Job Summary

This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Plains Area, National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, KS. In this position, you will ensure the protection of sensitive or classified information, personnel, facilities installations, or other sensitive materials, resources or processes to ensure they are adequately protected against criminal, terrorist, or hostile intelligence activities.

Job Description

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-05 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience implementing and operating an electronic security system including access control systems, intrusion detection system, closed circuit television and video management or data storage. OR Successful completion of one full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include: Criminal Justice, Security Administration, or Security Design. OR Completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.): Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. S.A.A. is based on: (1) Class Standing - applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class, based on completed courses; or (2) Grade-Point Average - applicants must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (3) Election to membership in a National Honor Society - membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. OR Successful combination of specialized experience and education as described above. 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. Physical Demands: The work requires using monitoring screens and equipment and long-term visual usage. Work may require long periods of sitting, standing, reaching, and similar activities. No heavy lifting or physical exertion is required. The incumbent must maintain alertness for 12-hour shifts in the SOC, both day and night. The incumbent may need to be available to fill in for absent SOC Controllers or provide extra station operational capacity during incidents, emergencies or high-threat environments. Due to the 24/7 nature of the facility, SOC Controllers are required to staff the Lenel system at all times. The incumbent may be required to provide support during non-duty hours. Work Environment: The work is performed in an office settings, infectious diseases laboratories, and as required, indoor animal holding facilities, and building mechanical spaces involved with inspections. Temperature extremes may occur as well as exposure to disagreeable odors, working around frightened, unpredictable, and ill-natured animals, and exposure to the risks and hazards of harmful biological, chemical, and physical agents. Immunizations with vaccines may be required to enter facilities conducting work with human diseases. The work requires special safety precautions and PPE. Use of protective equipment, such as respirators, disposable personal protective clothing, encapsulated air pressurized suits, and eye protection, may be required. A degree of potential risk is involved due to biohazard laboratories. The health status of personnel is monitored periodically using biologic and serologic tests and physical examinations. Restrictions against contact with birds and livestock outside the laboratory may apply after entering high security animal facilities that are working with disease agents foreign to the United States. The mission of NBAF includes research, diagnosis and training for animal diseases foreign to the United States (U.S.) for the purpose of protecting American agriculture and domestic food sources from their potentially devastating effects. NBAF is vital to successfully protecting U.S. agriculture from the intentional or non-intentional introduction of foreign animal diseases such as Foot-and-Mouth disease. The position supports the biocontainment facilities and may require entry into biosafety level (BSL) 3, 3 enhanced, 3 Ag and BSL-4 labs. The incumbent must demonstrate the physical and psychological capability to conduct normal duties that are appropriate to their position. To prevent the transmission of disease out of biocontainment and retention of the position, the incumbent must meet the following medical standards in a pre-employment medical examination conducted after the receipt of a preliminary job offer and on a periodic basis: Medical confidentiality will be maintained by the examining physician and only fitness (or unfit) for duty determination will be indicated. The incumbent will also be required to pass periodic fitness for duty physicals. In addition, a medical clearance will be required in the event that it becomes necessary to enter an area where an air purifying respirator or other respiratory protection is required. Medical confidentiality will be maintained by the examining physician and only fitness (or unfit) for duty determination will be indicated. The incumbent will also be required to pass periodic fitness for duty physicals. In addition, a medical clearance will be required in the event that it becomes necessary to enter an area where an air purifying respirator or other respiratory protection is required. A baseline blood sample may be required for employees entering and working in the biocontainment facilities. For the health and safety of the incumbent and to prevent the spread of disease, immunization against diseases being studied at NBAF which are transmissible to humans may be required where the vaccine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for safety and effectiveness under the provision of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, as amended 21 USC 321-392. Where the vaccine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for investigational purposes, the incumbent will be advised that such immunization is voluntary. Due to the contagious nature to livestock of Foot-and-Mouth disease, and other diseases under study at NBAF, biosafety protocols specify a personal quarantine for employees working on specific infectious agents in designated areas of NBAF. As a condition for employment, all personnel entering these areas at NBAF shall not be in contact with specific susceptible animals and their premises away from NBAF for a period of five (5) days after leaving the area. Currently, restricted species are cattle, sheep, goats, deer, other ruminants, and swine. Contact with horses, birds (agricultural and pet birds) and rabbits are normally permitted, but restrictions may be placed on staff working with or near infectious agents affecting these species. Restricted livestock or other restricted animals may not be housed on the premises where the employee lives and where the quarantine cannot be enforced. Employees who violate this requirement may be removed from employment or subject to other disciplinary actions.