Biological Science Laboratory Technician

Summary

Biological Science Laboratory Technician (BSLT) positions are available in the Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) and National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL). As a BSLT (Microbiology) in CVB, you are responsible for testing proposed and licensed biologics to evaluate the potency, safety, purity, and efficacy of manufactured veterinary biologics. As a BSLT in NVSL, you are responsible for performing diagnostic tests, reagent production, developmental studies, and training assignments.

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Duties

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• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Applies various biologics testing techniques such as; titrations, cell culture, extraneous agent testing, ELISA/EIA, karyology, Western blot, DNA/RNA extraction.
• Participates in the Quality Assurance initiatives and practices.
• Provides training in area of expertise to laboratory personnel and visitors.
• Provides technical assistance in areas of: testing reagents, keeping records, and ordering media, supplies or animals.
• Receives diagnostic specimens for pathogen examination, selects appropriate test/identification procedure, arranges testing sequence, conducts assays and reports results to the appropriate officials.
• Prepares diagnostic samples for testing, including bacterial culture, whole blood films/slides, entomological (arthropod) mounts, analytical chemistry preparations, or histology preparations.
• Prepares accurate, written reports describing test procedures and results and summarizes findings on assigned portions of developmental projects.
• Actively participates in all quality assurance and safety programs by following, and writing Standard Operating Procedures that apply to their work assignments.

Requirements

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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 [click to reveal website link]https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Testing Designated : NVSL selectees must submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and random testing thereafter. Final appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results for illegal drug use.
• 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.
• Immunization against diseases being studied which are transmissible to humans is required where the vaccine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
• Immunization may be voluntary when the vaccine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for investigational purpose; however, certain portions of the laboratory will be limited if unvaccinated.
• Strict adherence to safety procedures and personal protective clothing and equipment, such as safety hoods, is required.
• Regular duties may involve mandatory participation in revolving overtime work schedules in the evenings, on weekends, and holidays.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

FOR THE GS-08 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Performing microbiology and molecular laboratory techniques such as bacterial and viral cell propagation, aseptic culture methods, microbial characterization, cell culture, ELISA, PCR (conventional and real-time), sequencing, and related assays to detect, identify, and characterize pathogens.
• Conducting in-vivo and in-vitro work for reagent production and diagnostic testing such as producing control serum and antigens, laboratory animal potency evaluations and immunological or cell-based assays in accordance with established standard operating procedures.
• Maintaining accurate laboratory documentation and compliance by recording test data and/or production records in accordance with quality-assurance requirements, managing inventories of biological materials, chemicals, and critical supplies, and reporting laboratory errors or deviations through appropriate electronic systems.
• Planning, managing, and communicating laboratory workflow and results by organizing testing activities and/or reagent production tasks, ensuring timely completion of routine and urgent analyses, and preparing clear written summaries or presentations of results in support of team and supervisory needs.

OR 2 full years of graduate education in biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, mathematics, or related fields with at least 6 semester hours in microbiology, biology or chemistry.

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.
• All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

If selected, official transcripts will be required prior to entering on duty. Education must have been obtained from an accredited institution. Education completed in a foreign institution must include an evaluation by an organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs that it was deemed equivalent to an accredited U.S. education program, see: Foreign Education Evaluation.

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-08 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

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.
• Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).
• For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website.
• Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015.
• 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.
• Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here.
• The work may require the regular handling of birds or small laboratory animals where there is a risk of being bitten or scratched and occasional handling and restraint of large domestic animals (cattle, swine, horses, sheep) where there is a risk of being kicked or bitten.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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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.