The incumbent will serve as a research laboratory technician in the VA Central Biorepository (VACB) which is part of the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC).

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** NOTE: This is a TERM appointment (not-to-exceed 3 years; may be extended up to 4 years). Term appointments are non-status, nonpermanent appointments of limited duration (more than 1 year but not more than 4). Term employees are eligible to earn leave and generally have the same benefits as permanent employees including health and life insurance, within-grade increases and Federal Employees Retirement System and Thrift Savings Plan coverage. Term appointments may be extended without further competition (up to the 4-year maximum). The appointment to a Term position does not confer eligibility for promotion or reassignment to other positions or the ability to be non-competitively converted to permanent employment. Major duties and responsibilities include: Performs necessary experiments in order to achieve the required objectives of the research program. Maintains laboratory equipment and supplies used, maintains proper records of research data, and assists the supervisor in performing data analysis. Assists in the preparation of reports, presentations, figures etc. associated with the studies. Processes samples of blood, tissue, organ, or other body fluids or substances according to standard operating procedures. Ensures the appropriate conduct of tests to determine the viability of cells or quality of samples. Establishes minimum acceptable criteria for control/documentation/protocol pertaining to test or examination procedures. Develops and maintains detailed records of all experimental or other protocols. Determines compliance with safety requirements, establishes inventory and equipment maintenance requirements and maintains appropriate inventories and maintenance schedules. Maintains laboratory stock and orders materials, as needed. Maintains laboratory in a clean and safe condition according to agency or accreditation requirements. Programs equipment used for blood processing, DNA extraction and DNA normalization. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. You may qualify at the GS-7 level if you fulfill one of the following qualifications: -Specialized Experience: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-6). Experience must have been related to the work of the position for which application is made. The specialized experience required for some positions in this series is normally work performed in a controlled environment. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Research activity or control program work; nursery work that required the growing and maintenance of plants in a controlled environment; work comparable to that with a large dairy farm where production records, animal environment, and sanitary conditions were kept in accordance with modern dairy practice. (Farming experience that was not performed in a controlled environment, or experience as a laborer who was not responsible for planning and scheduling his/her own work, but only performed assigned tasks, would not qualify as specialized experience.) Specialized Experience must include: processing samples of blood, tissue, organ, or other body fluids or substances; maintaining laboratory equipment and supplies; assisting in the preparation of reports, presentations, figures, etc. associated with a research study; developing and maintaining detailed records of all experimental or other protocols and results. -OR- -Education: One (1) full year of graduate education (or 18 semester hours) or an internship that includes courses directly related to the work of the Biological Science Lab Technician. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) -OR- -Combination: Equivalent combinations of education and specialized experience (as described above) to meet the requirements at the GS-7 level. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) -AND- This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability, or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Experience and understanding of processes related to processing samples in a lab environment. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Biomedical Equipment TechnologyInformation Technology Research and DevelopmentQuality AssuranceSelective Placement FactorTechnical Competence IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion, such as regular and recurring walking, bending, or climbing scaffolds to add or remove specimens from cryotanks. Must be able to handle cryogenic materials with proper protective equipment including lifting 50 lb blocks of dry and 20 lb racks containing specimens from cryotanks and freezers. In many situations the duration of the activity (such as most of a workday) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. In other situations, such as in a laboratory, there are special requirements tor agility or dexterity such as exceptional hand/eye coordination in order to carry out the work. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Contacts

• Address Boston ORD VISN 1 JFK Federal Building, 15 New Sudbury St Boston, MA 02203-9928 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]