The Biological Science Laboratory Technician will perform husbandry, enrichment, cage wash duties, animal health checks, animal transfers and all other husbandry functions associated with maintaining a rodent and rabbit animal facility at the VA San Diego Healthcare System VA Medical Center (VAMC) in the Research and Development Service.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major duties and responsibilities include: Provides proper cage preparation including use and maintenance of cage washing equipment, cages, bottles, sipper tubes, autoclaves and other pertinent equipment. Performs soiled cage preparations, sanitizing, loading proper temperature monitoring of cage washer and autoclave, and the use of dip tanks. Prepares cages for autoclaving and possesses knowledge of the use of the autoclave including liquid, solid and food sterilization, use of indicator tape, proper transportation of items to designated areas and proper storage of sterile equipment. Provides animal room and facility sanitation including the proper use of chemicals, such as disinfectants, sanitizing agents, sterilants and detergents. Reports any abnormal readings of environmental parameters in order to have these corrected immediately. Performs animal receiving including using proper forms, preparation of cages for receiving, transporting animals properly, inspection of vendor transport vehicle to ensure appropriate and legal transport occurred, transfer of animals, separation of animals by species and health status, completion of inspection reports, health status, identifying health problems, ensuring appropriate gender and strain were sent, completing cage cards appropriately and completing all other pertinent records accurately and in a timely manner. Responsible for the health, care and well-being of animals used in research at VA San Diego Healthcare System VA Medical Center (VAMC) including routine, special (e.g., genetically modified rodents), barrier and isolation care. Responsible for the care and well-being of research animals including behavioral needs, appropriate use in research, watering and feeding requirements, ensuring the micro and macro environments are appropriate for the species, use of appropriate bedding and caging. Observes all research animals and reports any signs of sickness, abnormalities, changes or deaths as directed by supervisor. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Tuesday-Saturday 6:00am-2:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

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-05 level if you fulfill one of the following qualifications: -Specialized Experience: 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 work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service. Experience must have been related to the work of the Biological Science Laboratory Technician position. 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). Experience must include: Handling and caring for research animals in a controlled environment; cleaning and sanitizing animal enclosures; monitoring and recording data. -OR- -Education: 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. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. 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. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) -OR- -Combination: Equivalent combinations of education and specialized experience (as described above) to meet the requirements at the GS-5 level 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. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to 1 year of specialized experience. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Animal HusbandryFacilitiesVisual Identification 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 Demands and Work Environment: Duties require long periods of sitting or standing as well as regular and recurrent stooping, bending, and occasional carrying of moderately heavy equipment and supplies (up to 50 pounds). Exceptional hand-eye coordination may be required to perform animal procedures, to make precise measurements, and to assemble and calibrate delicate laboratory equipment. Work involves moderate risks and discomforts that require special safety precautions, e.g., working around animals, irritant chemicals, radioactive materials, or contagious diseases. Employee may be required to wear personal protective equipment or shields to lessen risk. Employee may also have to perform procedures in safety cabinets. 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 San Diego ORD VISN 22 8810 Rio San Diego DR San Diego, CA 92108 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]