Biological Scientist (Emergency Coordinator)

Position overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is seeking a Biological Scientist (Emergency Coordinator) to support the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (FADDL) at the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kansas. This role provides expert advice and direction to laboratory leadership on emergency readiness, homeland security concerns, and all-hazards planning, with a strong focus on protecting animal health, plant health, and personnel from serious disease threats.

This position can have nationwide impact by helping strengthen preparedness and response capabilities for high-consequence biological incidents.

Qualifications

Applicants must satisfy all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date.

Basic education requirement: A completed bachelor’s degree or higher in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or another closely related field is required. Candidates may also qualify through a combination of post-secondary education and experience, provided they have coursework equivalent to a major in one of these areas (24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours) plus relevant experience or additional coursework that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for the role.

GS-12 specialized experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level. This experience should show the ability to:

• Apply core biological science knowledge to support emergency preparedness and response.
• Create, review, or revise emergency response plans, procedures, or documents connected to laboratory, scientific, or disease-response events.
• Plan or help deliver emergency exercises, drills, or training activities, then document observations and after-action findings to improve readiness.
• Use qualitative and quantitative methods to collect, evaluate, and interpret information for continuity planning, contingency planning, hazard assessment, and preparedness guidance.
• Explain technical emergency-response information to stakeholders in support of coordinated preparedness efforts.

There is no education substitution for the GS-12 grade level.

Transcripts are required when the vacancy requires specific coursework or a degree in a particular field to establish basic qualification. Education must have been earned from an accredited school, college, or university.

Qualifying experience may be paid or unpaid, including volunteer service through programs such as Peace Corps or AmeriCorps, as well as other community, philanthropic, religious, social, or student organizations. Volunteer experience is fully creditable if it provides relevant competencies.

Key duties

The work involves designing, carrying out, analyzing, and documenting laboratory emergency response plans tied to incidents involving high-consequence livestock diseases.

Additional responsibilities include keeping training and logistics records current, ensuring response equipment remains fully operational, advising leadership on activation levels and staffing for both live responses and training events, supporting recurring exercises and continuity training, resolving administrative or resource issues that arise during emergency operations, and responding to internal and external information requests with situational updates and required notifications.

The role also includes maintaining required biological agent and select agent inventories and records in line with program rules and procedures.

Employment details

This is a full-time, on-site position based in Manhattan, Kansas.

Salary: USD 89,508 to 116,362 per year.

Posting dates: The position is scheduled to open on 06/30/2026 and close on 07/07/2026.

APHIS is an emergency response agency, and employees may be asked or assigned to participate in rotating temporary duty assignments that support emergency programs during their careers.

Supporting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s broader mission, APHIS works to protect animal and plant health and help safeguard American agriculture in domestic and global markets.

Detailed application instructions are available in the complete announcement.

Additional information

This position is part of a mission-critical organization focused on agricultural protection, disease preparedness, and emergency response. The work may involve coordination with other offices and agencies and may require occasional support for real-world events, exercises, and continuity activities.

Because the role is connected to emergency response operations, flexibility and readiness to support surge assignments are important.

About APHIS

APHIS is a USDA agency dedicated to protecting the health and care of animals and plants in the United States while supporting agricultural commerce and biosecurity.