Microbiologist

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management’s website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience OR substitution of education for experience OR combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following requirements: EDUCATION: Degree: microbiology; or biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included at least 20 semester hours in microbiology and other subjects related to the study of microorganisms, and 20 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences combining course work in organic chemistry or biochemistry, physics, and college algebra, or their equivalent. OR Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in microbiology, biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included courses as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government. 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; knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. To qualify at the ZP-2 (GS-7) level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-1 (GS-5) in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Assisting with practical microbiological analysis of food products using conventional techniques such as media preparation, plate counts, and the Most Probable Number (MPN) method, while ensuring aseptic procedures provide accurate and reliable results; and Assisting with the utilization of molecular analytical techniques including PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), DNA sequencing, or genomic techniques to develop, validate, and verify methods and instrumentation, enhancing laboratory capabilities; and Ensuring compliance with ISO 17025 standards by following quality control protocols and laboratory safety procedures in order to maintain accreditation. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: One full year of graduate-level education in microbiology, or specific area of study such as bacteriology, virology, mycology, algology, protozoology, parasitology, immunology, serology, microbial genetics, or soil microbiology; or specific applied fields of microbiology such as clinical and public health microbiology, food technology, production processes, industrial fermentation, pollution, etc. Graduate study in related fields such as experimental pathology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, biochemistry, animal or plant physiology, genetics, plant pathology, and insect disease control, may also be pertinent, provided it has direct application to microbiological work. OR SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT (S.A.A): S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership: Class standing — Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) — Applicants must have a grade-point average of:2.9 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B” or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B+” or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2years of the curriculum. Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society — Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies listed below. Agencies considering eligibility based on any society not included in the following list must ensure that the honor society meets the minimum requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies. Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience as described above. Note: Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience. To qualify at the ZP-3 (GS-11) level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-2 (GS-9) in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Performing “hands-on” microbiological analysis of food products using conventional techniques such as media preparation, plate counts, and the Most Probable Number (MPN) method, while employing aseptic procedures to ensure accurate and reliable results; Utilizing molecular analytical techniques including PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), DNA sequencing, or genomic techniques to develop, validate, and verify methods and instrumentation, enhancing laboratory capabilities; and Ensuring compliance with ISO 17025 standards by strictly adhering to quality control protocols and laboratory safety procedures in all analyses, maintaining accreditation and upholding the integrity of laboratory operations. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in microbiology, or specific area of study such as bacteriology, virology, mycology, algology, protozoology, parasitology, immunology, serology, microbial genetics, or soil microbiology; or specific applied fields of microbiology such as clinical and public health microbiology, food technology, production processes, industrial fermentation, pollution, etc. Graduate study in related fields such as experimental pathology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, biochemistry, animal or plant physiology, genetics, plant pathology, and insect disease control, may also be pertinent, provided it has direct application to microbiological work. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience as described above. Note: Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience.
This position is located in the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Sustainable Fisheries (OSF), National Seafood Inspection Laboratory (NSIL), with one vacancy in Pascagoula, MS. This position is also announced under vacancy number NMFS OSF-24-12606772-ST, which is open to Status Candidates. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.