Entomologist

DLA Careers; Fort Belvoir (VA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

DLA Careers is seeking an Entomologist to serve as the DLA Pest Management Program Manager, acting as the technical authority for IPM, medical entomology, and Force Health Protection. You will lead program oversight, develop long-range plans, and advise leadership on pest management strategies.

You will certify pesticide applicators, coordinate use plans for compliance, and manage records while coordinating with DoD and external agencies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or higher in entomology or related biological/physical sciences with at least 16 semester hours in entomology.
• Education must be from an accredited college; transcripts must be submitted.
• Combination of education and experience demonstrating knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the occupation.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the DLA Pest Management Program Manager and IPM technical authority across installations.
• Certify pesticide applicators and approve pesticide-use plans to ensure compliance.
• Oversee collection, reporting, and archiving of pesticide application records per FIFRA/NEPA and DoW policies.
• Design, direct, and execute agency-wide Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.
• Develop and disseminate technical guidance and operating guidelines for novel situations.

Education

Bachelor's degree in entomology or related discipline with at least 16 semester hours in entomology

Job description

Summary

See below for important information regarding this job.

Duties

• Serves as the DLA Pest Management Program Manager, acting as the agency's point of contact (POC) and technical authority on all matters related to integrated pest management (IPM), medical entomology, and Force Health Protection (FHP).
• Provides comprehensive program oversight, develops long-range strategic plans, and advises Agency Senior Leaders on IPM methods to prevent critical economic and health losses.
• Serves as the certifying official for all DoD Pesticide Applicator Certifications held by the DLA workforce. Represents the Agency as a voting member of the Armed Forces Pest Management Board (AFPMB).
• Conducts in-depth investigations and special studies (e.g., population evaluations, contractual evaluations) to resolve issues not susceptible to standard methods.
• Develops plans to prevent and control medical and economic issues caused by pests, disease vectors, and Invasive Alien Species (IAS).
• Develops and disseminates technical guidance, communication materials, and operational guidelines for novel situations.
• Monitors DLA installation compliance with all DoD, Federal (e.g., EPA), and international regulations, coordinating with other government agencies on shared FHP initiatives and providing expert assistance to local medical authorities and commands.
• Serves as the budget officer for DLA’s Safety and Occupational Health (SOH) Office including the management of the Fiscal Year (FY) Annual Operating Budget (AOB) for Defense Working Capital Fund (DWCF) and Appropriated funds as required.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Tour of Duty: Flexible
• Security Requirements: Non-Critical Sensitive with Secret Access
• Appointment is subject to the completion of a favorable suitability or fitness determination, where reciprocity cannot be applied; unfavorably adjudicated background checks will be grounds for removal.
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
• Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service.
• Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
• Bargaining Unit Status: No
• Selectees are required to have a REAL ID or other acceptable identification documents to access certain federal facilities.
• Pre-Employment Physical: Required

Qualifications

To qualify for an Entomologist, your resume and supporting documentation must support:

• Basic Requirement: A Bachelor's Degree or higher in entomology; or a related discipline of the biological or physical sciences that included at least 16 semester hours in entomology. Applicants with major fields of study in biology, zoology, or invertebrate zoology may fully meet the basic educational requirements if their academic preparation included substantive instruction (including appropriate laboratory and field work) in basic general entomology, taxonomy, physiology, ecology, general and organic chemistry, general physics, and mathematics or statistics that provided some training in the analysis of variables.

Combination of education and experience - Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A. above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate fields. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation.

Education must be from an accredited college recognized by the Secretary, U.S. Department of Education. If using education completed outside the U.S., it must be submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. YOU MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPTS. Failure to submit transcripts will result in a rating of ineligible.

Specialized Experience

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position and is directly in or related to this position. To qualify at the GS-14 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military, or private sector. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements including time-in-grade (General Schedule (GS) positions only), time-after-competitive appointment, minimum qualifications, and any other regulatory requirements by the cut-off/closing date of the announcement. Creditable specialized experience includes:

• Serving as the designated agency technical authority for medical entomology, vector borne disease surveillance, biosecurity, and Force Health Protection (FHP) across multiple installations or contingency locations to resolve vector-borne disease threats, conduct population evaluations, and advise on facility pest mitigation.
• Certifying pesticide applicators and coordinating/approving pesticide use plans ensuring compliance with applicator certification requirements.
• Overseeing the collection, reporting, and permanent archiving of pesticide application records in accordance with federal regulations (FIFRA, NEPA) and DoW records management policies.
• Designing, directing, and executing agency or enterprise-wide Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.

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.

Physical Demands

Some travel (10-25%) is involved conducting field surveys to obtain samples and assess conditions. There may be some walking, standing, bending and climbing, including the potential for travel to austere environments and/or lifting of moderately heavy objects.

Work Environment

The work is usually performed in an office environment. However, during field visits there is the potential for exposure to toxic chemicals and physical stress. Work involves exposure to moderate risks and discomfort. Incumbent may be required for periods of time to work in uncomfortable outdoor climates, such as very hot and humid, and wear uncomfortable protective and safety clothing and equipment when conducting survey and evaluation operations; encounter hostile wildlife; exposure to vectors in areas of endemic arthropod-borne disease transmission; exposure to chemical and physical hazards for which protective precautions are required or mandated by law. Certain immunizations as recommended by the medical authority may be required.

Education

Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level. You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at time of application. Graduate Education: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

• 302.106, DLA will provide Section 508 conformant ICT to employees with disabilities. All ICT interfaces with the public related to vacancy announcements and career transition opportunities must conform to the applicable requirements in the current ICT Standards and Guidelines (36 C.F.R. 1194).

For Important General Applicant Information and Definitions go to http://www.dla.mil/portals/104/documents/careers/GenAppInfoDef.pdf

Reemployed Annuitants

This position does not meet criteria for appointment of Reemployed Annuitants. The DoD criteria for hiring Reemployed Annuitants can be found at: https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/140025_vol300.PDF

Information for Veterans

Information for Veterans is available at: https://www.dla.mil/Careers/Programs/. As of 23 December 2016, Military retirees seeking to enter federal service in the Department of Defense now require a waiver if they would be appointed within 180 days following their official date of retirement.

Drug-Free Workplace Policy

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is committed to maintaining a safe, drug-free workplace. All DLA employees are required to refrain from illegal drug use on and off duty. DLA conducts pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, and random drug testing. Applicants tentatively selected for employment in testing designated positions will undergo a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Refusal to undergo testing or testing positive for illegal drugs will result in withdrawal of the tentative job offer and a six-month denial of employment with DLA from the date of the drug test. Employees in drug testing designated positions are subject to random drug testing. A negative drug test result must be received by HR within 30 calendar days after the EOD (i.e., start date). The selectee's inability successfully pass; or refusal to conduct the test may result in: 1) the tentative or FJO being withdrawn during the recruitment process; or 2) subsequently being removed from Federal service for failure to match a condition of employment. You may be required to sign a "Drug Test Statement of Understanding" if you are selected for this position.

The DLA drug testing panel tests for the following substances: marijuana, cocaine, opiates, heroin, phencyclidine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, fentanyl, nor fentanyl, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and opioids.

ADVISORY

Use of cannabidiol (CBD) products may result in a positive drug test for marijuana. DLA employees are subject to Federal law and under Federal law, Marijuana is illegal.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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