Consumer Safety Inspector - Up to 5K Recruitment Incentive - Breaux Bridge, LA
This announcement is for a Consumer Safety Inspector position with USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. The position is located in Breaux Bridge, LA. Apply online at https://www.usajobs.gov/job/715639900
Required Qualifications for Consumer Safety Inspectors (resume needs to demonstrate experience or transcripts need to demonstrate education):
Qualifications
You must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the experience that would have been gained if working in this position or a similar, closely related position at the next lower level by the closing date of this announcement or the appropriate education substitution. See specialized experience definitions below.
Specialized experience:
For all grade levels:
This experience should encompass at least two of the following areas:
- Skill in applying proper techniques for collecting samples and performing field tests and examinations,
- Skill in developing written reports and reporting findings or results orally,
- Skill in maintaining effective personal contacts with a variety of individuals.
For the GS-05 Level: At least 52 weeks of qualifying experience gained under close supervision 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. This experience should include several or all of the following: Skill in applying proper techniques for collecting samples and performing field tests and examinations, skill in developing written reports and reporting findings or results orally, and skill in maintaining effective personal contacts with a variety of individuals. Such experience may have been acquired in work such as consumer safety inspector or inspection aid, 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.
To qualify at the GS-7 level based on experience, the applicant needs to show that they meet the requirements of the GS-5, but also that they have performed these duties on a more independent basis.
Education
Education may be used to qualify in lieu of specialized experience as described below.
For the GS-05 level: Successful completion of a full 4 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-07 Level: One full year of directly related graduate education is qualifying for GS-7.
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.
Job Duties
- Ensure that regulated establishments produce a safe product by executing appropriate inspection methods, determining noncompliance 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.
- Execute Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plans effectively to prevent unsanitary conditions and adulteration of product.
- Review records, observe plant operations and conduct hands-on verification to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and prepare detailed documentation (Non-Compliance Records) of non-compliance with regulatory requirements.
- Determine when regulatory control action is necessary. You will assess whether the plant's corrective or preventative actions are acceptable and effective, if there are trends in noncompliance, 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 SSOP, HACCP plan and other food safety programs.
- Communicate and defend determinations on 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 various 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 (APHIS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on such matters as animal health restrictions and refused entry lots.