Vector Entomology and Pest Surveillance SME

About Precision Federal

Precision Federal is a Christian-owned small business building AI and software systems for federal agencies through the SBIR program. The founder is a Christian, and the company is run on Christian principles: every number we publish is real, every claim we make is verifiable, and the work is done with excellence as service to God. Every proposal we submit is backed by working prototypes built before we ask for a dollar.

How this role works

1. You join the bench. We name you (with a short bio) as a proposed consultant on proposals that match this role. Consent costs you nothing and commits you to nothing until an award funds.
2. A contract is awarded. Federal SBIR awards fund the team named in the proposal. Your engagement begins, at an hourly rate agreed before you were ever named.
3. You work remote, paid from the contract. ~40–80 hrs per funded award — and if no award ever funds, you owe nothing and lose nothing.

What you'll do

• Advise on trap, lure and sensor design for target species such as New World screwworm and disease vectors
• Define identification criteria, ground-truthing and sampling design for a networked surveillance system
• Review our detection models against real field data and false-positive sources
• Point us at the USDA APHIS, CDC and international surveillance references a reviewer will expect

Required qualifications

• Degree and direct field experience in entomology, vector biology or agricultural pest surveillance
• Working knowledge of species identification, morphological or molecular
• U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (U.S. person)
• Willing to be named on a federal proposal with a one-page resume, and to sign a short letter of commitment

Preferred qualifications

• USDA APHIS, CDC, DoD or state agriculture program experience
• Experience with sensor, imaging or eDNA detection methods
• Field work in Latin America or the southern United States

Compensation & structure

1099 consulting engagement. $60–$100 per hour, confirmed in writing before you are named on any proposal. Hours are funded by federal contract awards — engagements on this bench have ranged from roughly 130 to 710 hours across a period of performance, fully remote. Work and pay begin only if the contract is awarded — no award, no hours, no obligation.

Apply — Vector Entomology and Pest Surveillance SME

Every application is read personally by the founder. We respond to every serious one.

First name *

Last name *

Email *

Phone

City & state

Years of relevant experience * Select Under 5 5–10 10–15 15–20 20+

Work authorization * Select U.S. citizen U.S. lawful permanent resident Other

Security clearance Select (optional) None Prior (inactive) Active

Military service Select (optional) None Veteran Retired military Currently serving (Guard/Reserve)

LinkedIn or portfolio link

Resume (PDF or Word) *

How did you hear about us?

Five questions

These are the substance of the application. Answer from your own experience — a few sentences each is plenty, and “this never came up” is a real answer we want.

1. How often did a sensor network that detected everything except the insect it was built for come up in your work, and roughly what did it cost — in hours, in people, or in rework? *

2. What tool or process does your organization use today for vector and pest surveillance and identification, and where does it fall short? *

3. If a better way to handle vector and pest surveillance and identification existed, which office or role would decide whether to adopt it? *

4. Do you have any role in deciding what tools or systems your organization adopts — approving, evaluating, or recommending a purchase? *

5. Do you own, or hold signing authority for, a company or consultancy of your own? *

May we name you, by name and title, as a proposed consultant on our team in federal proposals, and quote your answers above? * Please choose… Yes No

Submit application

Questions before applying? contact@precisionfederal.com · See all open roles