The Supervisory Biological Science Laboratory Technician position is located within the Animal Research facility (ARF) at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Cleveland, Ohio. This employee will serve as the Supervisor of a VAMC Animal Facility, with responsibility for the safety and maintenance of the animal facility. Additionally, this employee will serve as the Institutional Animal Care and Use (IACUC) Coordinator.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties include, but are not limited to, the following: Possesses and utilizes knowledge of all applicable regulations governing the use of animals in research, in the performance of job tasks. Prepares for inspections of animal facilities by accrediting bodies. Monitors and facilitates the work of animal care technicians. Acts as an expert consultant on husbandry matters. Helps assure the proper care and use of laboratory animals. Demonstrates effective communication skills and judgment in dealing with investigators and research staff members. Processes documentation and annual reviews for the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International, Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), and the VA Veterinarian Medical Unit. Reviews and approves all orders for purchase of animals with VA funds or that will be housed in the Animal Research Facility. Provides a work schedule for animal caretakers, establishes good employee relations; trains new employees; handles employee problems relating to work situations and takes disciplinary actions as necessary. Responsible for the day-to-day care of about 4,000 animals, which may include cats, dogs, guinea pigs, mice, rabbits, rats, and other species use in the VA research, which includes cleaning cages, feeding and watering animals, basic husbandry, and assuring the health of the animal. Recognizes unusual trends or circumstances concerning animals and refers them to the research investigator with recommendations for what should be done. Maintains accurate records of the different aspects of the Animal Research Facility, as required. Ensures that cage cards for individual animals contain all relevant information which includes: date of birth; date of arrival; investigator; inoculations; dips; weight; all procedures performed; complications or health problems. Ensures proper maintenance of equipment which includes caging (stainless steel and plastic) laminar flow units, rack and bottle washer, tunnel cage washer and an automatic watering system. Maintains an inventory of supplies (food, bedding, veterinary products, and cleaning materials). Serves as the coordinator of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position at the GS-9 grade level, you must meet one of the following requirements: Experience: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-8) in the Federal Service that has given me the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of this position. The specialized experience required for some positions in this series is normally work performed in a controlled environment. Examples of qualifying specialized experience includes 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. ADDITIONAL REQUIRED SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE INCLUDES: Acting as lead or supervisor of a laboratory to include coordinating all elements of a laboratory animal care and use program; overseeing physical examinations of animal subjects; collecting a variety of biological substances for chemical, microbial, and serologic tests; monitoring husbandry practices; providing guidance and training to research scientists; collecting and analyzing data; and performing administrative duties concerned with budget, property, personnel management. NOTE: Your experience must be fully documented in your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. OR Education: A master's degree or completion of two (2) years of graduate-level education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate 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, etc. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: If you select this option, you must submit a copy of your transcript with your application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. NOTE: If you select this option, you must clearly document your related experience in your resume and submit a copy of your transcript with your application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. In addition to the requirements listed above, you must also meet the following Selective Placement Factor: 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 caring for animals used in medical research. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented in your resume to receive credit. A Quality Ranking Factor* has also been requested by the facility to help determine which of the basically qualified applicants are likely to be better qualified for a position. The quality ranking factor for this position is: "Completion of an AVMA - accredited Veterinary Technology Program with certification as a Registered/Certified/Licensed Veterinary Technician OR possess an American Association for Laboratory Animal Science Certification at the Laboratory Animal Technician (LAT) level." *Quality Ranking Factors are skills, knowledge, abilities, or other worker characteristics which could be expected to result in superior performance on the job. Quality ranking factors will not be used for screening but may be used as ranking criteria. Applicants with higher proficiency levels may rank above those with lower proficiency levels on a quality ranking factor. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Animal HusbandryCommunicationsComplianceManages Human ResourcesProject ManagementQuality Ranking Factor 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 duties performed require both regular and recurring walking, bending, and carrying of moderately heavy equipment (

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 Cleveland ORD VISN 10 Federal Building, 1240 East 9th St Cleveland, OH 44199 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]