Summary These positions are in the Springdale and Jackson Districts, They serve as the primary contact for all veterinary duties associated with food safety, animal welfare, foreign animal disease surveillance, ante-mortem and postmortem procedures and dispositions, and export certification. Shifts and species vary based on assignment. Employee may be detailed to any shift at any plant in the district they are assigned. For information contact Liz Meersman, liz.meersman@usda.gov. Responsibilities Interpret and analyze guidelines and regulations. Implement guidelines, policies, and regulations to provide personnel support. Conduct research and investigations to make judgments and recommendations. Foster working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Communicate guidelines and process to plant personnel. Draft recommendations, reports, and guidance documents. Apply veterinary medical concepts, principles, and practices. Perform routine onsite humane handling and good commercial practices. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Please reference the specific Office of Personnel Management (OPM) qualifications standards for the 0701 Job Series. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and education, as defined below. Time in grade: Applicants must have one year of time in grade at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade (e.g. one year at the GS-12 grade level for consideration for the GS-13 grade level). Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade (e.g. one year at the GS-12 grade level for consideration for the GS-13 grade level). Your 52 weeks of specialized experience must demonstrate the ability to perform, plan or manage veterinary medical activities. Qualifying experience includes: Experience applying and enforcing policies, practices, and regulations. Knowledge of veterinary medical concepts, scientific literature, and emerging issues related to food safety. Experience in coordination of new or revised veterinary medical policies, methods, or procedures. Experience interpreting and applying the rules, regulations, policies, and procedures of the inspection program such as humane handling, antemortem, postmortem, inspection procedures conducted in slaughter establishments, Hazardous Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), or Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP). Experience establishing and maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders. 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. Applicants must: Be physically and medically able to efficiently perform the essential job functions, without being a direct threat to themselves and others. Have full range of motion to perform rapid repetitive twisting and working with arms above shoulder level. Be able to stand and walk on slippery and uneven floors and catwalks, and climbing stairs and ladders. Be able to lift, carry, push and pull up to 30 pounds, with occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds. Have manual dexterity of the upper body, including arms, hands, and fingers with a normal sense of touch in both hands. Have good near and distance vision, be free of chronic eye disease and have correctable vision of at least 20/40 in one eye. Have the ability to distinguish shades of color. Any significant degree of color blindness (more than 25 percent error rate on approved color plate test) may be disqualifying. Individuals with some hearing loss and/or requiring hearing amplification will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Education In order to meet the basic educational requirements for the GS-0701, applicants must have completed a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree or equivalent degree, i.e., Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD), obtained at a school or college of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA). The AVMA website has a listing of all AVMA-accredited veterinary medical schools. OR Graduates of foreign veterinary medical schools that are not accredited by the AVMA Council on Education must meet the following requirements: click here Additional Information Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to fsis.fca@usda.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.
