Insect Production Worker

Summary The Insect Production Worker performs routine, repetitive assignments involved in insect mass production, packaging, storing, sterilization, and delivering of insects, and is also involved in the cleaning, disinfection, and maintenance of work areas in support of the insect production program. Duties The duties may include, but are not limited to: Prepares and weighs out different rearing media and diet ingredients. Operates and/or synchronizes multiple pieces of equipment for preparation of insect diets. Assembles and disassembles production chambers. Cleans the chambers and the surrounding of the dispersal facility. Provides feed to insects, controls temperature and humidity, and harvests pupae or adults, records collection data, and verifies that the data is correct. Separates insects into categories such as sex and/or species and controls them to prevent escape or intermingling. Observes insect collections for obvious changes of life cycles, deaths, and general activity, and reports observations to the supervisor. Determines daily production of adults and pupae by determining the average weight and inputting that data into facility database. Prepares disinfectant, for cleaning and sanitation of equipment for rearing of various insect life stages and disinfects based on established protocols. Requirements Conditions of employment You must be a US Citizen or US National. Individuals who were born male 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. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information. 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/ All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions. Protective clothing and eye protection are mandatory for some tasks. Medical evaluation and clearance by a Federal Occupational Health doctor is required prior to undergoing mandatory fit-testing for wearing protective masks. Qualifications To qualify, you must show you have had training and experience of sufficient scope and quality to provide you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Your answers to the vacancy specific questions must be supported by the work experience in your resume. For example, if you respond in the affirmative when questioned whether you have experience rearing insects, your resume must include this experience, mindful that experience may not be inferred by job title. 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 This position does not have an education qualification requirement. 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. First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected. Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee. This is a term appointment not to exceed 13 months. (Appointment may be extended up to 4 years without reannouncing). For more details click: Term Appointments Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.