Supervisory Agriculturist (Lab Director)

US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Buzzards Bay (MA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in the United States seeks a senior leader to direct a large laboratory focused on scientific research and technology development essential to safeguarding plant and animal resources from exotic pests and diseases.

The incumbent will oversee staff, budgets, and cross-disciplinary programs, communicate with senior managers and external partners, and guide strategic initiatives to deliver measurable improvements.

Qualifications

• Experience managing staff and budgets in a multi-disciplinary unit.
• Ability to communicate complex plant health issues with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong critical thinking, leadership, and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to evaluate scientific publications, project plans, and funding proposals.
• Experience establishing partnerships with universities and other organizations.

Skills

Staff and budget management

Oral and written communication

Leadership and decision making

Evaluation of scientific publications

Partnership development

Education

Degree in biological sciences / related field

Job description

The incumbent directs a large laboratory charged with scientific research and technology development critical to USDA's mission of safeguarding plant and animal resources from exotic pests and diseases. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

BASIC REQUIREMENT: Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level.

FOR THE GS-15 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-14 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Experience managing the staff and budget of a multi-disciplinary unit that applies advanced scientific concepts, practices, standards, and methods to solving plant health or plant quarantine challenges.
• Ability to communicate routinely and appropriately, orally and in writing, with senior management, subordinate employees, and diverse stakeholders, partners, and customers regarding complex plant health or plant quarantine issues.
• Ability to apply critical thinking, decision making, and leadership toward identifying and resolving complex organizational problems and achieving measurable improvement.
• Ability to critically evaluate, correctly interpret, and ensure quality of scientific or technical publications, project plans, funding proposals, research reports, and other similar documents.
• Experience establishing and maintaining successful cooperative relations or partnerships with universities and other public and private organizations involved in plant health or plant quarantine research and development.

Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS are required if:

• This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified.
• You are qualifying for the position based on education.
• You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education.
• This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university.

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.