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Posted: March 27, 2026 (0 days ago)

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Assistant Administrator

Food Safety and Inspection Service

Department of Agriculture

Fresh

Location

Washington, District of Columbia

Salary

$216,011 - $228,000

per year

Closes

April 17, 2026More USDA jobs →

SES Pay Grade

Base salary range: $147,649 - $221,900

Typical requirements: Executive-level leadership experience. Senior executive qualifications required.

Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).

Job Description

Summary

This high-level executive role in the Food Safety and Inspection Service involves leading efforts to ensure safe food production across the nation, managing teams, budgets, and policies to improve government efficiency.

A good fit would be an experienced leader passionate about public service, the U.S. Constitution, and driving results in a regulatory environment.

The position demands strong strategic thinking and a commitment to accountability and innovation.

Key Requirements

  • Demonstrated executive experience addressing all five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) in a resume, including commitment to the rule of law, driving efficiency, merit and competence, leading people, and achieving results
  • Relevant technical qualifications (TQs) in food safety, inspection, or agricultural regulation, shown through resume examples of experience, education, and accomplishments
  • Senior-level management experience in government or related fields, with scope involving resource management, policy initiatives, and program accomplishments
  • Resume limited to 2 pages (11-point font, 0.8-inch margins) that clearly demonstrates qualifications; longer resumes may be disqualified
  • Commitment to improving federal government efficiency, upholding the U.S. Constitution, and serving the American people without bias based on protected characteristics
  • Eligibility for SES positions, such as current/former career SES members or certified graduates (who may not need to address ECQs)

Full Job Description

This position is designated as SES, Career-Reserved. USDA structures its SES positions into position levels. This is a position level 3 with a salary range of $216,011.00 - $228,000.00 per year.

Exceptions to the salary cap may be considered in certain circumstances. SES employees are also eligible to receive bonuses and performance-based awards.

Visit http://www.opm.gov/ses/ for additional information and benefits for SES employees. The application process used to recruit for this position is RESUME-ONLY.

DO NOT submit separate Executive Core Qualifications/Technical Qualifications in lieu of a resume.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Technical Qualifications (TQ) related to this position within your resume - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES using 0.8-inch margins and 11-point font.

Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed beyond page 2 or may be disqualified.

Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualification(s).

If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.

There is NO requirement to prepare a narrative statement specifically addressing the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) or the Technical Qualifications (TQs).

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): The ECQs were designed to assess executive experience and potential, not technical expertise.

They measure whether an individual has the broad executive skills needed to succeed in a variety of SES positions. All applicants must address the ECQs.

Your resume must address each ECQ and should describe your experiences and accomplishments/results.

Your resume should be clear, concise, and emphasize your level of responsibilities, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments, policy initiatives undertaken and the results of your actions.

NOTE: Current career SES members, former career SES members with reinstatement eligibility, and SES Candidate Development Program graduates who have been certified by OPM do NOT need to address the ECQs.

1.

Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding: This core qualification involves the demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.

(Competencies: Knowledge of the American System of Government, Commitment to the Rule of Law, Civic-Mindedness) 2.

Driving Efficiency: This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and sufficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.

(Competencies: Fiscal Responsibility, Managing Resources, Leveraging Technology) 3.

Merit and Competence: This core qualification involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.

(Competencies: Technical Skills, Problem Solving, Agility and Resilience) 4.

Leading People: This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture.

This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable. (Competencies: Accountability, Developing Others, Executive Judgement) 5.

Achieving Results: This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

(Competencies: Operation Mindset, Innovation, Strategic Thinking) For more information regarding the SES and ECQs, please visit SES Executive Core Qualifications.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION (TQ): In addition to the ECQs, applicants must clearly demonstrate in their resume that they meet the following technical qualification. 1.

Demonstrate your leadership by rapidly guiding and mentoring teams of scientists working on critical food safety and public health initiatives.

Emphasize your ability to set strategic direction, foster cross-agency collaboration, and inspire innovation, resulting in the swift development and effective communication of practical solutions that create measurable impact and advance scientific knowledge and processes.

Highlight your leadership philosophy in leading your team through change, adapting quickly to evolving circumstances to deliver results. Major Duties:

  • Provides executive-level leadership by participating with the Administrator, other Assistant Administrators, and staff officials in developing, recommending, and supporting Agency missions, goals, and policies.
  • Guides, supports, coordinates, and reviews research related to the food safety research agenda conducted by scientists for the Agricultural Research Service and from outside sources.
  • Manages studies of human health conditions and events relating to consumption of meat, poultry, and egg products.
  • Manages investigations and coordinates with Office of Field Operations and Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit on recall efforts to combat foodborne illness outbreaks involving meat, poultry and egg products.
  • Leads the effort to monitor emerging human pathogens and other hazards in the food supply and in food animals and to apply principals of epidemiology to control and prevention strategies.
  • Directs the provision of microbiological expertise on foodborne pathogens, farm-to-table food safety, and other public health issues to the Agency and the scientific community.
  • Directs the provision of expertise in chemistry, toxicology, and related scientific disciples to Agency program staff and the scientific community.

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Posted on USAJOBS: 3/27/2026 | Added to FreshGovJobs: 3/27/2026

Source: USAJOBS | ID: FSIS-SES-2026-8526