Biological Science Laboratory Technician (Recent Graduate)

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education as defined below. Minimum qualification requirement can be found in the General Schedule Qualification Standards (opm.gov). Biological Science Technician Series 0404 (opm.gov) To be eligible, applicants must meet one of the following requirements: 1. Completed all requirements for an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the previous two (2) years. OR 2. Completed a qualifying career or technical education program such as Registered Apprenticeship Programs, Job Corps, AmeriCorps, and Peace Corps within the previous two (2) years. Individuals who, due to military service obligation, were precluded from applying to the Recent Graduates Program during any portion of the 2-year eligibility period described above shall have a full 2-year period of eligibility upon release or discharge from active duty. This eligibility period cannot extend more than 6 years from the date on which the requirements for the academic course of study were met. In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements above, applicants must possess the education and/or experience requirements as follows: GS-04 Experience: Qualifying experience for GS-04 includes at least 6 months of general experience and 6 months of specialized experience. For this position general experience is defined as (1) any type of work that demonstrates the applicant’s ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. General experience can be obtained in a laboratory, field, or greenhouse environment. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. For this position, specialized experience is experience collecting, recording and processing plant or soil samples; operating laboratory equipment; and following established research procedures. OR Education: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must be directly related to the position to be filled. Related fields of study include Agronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Plant Science, Soil Science, Environmental Science or Agricultural Science. OR A combination of education and experience as described above. GS-05 Experience: Qualifying experience for GS-05 includes one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-04 which is directly related to the work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. For this position, specialized experience is experience collecting, preparing, and evaluating plant or soil samples; recording and processing plant or soil samples; operating, maintaining and calibrating laboratory equipment; and following established research procedures. OR Education: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must have been directly related to the position to be filled. Related degrees include Agronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Plant Science, Soil Science, Environmental Science or Agricultural Science. OR A combination of education and experience 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.
This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Soil Management Research Unit in Morris, Minnesota. In this position, you will provide support for research projects by performing a variety of duties in a laboratory, field, or greenhouse environment.