Supervisory Microbiologist

Summary

As a supervisory microbiologist at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), you will be responsible for leading a team of scientists in a world reference veterinary diagnostic laboratory that specializes in high-impact transboundary animal diseases affecting livestock.

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:
• Assures work output of unit is of an acceptable quality and quantity; establishes standards of performance for the unit; prioritizes work to meet the obligations of NVSL
• Coordinates with other unit supervisors and managers to ensure technical staff is available when workloads require temporary shifts in personnel across units.
• Maintains and coordinates a rapid response structure within the unit so questions or issues associated with the unit can be responded to within 2 hours.
• Maintains a high level of competency and knowledge about the methods performed within the unit; and advises and supports employees so solutions are identified when technical challenges arise within the unit.
• Keeps abreast of the scientific, regulatory and commercial developments that could impact or improve the methods performed in the unit.
• Actively identifies and creates plans to address areas within the unit needing method development or workflow improvements.
• Provides technical support to the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN), Veterinary Services, other agencies within APHIS, World Organization for Animal Heath (OIE), Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) as directed by NVSL.
• Plans and directs the quality assurance activities of the unit in a manner that is consistent with the overall NVSL quality management system’s policies and goals.
• Ensures that all section personnel working with select agents comply with the provisions of 9 CFR Part 121 Possession, use, and transfer of select agents and toxins.

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. 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: courses equivalent to a major in microbiology, biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included courses as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to the basic requirement above, applicants must also meet the following: FOR THE GS-11 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-9 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Providing technical advice to researchers, internal and external customers through written and verbal communications. Coordinating, with assistance of section leadership, the prioritization and assignment of activities such as but not limited to diagnostic testing, reagent production, proficiency testing, or case reporting. Designing and analyzing studies to characterize diagnostic assays or antigens including but not limited to DNA/RNA extraction, PCR, RT-PCR, sequencing, design of primers and probes and/or bacterial isolation. Recognizing unusual problems, responses, and results that may arise from procedural error or equipment problems, and possesses the ability to resolve such situations independently. Writing, reviewing, and approving reports, test validation documents, or standard operating procedures. OR 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Animal Science, Biology, Molecular Biology; Immunology; Virology or or other degree related to this position. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level. TRANSCRIPTS are required if: This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. 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-11 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.

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. Resume cannot exceed two pages. 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. Only one resume will be reviewed. Applicants who submit a resume that exceeds two pages will be removed from consideration.