Supervisory Biologist

Summary The Supervisory Biologist is a key member of the Laboratories of Research and Development at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center, reporting directly to the Director of Research Operations for Research Service and Development. This position holds primary responsibility for ensuring compliance with the Research Safety Program at the Tampa VA Medical Center. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION Major duties and responsibilities include: Managing daily operations of shared resource areas and equipment. Conducting lab safety inspections. Developing and maintaining safety policies such as the Biosafety, Chemical Hygiene, Security, and Disaster Preparedness plans. Managing chemical inventory/hazardous waste. Supervising, training, and evaluating research staff. Managing equipment and core resources, performing annual inventories, overseeing maintenance, acquisitions, and disposals, and prioritizing requests based on programmatic need. Preparing compliance reports, risk assessments, and incident investigations. Performing other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Physical Requirements: Work is largely sedentary, carried out in laboratory and office environments, but may require periodic walking, standing, bending, or carrying light materials like lab supplies, equipment, or files. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Required Documents" below for details. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-12 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS: BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: You must have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college leading to a bachelor's degree or higher in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the work of this Supervisory Biologist position. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) ~OR~ BASIC COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: You must possess a combination of education that included a major field of study or specific course work in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position, plus appropriate experience or additional education that demonstrates possession of the appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the work of this Biologist position. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE AND COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) ~AND~ In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement above, you must also meet one of the following additional education and/or experience requirements. Select the statement below that best describes your experience and/or education to meet the specific qualification requirements for this position at the GS-12 grade level. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of a Supervisory Biologist. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal Service. Qualifying specialized experience includes supporting investigators through the development and execution of research experiments; developing and evaluating staff performance, providing training, resolving conflicts, and implementing disciplinary actions; assisting with grant and protocol development; ensuring strict compliance with all safety protocols; coordinating laboratory inspections; preparing compliance reports, risk assessments, and incident investigations. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE.) ~OR~ SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE: You must have successfully completed Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree with a major in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the work of this Biologist position. 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 number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered an academic year of graduate study. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) ~OR~ COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: You must possess an equivalent combination of successfully completed related graduate level education and specialized experience as described above, to meet the total experience requirements for this position at the GS-12 level. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE AND COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Additional Information 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. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at