Biological Science Technician

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS); Prosser (WA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

USDA Agricultural Research Service in Prosser, WA seeks a team member to support research on forage legume germplasm. The role involves collaborating with a scientist across all research phases and taking on technical and operational responsibilities in laboratory, greenhouse, and field settings.

Qualifications emphasize specialized experience related to germplasm management, data collection and analysis, and equipment operation, with education options for graduate-level study.

Qualifications

• Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised.
• Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-06 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.
• Qualifying experience for GS-08 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 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 this position.
• Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-08 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.
• A combination of education and experience as described above.
• Volunteer work can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

Responsibilities

• This position is located in the Pacific West Area at the Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing in Prosser, WA. You will participate as a team member with the scientist in all phases of the research process and assumes full technical and operational responsibility for specific phases of the research.

Education

One full year of graduate level education leading to a Master’s or equivalent

Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master’s or equivalent

Job description

Summary

This position is located in the Pacific West Area at the Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing in Prosser, WA. You will participate as a team member with the scientist in all phases of the research process and assumes full technical and operational responsibility for specific phases of the research.

Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Pacific West Area at the Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing in Prosser, WA. You will participate as a team member with the scientist in all phases of the research process and assumes full technical and operational responsibility for specific phases of the research.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in Grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. GS-07

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-06 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 includes supporting and conducting service and research related to managing forage legume germplasm in a laboratory, greenhouse and/or field environment; collecting or evaluating forage legume seed and samples; operating and maintaining laboratory equipment; and recording or analyzing scientific data. OR Education: Successful completion of one full year of graduate level education leading to a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include Related degrees may include Crop Science, Biology, Biochemistry, Food Science, and Genetics. OR A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience as described above. GS-08

GS-08

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-08 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 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 supporting and conducting service and research in projects related to forage legume plants germplasm plant pathology screenings, or pre-breeding and genetics; collecting, summarizing and finding trends and outliers in data; and maintaining equipment and automated systems used for test and evaluation procedures. OR Education: Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Genetics, Biology, Molecular Biology, Botany, Plant Pathology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Cereal Chemistry. OR A combination of education and experience as described above. GS-09

GS-09

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-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-08 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 setting up and conducting experiments or research projects related to forage legume germplasm plant pathology screenings; collecting, preparing, and evaluating plant samples for traits or inoculations, crosses or laboratory analyses, and supporting records; and summarizing research results for preparation in scientific reports or manuscripts. OR Education: Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Genetics, Biology, Molecular Biology, Botany, Plant Pathology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Cereal Chemistry. 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.

Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Our job is finding solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day from field to table. What we do matters in science and the world. For more information about Agricultural Research Service, go to https://www.ars.usda.gov/.