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Summary This position is located within the VA Boston Healthcare system, Research Service, Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU). The (VMU) supports our Biomedical researcher by offering internationally accredited laboratory animal research facility where they can work towards achieving their breakthroughs. The primary purpose of this position is to assist in providing care in the handling of animals. The incumbent is responsible for animal husbandry and care of attendant housekeeping. Responsibilities This is a bargaining unit position. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm, Rotating weekends Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available Telework: Not Available Duty Location Status: Will work from a VA owned or leased space Position Description Title/PD#: Animal Caretaker/ PD0679-A and PD21533A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Physical Demands: The position requires lifting and carrying feed materials weighing up to 75 pounds and frequently handling items such as feed trays weighing up to 20 pounds. Requires walking or standing for extended periods and frequently working in a bent position. May need to use greater strength or agility to capture and restrain stronger or more active animals. Major Duties: Provides daily care, feeding, and monitoring of animals. Cleans and sanitizes animal enclosures and equipment. Assists with handling and restraining animals during treatment transport. Maintain records and inventories. Transport or assist in transporting cages, animals, and supplies. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/18/2025 . Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a WG grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a WG 04 position you must have served 52 weeks at the WG 03, and for a WG 05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the WG 04. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" to indicate your current federal status. You must also submit additional SF-50(s) to clearly demonstrate one year time-in-grade as required in the announcement. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year time-in-grade. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade. Specialized Experience: For the WG-04 you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (WG-03) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized Experience is defined as 1. Perform animal care 2. Operate in a laboratory environment 3. Maintain records of animal health, and environment conditions. Specialized Experience: For the WG-05 you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (WG-04) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized Experience is defined as as 1.Oversee the day-to-day operation of laboratory 2. Apply knowledge of animal biology and behavior 3. Perform animal husbandry. .Per Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Qualification Policies, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, human resources director, or official documentation such as SF-52, SF-50 documenting an official detail/assignments, or other comparable documentation). The documentation must indicate whether the employee performed the duties full time or, if part-time, the percentage of times the employee performed the additional duties. To receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your position, you must provide official documentation of such experience as indicated above. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The position requires lifting and carrying feed materials weighing up to 75 pounds and frequently handling items such as feed trays weighing up to 20 pounds. Requires walking or standing for extended periods and frequently working in a bent position. May need to use greater strength or agility to capture and restrain stronger or more active animals. Education There is no educational substitution for the WG 04/05 level. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.