TRAVEL REQUIRED:

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel domestically and internationally for this position.

RELOCATION AUTHORIZED:
Relocation expenses reimbursed Yes you may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.

KEY REQUIREMENTS:
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You must be a US Citizen or US National

Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt

Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check

Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.

Direct Deposit : Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution

Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/

Testing Designated Position: Selectee must submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and random testing thereafter. Final appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results for illegal drug use.

Valid state driver's license is required at the time of application.

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

BASIC REQUIREMENT: Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

FOR THE GS-11 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-9 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Knowledge and understanding of scientific principles of plant pathology, virology, microbiology, molecular biology, or other related sciences to support regulatory programs for disease control, management, exclusion or eradication.
• Experience executing scientific investigations, in response to program needs, aimed at evaluation, optimization and/or validation of advanced molecular and serological methods, and technologies for diagnostic and identification of plant pathogens, with emphasis on plant viruses.
• Experience communicating technical or scientific information orally and in writing in a succinct and organized manner to scientific audience or other pest management professionals.
• Experience working on teams or working groups to address scientific topics related to plant health.

OR 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Experience in applying the scientific principles of plant pathology, virology, microbiology, molecular biology, or other related sciences to develop and evaluate methods to support plant pathogen regulatory programs for disease control, management, exclusion or eradication.
• Experience initiating and coordinating scientific investigations in response to program needs that support the development and/or evaluation of new advanced, fit for purpose, methods, technologies or protocols used for plant pathogens detection and identification, with emphasis on plant viruses.
• Experience communicating technical or scientific information orally and in writing on aspects of project progress to scientific audience, industry representatives, other state/federal government agencies and cooperators.
• Experience in managing technical support staff in developing and applying molecular methods for plant pathogen (virus) detection and identification.

Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS are required if:

• This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified.
• You are qualifying for the position based on education.
• You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education.
• This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-11 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. To learn more about combining education and experience for this series, click the following: Combining Education and Experience for Professional and Scientific Positions

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.

See Qualifications section above.

• 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.
• First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.

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You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, all applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, to include any specialized experience and/or selective placement factor(s), if applicable, will be referred to the selecting official. Before a certificate is issued to the selecting official, your application is reviewed to ensure that you meet all the qualification requirements. A rating will not be used; veteran's preference does not apply due to the existence of the Direct Hire authority for this position.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

To preview the application questionnaire, please visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10447028

Read more Security clearance Not Required

Drug test required Yes