Biological Sciences Lab Technician PD22R141/22R142 - Health Systems Bureau

THESE QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE: 07/16/2024

Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

OPM INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS (IOR) FOR Biological Science Technician Series, 0404 for both grade levels:

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Experience must have been related to the work of the position for which application is made. The specialized experience required for some positions in this series is normally work performed in a controlled environment. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• 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.

In addition to the OPM IOR stated above, in order to qualify for the position, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year of the minimum qualifying specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the next lowest grade in the federal service.

MINIMUM QUALIFYING SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, an applicant's one full year of specialized experience must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for successful job performance.

GS-8: EXPERIENCE: Your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year of the minimum qualifying specialized experience that is comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-7 level in the federal service.

Examples of minimum qualifying specialized experience equal to the GS-7 level include performing the following types of tasks on a regular and recurring basis:

• Using laboratory equipment to perform a sequence of standardized tasks within Biosafety Level 1 (BSL-1) research environment.

AND

• Prepping and presenting animals for research projects.

GS-9: Applicants may meet the minimum qualifications for this grade based on one of the three (3) methods below:

1. EXPERIENCE: Your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year of the minimum qualifying specialized experience that is comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-8 level in the federal service.

Examples of minimum qualifying experience equal to the GS-8 level include performing the following types of tasks on a regular and recurring basis:

• Coordinating and executing a variety of biological experimental procedures such as biochemical, microbiological, immunological, cellular and molecular biological in laboratories operating under Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) or Animal Biosafety Level 2 (ABSL-2) reconditions/requirements.

AND

• Developing and maintaining comprehensive laboratory documents to ensure compliance with local, state or federal safety and regulatory requirements.

2. EDUCATION: Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree meets the requirements for GS-9. To be creditable, the education must be directly related to the work of this position. NOTE: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.

3. EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Have an equivalent combination of the above specialized experience AND higher-level graduate education that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

NOTE: If applying based on education in whole or in part, you must provide a copy of your unofficial transcripts that allow HR to verify that you meet the education requirement as stated above by the closing date of this announcement. A copy of a diploma is NOT acceptable as verification; please do not send them. Please do not send undergraduate transcripts as they are not qualifying for a GS-9.

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; community; student; social). If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

Applicants whose resumes clearly demonstrate the required minimum qualifying specialized experience will be evaluated based on the occupational assessment competencies listed below. A competency is defined as a measurable pattern of knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and other characteristics that an individual needs to perform work roles or occupational functions.

BIOLOGY - Knowledge of the environment, plant and animal living tissue, cells, organisms, and entities, including their functions, interdependencies and interactions with each other and the environment.

RESEARCH AND EVALUATION - Knowledge of the principles, methods, and processes used to conduct a systematic and objective inquiry; including study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; and the reporting of results.

SCIENTIFIC WRITING - Prepares written documentation to transfer scientific information about concepts, situations, products, services, or results to audiences with varying levels of scientific knowledge.

TO PREVIEW THE OCCUPATIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE, please click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12446794