Animal Health Technician Job

Vacancy No. DE-12649223-25-VS Department Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Salary $44,117.00 to $64,879.00 Grade 6 to 7
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/20/2024 Close Date 12/27/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Douglas, AZNogales, AZColumbus, NMSanta Teresa, NM


Summary

If selected, you will be responsible for day-to-day operation of a broad range of unique, technically oriented duties in support of programs to facilitate trade and prevent the spread of animal diseases through exportation or importation of live animals, animal byproducts, biological materials, and organisms. Your work with Veterinary Services (VS), Field Operations will apply technical solutions to control, prevent, and eradicate animal diseases while facilitating international trade.

Duties

  • The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity. The duties may include, but are not limited to:
  • Ensures necessary information and documentation are on-hand to facilitate the import, movement, quarantine, and release of animals at inspection facilities and import quarantines.
  • Creates, organizes, and ensures completeness of animal import records.
  • Monitors and manages import request and animal release work flow and associated documentation within a web-based VS import management system.
  • Collects and enters animal import data into required information technology systems.
  • Receives various office calls from veterinarians, importers, exporters, brokers, drivers, and job applicants.
  • Provides advice and assistance to importers regarding forms, health certificates, routings, and various other forms and procedures, as needed.
  • Inspects livestock moving in international commerce for visible evidence of disease, external parasites, and compliance with Federal and State regulations pertaining to international movement.
  • Performs the dipping and spraying of livestock and, as occasion requires; collect ticks for laboratory examination.

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.
  • 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/
  • Successful completion of one-year trial period.
  • May be required to travel and work both in and outside of the United States in the performance of assigned duties, and must possess and maintain a United States Passport and valid state Driver's License in the exercise of these duties.
  • 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.
  • The duty hours for this position may be core duty time, shift work in the late afternoons, evenings, weekends, holidays, etc. to be determined by a supervisory authority.
  • May be required to obtain an Official Government Passport in order to perform work.
  • The work may involve strenuous physical demands, including, but not limited to, restraining large animals and operating heavy equipment.
  • Work may involve long periods of standing, walking, running, climbing, pushing, stooping, kneeling, reaching, and lifting up to 50 pounds.
  • Work is performed at off-site quarantine stations, air and sea ports, export livestock facilities, USDA import and export facilities, in an office, or in a government vehicle.
  • Inspections are made in noisy warehouses, in airport surroundings, at livestock markets, in Federal import/export facilities or on ranches.
  • Work activities may occur during cold and inclement weather with snow or icy conditions.
  • There is a moderate risk of exposure to disease agents and hazardous materials necessitating the use of PPE while performing job duties. The employee may be required to shower upon entering and exiting facilities.

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.

FOR THE GS-06 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-06 grade level) that demonstrates:
  • Inspects incoming and outgoing shipments of animals and animal products for potential diseases.
  • Documenting data and conclusions for formal reports.
  • Assessing health and welfare problems of cattle and horses.
OR Successful completion of eighteen (18) semester hours of related graduate education obtained from an accredited college or university. Qualifying graduate courses include: agribusiness, agricultural chemistry, agricultural development, agricultural economics, agricultural education, animal breeding, animal genetics, animal health, animal nutrition, animal physiology, animal products, animal reproduction, animal science, animal toxicology, animal welfare, biological and agricultural engineering, beef cattle production, dairy herd management, dairy marketing, equine production, farm management, feeding management, meat science, physiology of lactation, poultry science, ruminant nutrition, swine production, and wildlife and fisheries sciences.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

FOR THE GS-07 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-06 grade level) that demonstrates:
  • Assisting with livestock restraint methods.
  • Communicating technical information (animal health and welfare) to internal employees and external stakeholders.
  • Assisting a veterinarian with animal care activities of a variety of animals, both common and exotic.
OR Successful completion of eighteen (18) semester hours of related graduate education obtained from an accredited college or university. Qualifying graduate courses include: agribusiness, agricultural chemistry, agricultural development, agricultural economics, agricultural education, animal breeding, animal genetics, animal health, animal nutrition, animal physiology, animal products, animal reproduction, animal science, animal toxicology, animal welfare, biological and agricultural engineering, beef cattle production, dairy herd management, dairy marketing, equine production, farm management, feeding management, meat science, physiology of lactation, poultry science, ruminant nutrition, swine production, and wildlife and fisheries sciences.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS are required if:
  • You are qualifying for the position based on education.
  • You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education.
  • This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-06/07 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level.

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

This position does not have an education qualification requirement.

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.
  • This is a term appointment not to exceed 13 Months. (Appointment may be extended up to 4 years without reannouncing). For more details click: Term Appointments
  • Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.
  • Worksite Information: This position is located at the duty station(s) listed in this vacancy announcement and is not eligible for telework or remote work.

Benefits

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:

  • Animal Husbandry
  • Animal Surveillance
  • Compliance Inspection
  • Public Safety and Security


Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official 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, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. 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/12649223

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure or downtime, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

  • Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications; and 5) supervisors name and phone number for each work period listed and whether or not they may be contacted for reference checks.
  • If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. 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.
  • If claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions within 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. The certification must be on the letterhead of the appropriate military branch and include the dates of military service. Veterans' preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
  • If claiming 10-point veterans' preference you must provide the DD214 or certification requirements (see above bullet), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference visit FEDSHIREVETS
  • Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), last performance appraisal that is at least fully successful or its equivalent, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.
  • Worker's Compensation Separation: Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50.
    • Disability Annuity Termination: Notification from OPM of disability annuity termination AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held. Military Reserve or National Guard Technician Special Disability Retirement Annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456: Certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard Bureau AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.

Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.

Step 2: Create a Resume with USAJOBS or upload a Resume into your USAJOBS account. You may want to customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. In addition, your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).

Step 3: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Simply log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application" to continue.

NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.

Agency contact information

MRP Human Resources
Address
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
USDA APHIS MRPBS
250 Marquette Avenue, Suite 410
Minneapolis, MN 55401
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

If you set up your USAJOBS account to send automatic email notifications, your will receive an email acknowledging: 1) the submission of your online Occupational Questionnaire and resume was successful, 2) if you were referred to the selecting official for consideration, and 3) if you were selected or not selected. Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status. We expect to make a final job offer approximately 40 days after the deadline for applications.

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. This announcement may also be used to fill additional like vacancies, including vacancies elsewhere within the agency or other USDA organizations.

Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to MRP.Fairchance@usda.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.

Additional Locations


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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