Summary
This position is in the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Field Organization, Pacific West Area, Range Sheep Production Efficiency Research located in Dubois, ID. In this position, you will support animal research by assisting with animal care, sample handling, data collection, and operation of research and farm equipment.
Duties
Assists with daily animal husbandry tasks involving sheep, cattle, horses, and dogs, including mixing and delivering diets, monitoring health, and performing routine care in feedlot and rangeland environments.
Assists with pasture improvement projects and invasive weed control using general rangeland and herbicide-application equipment under established procedures.
Maintains inventory of animal feeds, supplements, seeds, fertilizers, herbicides, and related materials; assists with proper storage and disposal of chemical and biological waste.
Collects samples, records instrument readings, and takes measurements in laboratory, pasture, and feedlot environments following standardized procedures.
Prepares, organizes, and labels samples, ensuring documentation accuracy and compliance with established research protocols.
Keeps detailed records of experimental data related to animal feeding, health, performance, pasture utilization, and weed treatment; updates logs and ensures accuracy.
Recognizes minor variations in repeated routine observations or measurements and reports them to research staff.
Assists in operating and performing routine calibration of feed transport, processing, storage, delivery, pasture tillage, irrigation, and herbicide application equipment.
Maintains, calibrates, and modifies equipment and automated systems used for test and evaluation procedures.
Operates large machinery and equipment common to assigned work areas (feed mixers, tractors, loaders, applicators).
Independently recognizes abnormal or unexpected biological responses, measurement irregularities, or subtle variations in repeated experiments and reports findings to scientists.
Uses PC software for tabulation, statistical analysis, and summarization of scientific data.
Requirements
You must be a US Citizen or US National. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt. Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year trial period. Motor Vehicle or Commercial Driver's License Required within 6 mo on hire. Pesticide Applicators License Required within 6 mo of hire. Ability to operate large equipment such as tractors and attachments, feed mixers and loaders.
Education
Please see above for education qualification requirement information.
How you will be evaluated
Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy. This means you will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13069587