Consumer Safety Inspector chez Department of Agriculture

Other

Duties

YOU WILL/MAY:,Ensure that regulated establishments produce a safe product by executing appropriate inspection methods, determining non-compliance with regulatory requirements, documenting noncompliance and initiating enforcement action, where warranted.,Verify that meat and poultry slaughter and/or processing establishment's Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans meet regulatory requirements.,Verify that an establishment's execution of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) effectively prevent unsanitary conditions and adulterations of products.,Review records, observe plant operations and conduct hands-on verification to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and prepare detailed records of non-compliance with regulatory requirements.,Assess a plant's corrective or preventative actions to determine if they are acceptable and effective and to determine if there are trends in non-compliance or if enforcement action is warranted.,Conduct regulatory oversight activities inside plants in matters relating to other consumer protections (e.g., economic adulteration and misbranding).,Have contact with plant managers, owners and others to explain legal and regulatory requirements, discuss operation of the plant's SSOPs, HACCP plans and other food safety programs.,Communicate and defend determinations of non-compliance issues and discuss plans for addressing non-compliance.,Work with a variety of individuals to resolve problems, clarify differences of interpretation concerning HACCP and other food safety or consumer protection requirements.,Advise other Agency inspectors, supervisors and officers on inspection and enforcement matters for which you are involved.,Conduct a variety of samplings, surveys and tests to obtain pertinent data on potential problem areas, industry trends, or other issues of current interest to the Agency.,Be involved in performing health and safety verification sampling and tests for detection of specific microbes (e.g., salmonella, listeria, etc.), residues or contaminants.,Assure that products approved for import are in full compliance with all applicable Federal regulations governing the importation of meat and poultry products.,Authorize entry of all meat or poultry products considered to comply with Federal regulations or refuse entry of any products which violate any of the requirements for admission into this country.,Coordinate with other Federal agencies (e.g., the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service or U.S. Customs and Border Protection) on such matters as animal health restrictions and refused entry lots.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Specialized experience: Specialized experience is experience that provides you with knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities or other products for human consumption. Such experience may have been acquired in work such as consumer safety inspector or inspection aide, food inspector, public health inspector, quality inspection specialist, or similar position with responsibility for sampling, quality control and sanitation in a food manufacturing or production environment, or similar environment for other ingestible items. See specific grade level specialized experience definitions below. For the GS-5 level: You must have at least 52 weeks of qualifying experience that provided knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities and substances; such as: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, food or beverages for human consumption or other ingestible substances, such as pharmaceuticals. Your resume must show examples of your experience, such as: applying proper techniques for collecting samples and/or performing field tests and examinations (e.g. identifying abnormalities in the product or production environment and recommending corrective actions), developing written reports and/or reporting findings of results orally (e.g. documenting abnormalities in the product or production environment and communicating those findings to others), and/or skill in maintaining effective personal contacts with a variety of individuals (e.g. discussing findings with internal or external contacts regarding the food safety standards established in the production environment), or other similar work making determinations on products for human consumption or the production environment (e.g. ensuring conformance with established standards). Such experience may have been acquired working positions such as consumer safety inspector or inspection aid, food inspector, public health inspector, quality inspection specialist, or other related position. For the GS-7 level: In addition to the qualifications above, applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level, and you should have performed standard and recurrent duties on an independent basis. Your resume should show that you have at least 52 weeks of experience in independently carrying out routine, standard assignments on a regular and recurring basis that provided you with knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities and substances; such as: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or other food for human consumption, and other ingestible substances, such as pharmaceuticals. For the GS-8 level: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level. In addition to the qualifications above, you must show experience working with the Federal Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products Inspection Acts in order to inspect meat, poultry and egg products; working with basic SSOP and HACCP principles and practices in order to verify plant HACCP and SSOP responsibilities; performing basic mathematics and elementary statistical concepts and methods to perform testing and sampling procedures, and experience in reaching and interpreting conclusions based on the results from sampling and testing. For the GS-9 level: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-8 level. In addition to the qualifications above, you must have experience working more independently than CSIs at lower grades. Your experience may include duties such as recommending refusal of exports and providing temporary coverage at locations outside of your official duty station. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through national service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Follow this link for more information on OPM's qualifications standards for the CSI position: Consumer Safety Inspector Series, GS-1862. The duties of a Consumer Safety Inspector are performed in a hazardous working environment. For additional information, please click here.

Education

Education may be used to qualify in lieu of specialized experience as described below. For the GS-5 level: Successful completion of a four-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours/credits in any combination of coursework in the areas of: agricultural, biological, or physical sciences, food technology, epidemiology, home economics, pharmacy, engineering, or nutrition. Specialized government or military training may be creditable if it is related directly to this position. OR A combination of education and specialized experience. In this instance, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (with some related coursework, as described in number 2 above) is creditable towards meeting the requirements, along with specialized work experience. The combination must equal 100% of the requirement. For example, if you have 33% of the education requirement, then you will need 67% of the specialized experience requirement. For the GS-7 level: You can qualify at this grade with one full year of directly related graduate education. OR A combination of education and specialized experience. In this instance, only graduate education directly related to the work of the position is creditable towards meeting the requirements, along with specialized work experience. The combination must equal 100% of the requirement. For example, if you have 33% of the education requirement, then you will need 67% of the specialized experience requirement. For the GS-9 level: You can qualify at this grade with two full years of directly related graduate education, or a master's degree in a field that gis directly related to the CSI position. OR A combination of education and specialized experience. In this instance, only graduate education in excess of the first 18 semester hours directly related to the work of the position is creditable towards meeting the requirements, along with specialized work experience. The combination must equal 100% of the requirement. For example, if you have 33% of the education requirement, then you will need 67% of the specialized experience requirement.

Other Information

THIS POSITION REQUIRES A PRE-EMPLOYMENT PHYSICAL: Position Requirements. Applicants must: Be physically and medically able to efficiently perform the essential job functions, without being a direct threat to themselves and others. Have full range of motion to perform rapid repetitive twisting and working with arms above shoulder level. Be able to stand and walk on slippery and uneven floors and catwalks, and climbing stairs and ladders. Be able to lift, carry, push and pull up to 30 pounds, with occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds. Have manual dexterity of the upper body, including arms, hands, and fingers with a normal sense of touch in both hands. Have good near and distance vision, be free of chronic eye disease and have correctable vision of at least 20/40 in one eye. Have the ability to distinguish shades of color. Any significant degree of color blindness (more than 25 percent error rate on approved color plate test) may be disqualifying. Individuals with some hearing loss and/or requiring hearing amplification will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Assignment Restrictions: FSIS Directive 4735.9, Office of Field Operations Assignment Restrictions and Rules on Gifts from Regulated Industry, sets out the Agency's requirements regarding employee assignment restrictions, as it pertains to family and personal relationships. Please read before applying. Recruitment incentives are offered based on agency staffing needs and budgetary availability; service agreements apply. For detailed incentive information see: Career Profiles | FSIS. FSIS offers a $5,000 sign-on bonus to be paid out in one lump sum. This recruitment incentive requires a signed two-year service agreement, as well as satisfactory performance and conduct. The service agreement details conditions of receipt and acceptance of the incentive and is provided to new employees prior to entrance on duty. Funds will be collected for any periods of uncompleted service. You may be eligible for Creditable Service for Annual Leave Accrual (CSALA) Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. For more information please visit: PSLF Program. This position offers a referral bonus award of $1,000. More than one award may be given subject to criteria being met. Current FSIS employees may be eligible for this award if they refer an applicant who later enters on duty and works at least 90 days with successful performance and conduct. The referred employee will have an opportunity to list the referring employee during the application process. There are some restrictions on this award. Ineligible employees include employees whose regular, recurring jobs include the recruitment of new employees, employees who are otherwise excluded from receiving achievement awards, and selecting officials or other persons associated with the selection process of the referred employee. If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and you may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.