• 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:
• Deploys to agricultural emergencies, primarily animal disease outbreaks to assist Veterinary Medical Officers (VMOs) with emergency response, containment, and mitigation risk reduction activities.
• At the direction of VMOs, helps coordinate emergency response depopulation activities with Incident Management Teams (IMT).
• Serves as a member of an Incident Management Team, providing support to VMOs.
• Assists VMOs in establishing and enforcing surveillance, quarantine, movement control areas to stop the spread of animal and plant pests and diseases.
• Supervises cleaning and disinfection of vehicles and premises that are contaminated by disease organisms or as a precautionary measure.
• Contacts owners of diseased or exposed animals or poultry, and inquires about first appearance of disease, clinical signs, disease progression, and death losses.
• Assists in program work that develops strategies, tools, techniques, and other measures to reduce adverse effects of animal related hazards and facilitates and promotes implementation of measures.
• Assists VMOs with inspection and testing of livestock, poultry, and other avian species on ranches, farms, auctions, markets, etc., to detect animal diseases and parasites.

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 E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/
• Valid state driver's license is required at the time of application.
• 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.
• Travel, possibly on short notice, for work both in and outside of the United States.
• Enrollment in a health monitoring program is required.

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.

Individual Occupational Requirements for the 0704 job series
Examples of qualifying experience may include work:

• As a laborer, manager, or owner of a livestock ranch or farm involving direct work with livestock.
• With livestock in a feed lot.
• As a Livestock Market Inspector.
• As an Animal Welfare Inspector.
• As an assistant to a veterinarian who works with livestock.

FOR THE GS-7 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-6 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Experience providing husbandry or animal health within production animal systems, including but not limited to poultry and livestock.

• Applying basic principles of animal science including recognizing, managing and preventing common diseases of production animals under the direction of a veterinarian.

• Handling poultry and livestock for inspections, husbandry, sample collection, and/or veterinary care.

• Training in or use of biosecurity measures and disease prevention protocols.
• Communicating technical information (animal health and welfare) to internal employees and external stakeholders.

OR 1 year of graduate level education (18 semester hours) in animal science or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

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

How you will be evaluated

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

Your resume and supporting documentation, including accomplishment questions with a validation box will be reviewed to ensure you meet the minimum qualification(s). Your resume must support that you meet both specialized experience requirements described in the qualifications section and are proficient in the competencies listed below. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your resume and short responses (accomplishments) will be rated using an evaluation plan. Your final rating will be based on the review of the Resume and responses to prompts (accomplishments) listed in the Assessment section of this vacancy. This requires that candidates resume must demonstrate the competencies noted below:

• Animal Husbandry
• Attention to Detail
• Public Health & Safety
• Resilience

Failure to demonstrate sufficient detail in the body of your resume may impact your final rating. Please note you are not required to provide essay responses to the skills and competencies described in this section.

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. 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/12885456

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. Resume cannot exceed two pages. Only one resume will be reviewed.
• 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.

Next steps