Biological Science Laboratory Technician

Summary

These four (4) positions are located within in the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Madison, WI. Two (2) positions in U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, Cell Wall Biology and Utilization Research Unit, one (1) position in U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research Unit and one (1) position in Cereal Crops Research. In these position, you will participate as a team member with the scientist in all phases of the research process.

Duties

• Participates as a team member with the scientist in all phases of the research process and assumes full technical and operational responsibility for specific phases of the research.
• Independently develops or designs various aspects of research projects on the basis of overall objectives outlined by the supervisor.
• Contributes to the planning of carious steps in experiment or project and to interpretation and documentation of findings.
• Operates and maintains a variety of highly specialized complex equipment which must be calibrated and synchronized to achieve desired results.

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. GS-07: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-06 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience carrying out routine laboratory support tasks using established methods in biological or agricultural research settings; and following detailed instructions to prepare samples, operate basic laboratory equipment, and record data accurately. OR Education: Successful completion of at least one full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a masters' or equivalent graduate degree, related degrees may include biology, plant pathology, plant physiology, entomology, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, molecular biology, soil science, agronomy, nutrient management, animal science, dairy science. OR An appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education directly related to the work of the position as stated above. GS-08: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. Qualifying experience for GS-08 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience performing a variety of laboratory procedures; operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting laboratory instruments and equipment; and prioritizing tasks, resolve routine problems, and ensure accurate, reliable research data in support of scientific studies. OR Education: Two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a masters' or equivalent graduate degree, related degrees may include biology, plant pathology, plant physiology, entomology, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, molecular biology, soil science, agronomy, nutrient management, animal science, dairy science. OR An appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education directly related to the work of the position as stated above. GS-09: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-08 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience executing complex laboratory procedures using biological research methods, including modifying or developing techniques to meet research objectives; planning, conducting, and evaluating laboratory tasks or experiments; and interpreting findings and contributing to the effectiveness of scientific projects. OR Education: Two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a masters' or equivalent graduate degree, related degrees may include biology, plant pathology, plant physiology, entomology, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, molecular biology, soil science, agronomy, nutrient management, animal science, dairy science. OR An appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education directly related to the work of the position as stated above. 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 to be entered into the system prior to its closing. Resumes must not 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. To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents. 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.