As the Assistant Director in one of APHIS-VS Commodity Health Centers, you will provide day-to-day leadership and supervision to animal health subject matter experts, coordinating and directing national cooperative animal disease control and eradication programs for ruminants, aquaculture, swine, equine, poultry, and/or other species.

Duties

The duties may include, but are not limited to: Formulates, organizes, and executes national cooperative animal disease control and eradication programs to maintain a thriving animal agriculture system in the United States. Provide leadership in the development of Dept regulations, guidance, specific objectives, programs, policies, and procedures for the oversight and implementation of Federal and state field activities. Prepares and approves briefing papers, administrative reports, correspondence, budget documents, scientific papers, manuscripts, and other written materials related to staff operations. Collaborates with the Director to oversee the planning, initiating, and directing of pilot projects, preparedness tests, and/or other special studies concerning specific problems related to programs. Evaluates the results of program efforts and analyzes information related to goals, accomplishments, and issues under his/her oversight. Represents the Director and other senior leaders and the Department at national and international meetings concerning the development, modification, or adoption of rules, regulations, and procedures. Provides guidance to staff on standards and protocol for communicating important veterinary and regulatory concepts to APHIS, other Federal and State government officials, field personnel, etc. Develops and maintains professional contacts with research leaders and regulatory officials throughout the United States and other countries to keep abreast of new advances in veterinary science. Encourages staff participation and collaboration in management processes to promote continual improvements in methods, approaches, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Requirements

• Selectee will work out of a home duty station that must be located in one of the listed counties.
• The selectee must reside or relocate to one of the listed counties prior to their start date; the duty station will be determined at the time of selection.
• The duties of this position will be performed out of a home office. The selectee must be able to provide for and establish a suitable, virtual home office.
• A writing exercise will be part of the interview process.
• Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
• 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 https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Conferred Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree with application. See "Education" section below for more details.
• 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.
• Some time may be spent traveling domestically and internationally, via airline, car, train, etc.
• May visit farms and ranches (domestic and foreign) where animal disease is present and may be required to wear protective clothing and shower in and out of some facilities.
• This position is subject to mandatory physical deployments in support of an emergency response to an animal disease outbreak for several weeks at a time, as required by the Agency.
• Occasional, infrequent assignments require visits to secured areas, such as import centers, laboratories, etc., where protective gear will be required.
• Domestic and international travel (approximately 25% or less) is required as an essential function of the job.

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: Must meet the Basic Requirement(s) outlined in the Education section below. FOR THE GS-14 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-13 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Experience serving as a subject matter expert for Avian health diseases and/or pests. Experience developing regulations, policies and protocols to implement national surveillance and control programs for animal diseases and/or pests. Experience analyzing data and reports to include epidemiology, disease risk factors, and research studies, and applying findings toward the development and implementation of animal disease and/or pest surveillance and control programs. Experience working with internal and external stakeholders to reach a consensus across regulatory and policy changes and program implementation. Experience producing quality product/output on tight deadlines. Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level. TRANSCRIPTS are required. This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. this education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college or university 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

BASIC REQUIREMENT for the 0403 series:

Degree in 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.

BASIC REQUIREMENT for the 0414 series:

Degree in entomology; or a related discipline of the biological or physical sciences that included at least 16 semester hours in entomology.

OR

Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major that included course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

BASIC REQUIREMENT for the 0701 series:

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or equivalent degree, i.e., Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD), obtained at a school or college of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA). The AVMA website has a listing of all AVMA-accredited veterinary medical schools. AVMA website: https://www.avma.org

OR

Graduates of foreign veterinary medical schools that are not accredited by the AVMA Council on Education must meet one of the following requirements:

a) Proof of certification of their final transcript by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG);

b) Possession of a permanent, full, and unrestricted license to practice veterinary medicine in a State, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States that includes successful completion of the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) or its predecessors, the National Board Examination (NBE) and the Clinical Competency Test (CCT);

OR

c) Proof that the education obtained in a foreign veterinary medical program is equivalent to that gained in a veterinary medical program that is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education. An AVMA-accredited veterinary medical school or college must have accepted the final transcript from the foreign veterinary medical school at full value for placement into an advanced degree, postgraduate educational program, or training program (e.g., residency or graduate program).

In addition, graduates of foreign veterinary medical programs must also provide proof of proficiency in the English language by successfully completing one of the nationally and internationally recognized examinations that incorporate assessments of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Examples of examinations that assess mastery of the English language are shown below:

a) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Minimum scores for the TOEFL are 560 for the paper-based version; 220 for the computer-based version; or overall score of 83 for the internet-based version (including 26 or higher in speaking, 26 or higher in listening, and 17 or higher in writing). For the computer-based and paper-based test versions, applicants must also complete the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and the Test of Written English (TWE). Minimum required scores are 55 for the TSE and 5.5 for the TWE.

b) Academic tests (listening, writing, and speaking) offered by the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Applicants must achieve a minimum overall band score of 7.0, with at least 7.0 in speaking, 6.5 in listening, and 6.0 in writing;

OR

c) Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL). Applicants must achieve a minimum overall band score of 70, with at least 60 in speaking, 60 in listening, and 50 in writing.

Graduates of foreign veterinary medical programs must submit test results with their application. Results of more than one test or testing session cannot be combined to meet the standard.

Waiver Provision: English language proficiency assessments may be waived for qualified job applicants whose native language is English (i.e., the official or common language of an individuals country of birth is English) who submit a diploma or other official documentation as proof of graduation from a high (secondary) school where the entire curriculum and educational programs were taught in the English language for the entire 3 or 4 years of full-time attendance.

Contacts

• Address Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service USDA APHIS MRPBS 250 Marquette Avenue, Suite 410 Minneapolis, MN 55401 US
• Name: APHIS Human Resources
• Phone: 612-336-3227
• Email: [email protected]