Duties

• Serves as the attending Veterinarian and provides clinical care for livestock, poultry, and laboratory animal species, and conducts physical examinations and uses diagnostic testing to determine pathological conditions.
• Serves as the Attending Veterinarian on the BARC Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to review and recommend approval of animal care and use proposals.
• Integrates clinical findings with objectives of basic and/or applied research studies being conducted for purposes of determining appropriate therapy, diet modifications, as they apply to agricultural or biomedical research.
• Performs necropsies/post-mortem procedures, clinical observations, histopathological examinations, and biochemical tests as necessary to support research studies.
• Serves as the lead and expert in the planning and program development of BARC's overall clinical care for a research animal program.
• Reviews and/or develops standard operating procedures (SOPs) and job hazard analyses (JHAs), that involve the use of animals including care procedures and equipment to ensure compliance with animal care and use regulations, policies and guidelines.
• Implements and reviews animal care programs at the Center; and ensures inspections of animals and animal facilities to ensure that all established policies and procedures are being followed.
• Serves as a first and second level supervisor.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• 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.
• Subject to one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
• 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/
• Federal employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of their duty location. If selected, you will be required to submit documentation of COVID-19 vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before appointment, if after November 22.
• The agency will provide additional information regarding what COVID-19 vaccination information or documentation will be needed and how you can request of the agency a legally required exception from this requirement.
• This position makes it a condition of employment for the incumbent to reside in a residence within 30 minutes of BARC. This is to provide veterinary care in the case of emergencies during off-duty hours including evenings, weekends and holidays.
• Immunizations may be required.
• Respirator fitting and certification is required.
• Immunizations with vaccines may be required to enter facilities conducting work with zoonotic diseases.
• The health status of personnel is monitored periodically using biologic and serologic tests and physical examinations.
• Required to pass a background investigation sufficient to provide (PSL2) clearance.
• Required to have or obtain a Maryland veterinary license and maintain it during employment at BARC. Also required to have or obtain a DEA permit for controlled substances.
• National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI) clearance is required.
• Drug Test Required.

Qualifications

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 Requirements:

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) 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 web site, http://www.avma.org (external link) , 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 (Refer to AVMA web site, http://www.avma.org (external link) for information about schools in this category) must meet one of the following requirements.

• Proof of certification of their final transcript by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG)
• Possession of a permanent, full, and unrestricted license to practice veterinary medicine in a State, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States that includes successful completion of the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) or its predecessors, the National Board Examination (NBE) and the Clinical Competency Test (CCT).
• Proof that the education obtained in a foreign veterinary medical program is equivalent to that gained in a veterinary medical program that is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education. Under this provision, equivalency is established only if an AVMA-accredited veterinary medical school or college accepts the graduate's final transcript from the foreign veterinary medical school at full value for placement into an advanced degree, postgraduate educational program, or training program (e.g. residency or graduate program).

Graduates of foreign veterinary medical programs must also provide proof of proficiency in the English language by successfully completing one of the nationally and internationally recognized examinations that incorporate assessments of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Examples of examinations that assess mastery of the English language are shown below:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Minimum scores for the TOEFL are 560 for the paper-based version; 220 for the computer-based version; or overall score of 83 for the internet-based version (including 26 or higher in speaking, 26 or higher in listening, and 17 or higher in writing). For the computer-based and paper-based test versions, applicants must also complete the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and the Test of Written English (TWE). Minimum required scores are 55 for the TSE and 5.5 for the TWE;
• Academic tests (listening, writing, and speaking) offered by the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Applicants must achieve a minimum overall band score of 7.0, with at least 7.0 in speaking, 6.5 in listening, and 6.0 in writing; OR
• Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL). Applicants must achieve a minimum overall band score of 70, with at least 60 in speaking, 60 in listening, and 50 in writing.

In addition to the basic requirement above, all applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications:

Specialized Experience: Qualifying experience for GS-14 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-13 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience providing primary veterinarian care to agricultural or small lab animals; planning an animal care program; performing major and minor surgery on agricultural or small lab animals; providing veterinary training and supervision to staff personnel; and keeping abreast of scientific developments for the proper care and maintenance of animals.

Physical Demands: The work requires considerable physical exertion in cramped or restricted areas, long periods of standing in surgery, some heavy lifting (50 lbs or greater), strenuous effort with handing large animals and caution in defending against physical attack by those animals. On occasion requires walking (distance could be considerable) in open pastures to access injured, distressed or ill animals.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office setting (40%), indoor and outdoor animal housing facilities, necropsy rooms, surgery suite, animal BSL-2 facilities, and laboratories. Temperature extremes are common. Exposure to disagreeable odors, working around frightened, unpredictable, and ill-natured animals, and exposure to the risks and hazards of harmful biologicals, carcinogens, and physical agents are possible. This includes working in BSL-2 animal housing facilities which require special precautions and coordination of personnel, animals, equipment, and facility safety controls.

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.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Additional information

**This Position is being filled through OPM's government-wide Direct-Hire Authority for this occupation and is open to all U.S. Citizens. Your application will be evaluated for basic eligibility and to determine if your experience and/or education meet the minimum qualification requirements described in this announcement. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and other basic requirements will be referred and are eligible for selection. **

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 based on an evaluation of the following competencies: Leadership, Organizational Awareness, Technical Competence, and Veterinary Science. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job.

Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.

Selections made under this authority will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would therefore be given a new appointment to the civil service.

This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.