This position is located in the Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU) within the Research Service at VA Central Arkansas Veterans Health Care System - John L. Mcclellan Memorial Veteran's Hospital in Little Rock, AR. The Biological Science Lab Technician is responsible for the overall care, safety and wellbeing of the research animals housed in the VMU. Living conditions of animals will be maintained at a level which will contribute to their health and comfort.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** This is a term appointment not to exceed 1 year 1 day. Term appointments are non-status, nonpermanent appointments of limited duration of more than 1 year, but not more than 4 years and are subject to a 1 year trial period. Should the need warrant, term appointments may be extended without further competition up to a maximum of the 4 year limitation. The appointment to a term position does not confer eligibility for promotion, reassignment, or transfer to other positions or the ability to be non-competitively converted to permanent employment. Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to: Feeding and watering all animals in accordance with verbal and/or written instructions Making daily and routine observations of animals, recognizing deviations from normal health status, and notifying supervisor Maintaining animals that require specialized care such as aseptic techniques in a pathogen free colony Maintaining census records by room and investigator and maintaining records for animal care, feeding, treatment, disposal, and environmental monitoring Monitoring usage of supplies and notifies supervisor so necessary items can be ordered in a timely manner Maintaining orderly and sanitary conditions throughout the VMU. Cleans cages, racks, pans, floors and other areas of the facility according to schedule. Operating various equipment (cage washer, bottle washer, autoclaves, etc.) correctly Overseeing quality control procedures on equipment and microbiological monitoring of animal rooms and cages Administering proper medical treatment according to protocol specifications; restraining animals for research and clinical staff as needed; and collecting specimens (blood, urine, tissues) for chemical or histological examination Preparing animals for experimental procedure to include anesthetization, surgical preparation and postmortem examinations as requested by the Pl Offering guidance and support to part time employees and research staff in the absence of VMU supervisor Coordinating the husbandry, pre and post animal surgery care and coordinating appropriate animal housing for bio-medical science projects Participating in comprehensive monitoring programs of several species of animal subjects Documenting violations of all laws and regulations for the control and eradiation of infectious, contagious, communicable diseases, parasites, and disease vectors Assisting in developing, implementing, and maintaining a program of monitoring VMU compliance with AAALAC, AWA, USDA, NIH, VA laws and guidelines Monitoring of the animal program includes research laboratories, experimental techniques, and assuring that professional and technical staff receives adequate training Maintaining familiarity and following standard operating procedures developed for the VMU Assisting in monitoring and evaluating animal husbandry activity for quality, sanitation, and efficiency Performing record keeping, feeding, cage cleaning, reports and certifications, quarantine procedures, monitoring of animal welfare and post mortem inspections Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 08:00 a.m. to 04:30 p.m. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved.

Requirements

Qualifications

Minimum Requirement: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Biological Science Lab Technician in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met. Specialized Experience (GS-05): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-04). Specialized 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: (a) Research activity or control program work; (b) Nursery work that required the growing and maintenance of plants in a controlled environment; and (c) 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. NOTE: 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. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) OR, Education (GS-05): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. The successful completion of a full course of study of at least 12 months in a school for clinical laboratory technicians may be substituted for the 1 year of specialized experience required at the GS-5 level for positions involving microbiology and biochemistry technician work. NOTE: One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR, Combination (GS-05): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education as described. For GS-05 level positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Animal HusbandryCustomer ServiceTechnical 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: Work requires significant physical exertion. Most activity will be walking, but other activities will involve standing for extended periods, considerable bending, climbing of step stools/ladders, and carrying or lifting items weighing more than 50 lbs, including larger animals such as dogs, sheep, or pigs. Other situations may involve moving heavy equipment such as individually ventilated cage racks, portable x-ray machines or cage racks, while using appropriate mechanical assistance (cart, dolly, etc.). 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 Little Rock ORD VISN 16 2200 Fort Roots Dr, Bdlg 65 N Little Rock, AR 72114-1756 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]