Pest Controller

Summary

The position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), at the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma VA Health Care System (OKCVAHCS) in the Environmental Management Service. The primary purpose of this position is to prevent and control the entrance of pests and predators and eradicate infestations within all facilities. Integrated Pest Management is a preventative, long-term, low toxicity means of controlling pests.

Duties

• Major Duties include: Seeks out and recognizes a wide variety of pests on the campus such as fire ants, mosquitoes, snakes, termites, undesirable animals, weeds, turf and ornamental plant diseases, and insect pests. Infestations may be concealed in outside structures, soil, trees, etc. Inspects and treats pests in all spaces which includes building crawl spaces, interstitial spaces, shops, electrical closets, and within building structures. Understands and reads blueprints and construction drawings to make inspections and plans for treatment. Coordinates treatments with environmental and mechanical system schedules and other environmental concerns to eliminate or minimize exposure to people, support systems, non-target organisms, and the environment. Selects and mixes any of 20 or more chemicals in varying strengths and combinations according to label directions and pest control guides for Oklahoma. This often requires mathematic formulas, area measurements, and volumetric measurements to arrive at proper concentrations to achieve results. Maintains an inventory of chemicals both restricted and non-restricted. Maintains and operates hand and powered equipment such as a tractor-mounted granular spreader, scooter-mounted spray tank, spray rigs, 60-foot snorkel lift, and hand tanks. Operates a variety of motor vehicles such as diesel tractors, trucks, sedans, backhoe, forklift, motorized spray equipment, and special pest control vehicles. Keeps daily pest management records showing what chemicals are used, when applied, life cycle of insect, etc. and compile them for quarterly report. Mixes and applies both general and restricted-use pesticides. Treatments are accomplished utilizing hand sprayers, electric foggers, electric dusters, hand dusters and other techniques as prescribed. Performs daily care of equipment. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full-Time; Monday through Friday; 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the following requirements: SCREEN OUT: The ability to perform the duties of Pest Controller without more than normal supervision. Experience includes independently performing integrated pest management work such as identifying common pests by sight, physical characteristics, habits, hiding areas, and signs of infestation; determining appropriate pest-control measures; selecting, measuring, mixing, and applying approved general- and/or restricted-use pesticides and chemicals in accordance with label instructions and safety requirements; using and maintaining pest-control tools and equipment; and properly storing, handling, and disposing of pesticides and containers in accordance with applicable Federal, State, and local requirements. ~AND~ PEST CONTROL CERTIFICATION/LICENSURE: Do you have a state issued (Oklahoma) pesticide applicator's permit in compliance with CFR Title 40 and any State or Local requirement or other accredited sources? You must document the possession of this certification on your resume to receive credit. If an interview is requested, you will be required to provide a copy of your current certification. PHYSICAL EFFORT AND WORK CONDITIONS: Often lifts and handles materials weighing over 50 pounds and carries chemical solutions and equipment weighing up to 40 pounds for extended periods. Occasionally works in cramped and inconvenient surrounding requiring the handling of equipment in awkward positions. Work frequently requires standing, stooping, bending, kneeling, climbing, and working in tiring and uncomfortable positions for extended periods. Frequently moves furniture and equipment to accomplish their tasks. Work is performed indoors and/or outdoors. Work is often accomplished in structural areas with minimum ventilation and/or limited access. Mixes chemical compounds and applies pesticides and spays which might damage their health. There is a constant possibility of exposure to toxic vapors, liquids and powders due to frequent use of chemical; therefore, incumbent is required to undergo a biannual cholinesterase test to ensure that his/her level is within normal limits. This test is to ensure that the incumbent has not been exposed to a toxic level of pesticide that would result in an occupational illness. (Note: Cholinesterase is an enzyme that affects the nervous system and voluntary muscles.) Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success. Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element (WG-2 and higher only; screen-outs are not applicable to WG-1). Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements. While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume. You will be rated on the following Job Elements as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Dexterity and Safety Interpret Instructions, Specifications (other than blueprint reading) Materials Measuring Instruments Technical Practices Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Without more than normal supervision IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Pre-employment physical required Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/16/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13043398. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (405) 456-1000. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.