Supply Technician

Summary

These positions are assigned to the Eastern, Midwestern, and Western Laboratories, which are multidisciplinary laboratories under the Office of Public Health Science (OPHS), Laboratory Regulatory Operations (LRO). OPHS develops (collects, analyzes, and reports) scientific information related to meat, poultry, and egg products, from their production to consumption and uses that information to assess potential human health risks throughout the farm-to-table continuum.

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Duties

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• Responsible for the receipt, identification, preparation, distribution, and storage of all types of monitoring, surveillance, special agent and compliance investigative samples.
• Ensures the proper handling and storage of incoming/reserve samples and ensures the legal integrity of those samples.
• Assures the correct target tissues are distributed to the appropriate laboratory sections and maintains control of samples designated for multiple disciplines.
• Maintains sufficient inventory and distributes all shipping supplies and sampling kits for FSIS sampling programs and special programs, upon request.
• Ensures all work adheres and meets the requirements under International Organization for Standardization 17025 (ISO 17025).
• Prepares sample boxes for return to inspectors. Cleans or recovers overwraps, restocks appropriate supplies, and affixes project-specific labels to boxes.
• Receives/delivers all laboratory supplies, equipment, furniture, and chemicals purchased by the laboratory.
• Processes related documentation, inputs items in laboratory inventory database, and obtains certificates of analysis.
• Maintains contract carrier's (e.g., Federal Express, UPS) shipping database.
• Provides input to the Lead Supply and Sample Handling Specialist before the start of new projects to ensure timely and proper shipment of sampling supplies.
• Enters information relative to the receipt and shipment of supplies and reagents into the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS).
• Maintains forklift certification, knowledge of warehouse safety rules, Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, and regulations governing hazardous waste.
• Determines which samples involve chain of custody requirements for legal samples to be used as evidence and maintains required documentation.
• Maintains knowledge of directives, memos, work instructions, rules, and regulations to monitor safety, health, and the environment of surrounding areas.

Requirements

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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.
• 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
• False statements or responses on a resume or application can jeopardize employment and may be grounds for disciplinary action, including removal from Federal service.
• If you are selected, you may need to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) prior to being appointed to determine suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

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.

For the GS-05: Specialized experience: Your resume must show one year of experience equivalent to the GS-04 grade in the federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks. ***Your experience must be described in as much detail, within your resume, as possible to show that you meet all the experience requirements. Failure to do so MAY result in not being qualified for the position.

• Experience receiving, logging in, delivering, and/or storing supplies, equipment or chemicals used in a laboratory or similar environment.
• Experience maintaining stock inventories in a distribution center or similar environment.

For the GS-06: Specialized experience: Your resume must show one year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade in the federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks. ***Your experience must be described, within your resume, in as much detail as possible to show that you meet all the experience requirements. Failure to do so MAY result in not being qualified for the position.

• Experience logging in, delivering, and/or storing supplies, equipment or chemicals used in a laboratory or similar environment.
• Experience maintaining stock inventories in a laboratory, distribution center, or similar environment.
• Experience maintaining records by entering documentation into a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) or similar database.

For the GS-07: Specialized experience: Your resume must show one year of experience equivalent to the GS-06 grade in the federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks. ***Your experience must be described, within your resume, in as much detail as possible to show that you meet all the experience requirements. Failure to do so MAY result in not being qualified for the position.

• Experience independently logging in, delivering, and/or storing supplies, equipment or chemicals used in a laboratory or similar environment.
• Experience independently maintaining stock inventories in a laboratory, distribution center, or similar environment.
• Experience independently maintaining records by entering documentation into a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) or similar database.

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.

Follow this link for more information on the Supply Clerical and Technician Series 2005: Supply Clerical and Technician Series 2005

Education

For the GS-05: You can qualify based on education alone for this grade with four years of education above high school.

For the GS-06: You cannot qualify based on education alone for this grade.

For the GS-07: You cannot qualify based on education alone for this grade.

Transcripts are required and must be submitted with your application. An unofficial copy is sufficient; however, it must include student name, school name, and enough information to validate qualifications such as course names, prefixes, grades, semester or quarter credit hours, date degree was awarded, etc.

Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. Additional information regarding this requirements can be found here.

Official transcripts must be submitted prior to entering on duty. Education must have been obtained from an accredited school, college, or university, Follow this link to verify your institution's credentialing: Follow this link to verify your institution's credentialing: Dept. of Education Accredited Schools

If any education was completed at a foreign institution, you must submit evidence that the institution is accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. Follow these links to those credentialing organizations:

• National Association of Credential Evaluation Services
• Association of International Credential Evaluators

Additional information

This announcement may be used to fill additional like vacancies should any occur in the announced duty location.

Selectees may be eligible for Creditable Service for Annual Leave Accrual (CSALA).

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.

If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

Follow this link to the Office of Personnel Management's website for information on how to apply as a CTAP or RPL applicant:

If selected you will be placed under a career development plan, and you may be non-competitively promoted after successfully completing the requirements of that plan and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

It is the policy of the government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. See more information at this link: CHCO Council

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact: USDA's TARGET Center at View phone number on click.appcast.io (voice and TDD).

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.

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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.

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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.