Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

In addition to meeting the Basic Education requirements for the job series for which you are applying, as described in the Education section of this vacancy announcement, you must also meet the Minimum Qualification requirements for the grade level(s) for which you are applying:

For the Veterinary Medical Officer, FP-0701-05 (GS-11 equivalent) level: Applicants that possess the Basic Education Requirements for the 0701 series, as described in the Basic Education Requirement section of this announcement, qualify for the 0701 position at the FP-05 level.

For the Veterinary Medical Officer, FP-0701-04 (GS-12 equivalent) level you must possess one of the following:
One year (or more) of specialized experience that was equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal service (FP-05/GS-11) that provided you with the ability to form the duties of the position at this level. This experience must be documented in your resume/application for this position. Examples of qualifying specialize experience include:

• Participating in analyzing plant, insect, and/or animal health conditions, along with related government policies and regulatory processes, and determining the effect of such conditions.
• Participating in compiling, reviewing, and analyzing technical reports on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues, pests, and diseases and the economic, market, and technical data relating to production, trade, consumption, prices and other factors affecting the safeguarding of U.S. agriculture.
• Assisting with planning, coordinating, or conducting analyses relevant to trade issues and with designing and developing solutions for the successful management of these issues.
• Participating in the identification, monitoring, and removal of technical, sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to agricultural trade.
• Participating in investigating, researching, preparing, and providing advisories identifying pest alerts, new regulations and other updates affecting all entities of export/import trade.
• Participating in determining and implementing agricultural capacity building and development activities to enhance trade and food security objectives.

OR - Successful completion of two years of an internship, residency program, or fellowship training program in a discipline related to Veterinary Medicine. Applicants must provide a certificate, letter or other documentation of the completion of this program.
OR - A Master's degree from an accredited college or school in an area of specialization including, but not limited to: animal science; avian medicine; food safety; Infectious diseases; veterinary clinical sciences; pathology; biomedical sciences; veterinary anatomy; veterinary preventative medicine; comparative biological sciences; epidemiology; veterinary parisitology; molecular veterinary biosciences; public health; microbiology; immunology, laboratory animal medicine, toxicology; wildlife; zoological animal medicine; or sciences related to the work of a veterinary medical officer. Applicants must submit copies of college transcripts to document this degree.

For the Entomologist, FP-0414-05 (GS-11 equivalent) level you must possess one of the following: One year (or more) of specialized experience that was equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal service, FP-06 (GS-09 equivalent), that provided you with the ability to perform the duties of this position at the FP-05 (GS-11 equivalent) level. This specialized experience must be documented in your resume/application for this position. Examples of qualifying specialize experience include:

• Participating in determining plant, insect, and/or animal health conditions;
• Participating in identifying disciplines and multi-disciplinary mixes for risk assessment/hazard evaluation of plant or animal health issues related to international trade;
• Participating in identifying phytosanitary trade issues and providing input as needed;
• Preparing and providing advisories identifying pest alerts, new regulations and other updates affecting export/import trade;
• Participating in agricultural capacity building and development activities to enhance trade and food security objectives.

OR -Three years of graduate-level education leading to a PhD degree in entomology or a related discipline. Applicants must submit copies of college transcripts to document this education.
OR- Equivalent combinations of education and experience as described above are qualifying for this job series at this grade level.

For the Plant Pathologist, FO-0434-05 (GS-11 equivalent) level you must possess one of the following: One year (or more) of specialized experience that was equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal service, FP-06 (GS-09 equivalent), that provided you with the ability to perform the duties of this position at the FP-05 (GS-11 equivalent) level. This experience must be documented in your resume/application for this position. Examples of qualifying specialize experience include:

• Participating in determining plant, insect, and/or animal health conditions;
• Participating in identifying disciplines and multi-disciplinary mixes for risk assessment/hazard evaluation of plant or animal health issues related to international trade;
• Participating in identifying phytosanitary trade issues and providing input as needed;
• Preparing and providing advisories identifying pest alerts, new regulations and other updates affecting export/import trade;
• Participating in agricultural capacity building and development activities to enhance trade and food security objectives.

OR - Three years of graduate-level education leading to a PhD degree in plant pathology; or a related scientific discipline. Applicants must submit copies of college transcripts to document this education.

OR - Equivalent combinations of education and experience as described above are qualifying for this job series at this grade level.

For the Entomologist and Plant Pathologist, FP-0414/0434-04 (GS-12 equivalent) level you must possess: One year (or more) of specialized experience that was equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal service, FP-05 (GS-11 equivalent), that provided you with the ability to perform the duties of this position at the FP-05 (GS-11 equivalent) level. This specialized experience must be documented in your resume/application for this position. Examples of qualifying specialize experience include:

• Participating in analyzing plant, insect, and/or animal health conditions, along with related government policies and regulatory processes, and determining the effect of such conditions.
• Participating in compiling, reviewing, and analyzing technical reports on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues, pests, and diseases and the economic, market, and technical data relating to production, trade, consumption, prices and other factors affecting the safeguarding of U.S. agriculture.
• Assisting with planning, coordinating, or conducting analyses relevant to trade issues and with designing and developing solutions for the successful management of these issues.
• Participating in the identification, monitoring, and removal of technical, sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to agricultural trade.
• Participating in investigating, researching, preparing, and providing advisories identifying pest alerts, new regulations and other updates affecting all entities of export/import trade.
• Participating in determining and implementing agricultural capacity building and development activities to enhance trade and food security objectives.

There is no substitution allowed for the 0414 and 434 job series at the FP-04 (GS-12 equivalent) level.

Education

This is an interdisciplinary announcement. This means that applicants may qualify for either the 0701 job series as a Veterinary Medical Officer; the 0414 job series as an Entomologist; or the 0434 job series as a Plant Pathologist to serve as a Foreign Service Officer Trainee, dependent on the selectee's educational background and qualifications. Selectees will be placed in the job series/title for which they meet the Basic Education and Minimum Qualification requirements.

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT for Veterinary Medical Officer in the 0701 job series: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or equivalent degree, i.e., Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD), obtained at a school or college of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA). The AVMA website has a listing of all AVMA-accredited veterinary medical schools. AVMA website: https://www.avma.orgOR:
Graduates of foreign veterinary medical schools that are not accredited by the AVMA Council on Education must meet one of the following requirements: a) Proof of certification of their final transcript by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG);
b) Possession of a permanent, full, and unrestricted license to practice veterinary medicine in a State, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States that includes successful completion of the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) or its predecessors, the National Board Examination (NBE) and the Clinical Competency Test (CCT);OR
c) Proof that the education obtained in a foreign veterinary medical program is equivalent to that gained in a veterinary medical program that is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education. An AVMA-accredited veterinary medical school or college must have accepted the final transcript from the foreign veterinary medical school at full value for placement into an advanced degree, postgraduate educational program, or training program (e.g., residency or graduate program).

In addition, graduates of foreign veterinary medical programs must also provide proof of proficiency in the English language by successfully completing one of the nationally and internationally recognized examinations that incorporate assessments of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Examples of examinations that assess mastery of the English language are shown below:
a) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Minimum scores for the TOEFL are 560 for the paper-based version; 220 for the computer-based version; or overall score of 83 for the internet-based version (including 26 or higher in speaking, 26 or higher in listening, and 17 or higher in writing). For the computer-based and paper-based test versions, applicants must also complete the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and the Test of Written English (TWE). Minimum required scores are 55 for the TSE and 5.5 for the TWE.
b) Academic tests (listening, writing, and speaking) offered by the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Applicants must achieve a minimum overall band score of 7.0, with at least 7.0 in speaking, 6.5 in listening, and 6.0 in writing; OR
c) Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL). Applicants must achieve a minimum overall band score of 70, with at least 60 in speaking, 60 in listening, and 50 in writing. Graduates of foreign veterinary medical programs must submit test results with their application. Results of more than one test or testing session cannot be combined to meet the standard.

Waiver Provision: English language proficiency assessments may be waived for qualified job applicants whose native language is English (i.e., the official or common language of an individuals country of birth is English) who submit a diploma or other official documentation as proof of graduation from a high (secondary) school where the entire curriculum and educational programs were taught in the English language for the entire 3 or 4 years of full-time attendance.

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT for Entomologist in the 0414 job series: A degree in entomology; or a related discipline of the biological or physical sciences that included at least 16 semester hours in entomology.
OR
Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major that included 16 semester hours in entomology, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education qualify at this level.

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT for Plant Pathologist in the 0434 job series: A degree in Plant Pathology; or a another directly related scientific discipline that included at least 20 semester hours in basic botany or plant science, and 10 semester hours in plant pathology.

NOTE: Graduate Level Education must have been in plant pathology, or in one of the recognized subject-matter fields of plant pathology or have followed a curriculum or pattern of training that placed major emphasis on plant pathology or one of the recognized subject-matter fields of plant pathology, such as those dealing with particular types of pathogens, diseases of particular kinds of crops, or chemical or biological controls. Graduate study in related fields such as microbiology, entomology, plant physiology, genetics, agronomy, horticulture, forestry, or chemistry may also be qualifying, provided it placed a sufficient amount of emphasis on plant pathology.

Additional information