal health data must be collected and developing parameters for confirming that anticipated benefits are achieved.
• Designing and maintaining websites and other specialized information venues such as SharePoint that are used to share and disseminate animal health information to internal and external customers.
  
  

Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS Are Required If

• 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

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.
• 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.
• Worksite Information: This is a 100% remote position that must be located within the 50 United States, its territories, or possessions. The duty station for a remote designation is the selectee's home and must be established within the defined geographic options prior to start date. The selectee is not required to regularly work from a government facility however, the option may be available.
  
  

Read more

• Help 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.
  
  

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.