Biologist

SummaryJoin the Center for Veterinary Medicine in the protection of human and animal health. At CVM, we are responsible for regulating food, food additives, drugs, and devices for millions of pets and food-producing animals. As a high-performance organization, we strive for leadership, innovation, and excellence across all operations, occupations, and grade levels. Learn more (https://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OfficeofFoods/CVM/default.htm).ResponsibilitiesApplies biological knowledge and experience to the assessment of new or marketed animal drugs, foods, and devices to assure their safety and effectiveness.Evaluates data and information from a variety of sources to determine the safety and effectiveness of new or marketed animal drugs, foods, and devices.Identifies and validates underlying causes of disease, anticipates ancillary problems, and suggests appropriate courses of action.Collaborates with and advises others on biological issues related to animal drugs, foods, devices, laws, regulations, and policies as well as scientific research and industry developments in biology and related fields.Sources of applicable data and information (e.g., Software, search engines, and scientific databases, directives, scientific and trade publications).RequirementsConditions of EmploymentQualificationsApplicants must meet the following eligibility requirements to participate in this Recent Graduate Program: A. Completed all requirements for an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or qualifying certificate with a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or above from an accredited educational institution within the 2 years preceding the closing date of this announcement. -OR-B. Released or discharged from active duty within the previous two years by 06/10/2020, where as a veteran who, due to a military service obligation, was precluded from applying to the Recent Graduate Program during any portion of the 2-year eligibility period following completion of degree or certificate requirements with a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or above, are entitled to a full 2-year period of eligibility upon release or discharge from active duty. In no event, however, may the eligibility period extend beyond 6 years from the date on which the preference eligible veteran completed the requirements of the degree or certificate. -OR-C. Individuals that are scheduled to complete a qualifying Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate, professional, vocational or technical degree or certificate program within 9 months from the closing date of this announcement. The degree/certificate must be conferred by 03-09-2021 with a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or above. NOTE: You must submit transcripts or official documentation to verify your eligibility under the Recent Graduate Program. Transcripts MUST reflect the degree/certificate program and the degree conferred date. If your degree/certificate has not been conferred, you must provide proof of the anticipated graduation date. Selectee's entry on duty date will be upon degree conferment. In addition to the eligibility requirements for the Pathways Recent Graduate Program, you must also meet the following Individual Occupational Requirements by 03-09-2021 in order to qualify for the Biologist, 0401 positions.Individual Occupational Requirement for the Biologist, GS-401-7 positions A. Bachelor's or higher degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. -OR-B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirements above, you must also meet the OPM Qualification Requirements listed below by 06/10/2020 in order to qualify for the Biologist, 0401, at GS - 7. For GS-7:A. Applicants must have at least one full year of specialized experience, equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service which includes collecting and testing specimens in a laboratory setting; and analyzing scientific samples using various laboratory instruments and computer systems. -OR-B. Completion of one year of graduate level education related to the position being filled from an accredited college and/or university.-OR-C. A bachelor's degree as described in the Basic Qualification Requirements above AND meet Superior Academic Achievement provision (S.A.A.) criteria (visit the site for more detail information). S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. -OR-D. Have a combination of experience as described in "A" above and education as described in "B" above, that when combined equals 100% of the total requirements. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.EducationNote: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school you attended has determined to represent one year of study. If this information cannot be obtained from your school, we will consider 18 semester/27 quarter hours to be equal to one year of full-time study. This position requires a degree or completion of specific courses in order to meet the basic education requirement. You must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Your transcript(s) must clearly demonstrate the course(s) listed in the Basic Qualification requirement section. If the transcript(s) does not clearly demonstrate this, you must submit a copy of the course description and/or other documentation demonstrating that the courses are equivalent. Degree requirements must be met by the closing date of this job announcement and your transcript(s) submitted must reflect this. Foreign Education: If you are using education completed at foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program. If you have transferred educational credit from a foreign institution to one in the U.S., you must still show that your foreign education was evaluated by an organization recognized by the Department of Education, even if that foreign education was accepted as transfer credit by a domestic college or university. For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation. SUBMITTING YOUR TRANSCRIPTS: Positions which are scientific or technical in nature often have very specific educational requirements. A transcript is required to verify educational achievement. Pay careful attention to the Qualifications and Education sections to identify vacancies where a transcript is required. Even if you hold a similar position or are a current employee, you are not exempt from transcript requirements. Electronic Transcript Caution: If you have obtained your transcripts electronically, the file might contain security measures that could prevent our application system from reading the file. Therefore, you should consider asking the institution to provide the file in a non-secured electronic format. Alternatively, you could scan or take a photo of the printed copy of the transcript. If your uploaded transcript cannot be read by our system, you may receive consideration and credit for the information we can access. See the Application Manager Documentation for tips on submitting your paper-based documents. EDUCATION STATEMENT - Individual Occupational Requirement: This position has an education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades) to document that you have met the education requirement. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package; however, official transcripts will be required prior to beginning employment. Most colleges and universities offer unofficial transcripts online - please check your school website to obtain a copy quickly. We may make additional selections for similar positions across the entire Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) identified in this vacancy announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s) at HHS. There is no option to opt-out as your information will not be shared with other hiring agencies outside of HHS.Additional InformationMore information on the Pathways Programs for Recent Graduates can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/ The Pathways Recent Graduates may be non-competitively converted to a term, career-conditional, or career appointment following successful completion of at least one year of continuous service, demonstrated successful job performance, and after meeting all other qualification requirements in accordance with 5 CFR 362.305. To be eligible for conversion to a permanent or term position, Recent Graduates must: Successfully completed at least 1-year of continuous service in addition to all requirements of the Program. Demonstrate successful job performance. Meet the Office of Personnel Management's qualifications for the position to which the Recent Graduate will be converted. Recent Graduates are on a trial period for the duration of the program. Positions will Require 40 hours of formal training per year. Must be a citizen of the United States. ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: If you are serving, or have served in the last 5 years (from 06/10/2020) as an Executive Branch political, Schedule C, or Non-career SES appointee, HHS/FDA may be required to obtain approval by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prior to beginning employment. You can find out if you have held one of these appointment types by looking at your Standard Form 50s in your Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), in Section 5 where the legal authorities are listed. If you have served or are currently serving, you must provide a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, documenting this appointment. In addition, you will be required to respond to the question in the assessment and certify your responses to the questionnaire. Political Appointee FAQ - OPM Incentives may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon funds availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require you to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a period of up to 3 years. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Incentives include the following: moving expenses, recruitment or relocation incentive; student loan repayment, superior qualifications appointment, creditable service for annual leave for prior non-federal work experience or prior uniformed military service, etc. Veteran's Preference: If you are claiming veterans' preference under competitive procedures, you must submit a copy of your military discharge certificate (DD 214 member 2 or 4 copy), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other proof of eligibility. To be acceptable, the document must show character of service. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference (SF-15) and the required documentation specified on the reverse of the SF 15. Preference will be granted based on the documents received. See Veterans Preference for more. Financial disclosure statement, OGE-450, may be required: Please be advised that this position will be subject to FDA's prohibited financial interest regulation. If you are hired, you may be required to divest of certain financial interests. You are advised to seek additional information on this requirement from the hiring official before accepting any job offers.