This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit in Stoneville, MS. In this position, you will actively participate in the maintenance of fish families and fish culture units at all life stages following established animal welfare protocols.

Duties

Collect, prepare, evaluate, and verify biological samples. Perform a variety of functions related to fish husbandry including quantifying egg numbers using lab scales and quantifying sac-fry per spawn using volumetric apparatuses. Oversee daily care of fish including feeding and maintenance. Tabulate, statistically analyze, and summarize data using 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 https://www.e-verify.gov/

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. 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. 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 successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience includes experience participating in a research project related to aquaculture animals; statistically analyzing or summarizing data; and maintaining equipment or automated systems used for test and evaluation procedures. OR Education: Successful completion of one full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Aquaculture or Biology. OR A combination of graduate level education and experience as described 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. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: 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 successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience includes experience collecting, preparing, and evaluating biological samples for statistical and supporting records in a research aquaculture facility; utilizing software tools to manage and analyze data; and operating, maintaining, calibrating, or modifying specialized equipment. OR Education: Successful completion of two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Aquaculture or Biology. OR A combination of graduate level education and experience as described 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. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: 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 successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience includes experience participating in aquaculture activities including maintaining and feeding fish at all life stages raised under established animal welfare protocols; utilizing Microsoft 365 to edit, manage, analyze or record data; and maintaining inventory of feed or chemicals for use in a fish hatchery. OR Education: Successful completion of two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Aquaculture or Biology. OR A combination of graduate level education and 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

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 141 Experimental Station Road Stoneville, MS 38776 US
• Name: Kayleigh Pfeiffer
• Phone: 703-995-9645
• Email: [email protected]