This position is located within United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Field Organization, Midwest Area, National Animal Disease Center, Virus and Prion Research in Ames, Iowa. The incumbent performs a variety of technical duties in a laboratory or animal barn for research purposes and maintains an inventory of bacterial cultures and biological samples.

Duties

Collects, prepares, evaluates, and verifies samples and supporting records. Maintains inventory of chemicals, prepares solutions and reagents for use, and safely disposes of waste material (both chemical and biological). Maintains records, locates, and compiles data and other information from various sources. Keeps detailed records of experimental data. Utilizes thermocyclers, spectrophotometers, biological safety cabinets, and incubators. Tabulates, statistically analyzes and summarizes data using personal computers and software packages.

Requirements

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born 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.
• 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 E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov

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-6: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-06 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-05 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 collecting or evaluating biological samples; recording and compiling research results and data, and maintaining and modifying laboratory equipment. OR Education: One full year of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related courses may include: Microbiology, Bacteriology, and Molecular Biology. OR A combination of graduate-level education and specialized experience as described above. GS-7: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: 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 participating in a research project related to animals or swine; statistically analyzing or summarizing data for preparation in scientific reports or manuscripts; and collecting tissue samples from animals. OR Education: One full year of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related courses may include: Microbiology, Bacteriology, and Molecular Biology. OR A combination of graduate-level education and specialized experience as described 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

This position does not have an education qualification requirement.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 5601 Sunnyside Ave Beltsville, MD 20705 US
• Name: Nelly Wilson
• Phone: (703) 259-9360
• Email: [email protected]