MICROBIOLOGIST

Summary

Serves as a microbiologist in the Microbiology Branch of the Laboratory Regulatory Operations (LRO), Office of Public Health Science. Performs microbiological analyses on regulatory samples, as well as various tasks associated with the adaptation and validation of methods and test systems used in field laboratories in the analysis of meat, poultry, and egg products. The samples are submitted by various Food Safety and Inspection Service field personnel located throughout the United States.

Duties

• Performs microbial analyses on a variety of samples of meat, poultry and egg products.
• Performs microbial examinations of meat or poultry products and their ingredients to determine presence, numbers, and species of bacteria, Salmonella, Listeria, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Campylobacter.
• Prepares and maintains reagents.
• Performs lot acceptance on commercially acquired test kits and reagents.
• Operates and maintains a variety of analytical instruments.
• Maintains quality control on instrumentation necessary to perform assigned analyses.
• Maintains quality assurance records to serve as documentation for ISO 17025 accreditation, the Microbiological Laboratory Guidebook, and the Quality Assurance Plan of the laboratory.
• Interprets and evaluates the results of the analyses according to FSIS and OPHS laboratory policy.
• Develops and writes laboratory and section work instructions, spreadsheets, and forms for adoption into the laboratory quality system.
• Accurately reflects work performed daily by recording on prescribed documents and within the electronic Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS).
• Maintains quality assurance records in such a manner that they serve as documentation for ISO criteria for the USDA Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook and the Quality Assurance Plan of the Laboratory Guidebook.
• Presents findings in a transparent and accurate manner.

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: BASIC REQUIREMENT: Microbiologist (0403):This position has an individual occupational requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the position. Individual Occupational Requirements, IOR 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 in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Additional information regarding Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) can be found here under 4f. Educational and Training Provisions or Requirements. Qualifications: Applicants can qualify for the different grades based on specialized experience, education or a combination of specialized experience and education as outlined below. To qualify at the GS-5: Fully meet the basic education requirements described in the individual occupational requirements (IOR). To qualify at the GS-7: An applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade or its equivalent OR one year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement. To qualify based on specialized experience at the GS-7 grade, an applicant's experience must have met the following: Performing microbiological analyses with guidance in a laboratory setting. Reviewing microbiological data and preparing reports or documentation with guidance. Assisting in quality assurance or quality control activities under supervision. To qualify at the GS-9 grade: An applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-7 grade or its equivalent OR two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. To qualify based on specialized experience at the GS-9 grade, an applicant's experience must have met the following: Independently working with microbiological samples, media, or assays in a laboratory setting. Independently performing electronic record keeping, preparing detailed reports on microbiological analyses and making preliminary evaluations. Implementing quality assurance or quality control procedures, performing equipment maintenance, and troubleshooting basic issues. To qualify at the GS-11 grade: An applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade or its equivalent OR 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. To qualify based on specialized experience at the GS-11 grade, an applicant's experience must have met the following: Independently performing high-throughput microbiological analyses on a variety of matrices and interpreting results in a regulatory or research laboratory setting. Independently performing electronic record keeping, preparing advanced reports and presenting findings to internal or external stakeholders. Implementing quality assurance or quality control procedures, performing equipment maintenance, and providing training to junior staff. 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

If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. Do not simply submit your highest degree earned as many of the required courses MAY be on an undergraduate transcript. 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 any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. Resumes must not exceed two pages. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation.To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. 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. Please ensure your resume does not exceed two pages. Applicants who submit a resume that exceeds two pages will be removed from consideration.