POSITION
Descriptive title: Software developer for wildlife disease surveillance
Official title: Biologist (computational)/Computer Scientist
Type: Full-time, 3-year term
Duty station: NWRC, Fort Collins
Series: 0401/1550
Grade: GS-12 ($87,491 annually + benefits)
Open dates for application: 12/01/2022-12/07/2022

We are looking for a computational biology programmer to develop user-friendly software tools for decision makers in the field one health, especially for planning surveillance and management of SARS-CoV-2 risk at the deer-human interface. The programmer will work with APHIS scientists, managers, and national program coordinators to automate workflows for data assimilation and reporting, risk assessment analyses, and surveillance design outputs. The position is located in Fort Collins, CO at the National Wildlife Research Center of USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services.

The incumbent should be capable of developing computer algorithms that use disease monitoring data for predicting epidemiological outcomes and modifying the input and output workflows to develop user-friendly software tools that can be used by managers (i.e., with no programming experience). Software tools will be able to automate data processing of input data, conducting analyses of data, and producing visual and/or written summaries of desired outputs. The incumbent should be capable of presenting results to non-technical stakeholders, including developing user manuals, conducting all phases of the software development with minimal oversight, and describing software packages in peer-reviewed publications or technical reports.
REQUIREMENTS
Must be a USA citizen.
• Proficiency with using a computer programming language to automate data reporting.
• Experienced at creating web-based dashboards that summarize patterns in data and allow viewers to download data files.
• Knowledgeable about disease surveillance data from multiple different diagnostic tests, including understanding what kind of inferences can be made from different data.
• Experienced with designing and implementing interactive, software that allows non-technical users to explore how different parameter values affect processes of interest (e.g., an R Shiny app or similar that explores how different parameters affect disease surveillance design or risk assessment).
• Experienced with packaging scientific analyses into shareable software that can make inferences from user-defined disease surveillance data (e.g., creation of a new R package for risk assessment).

ADDITIONAL PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Knowledge of disease surveillance data and programs, especially wildlife health.

QUESTIONS and HOW TO APPLY
Apply on USAJobs DH-11737673-23-WS between 12/1/2022 and 12/7/2022. Send any questions to kim.m.pepin@usda.gov.