Consumer Safety Inspector

Full Job Description

$5,000 Sign on Bonus, Creditable Service for Annual Leave Accrual, Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and Referral Bonus Awards are available. Shifts and species will vary based on assignment.

For additional information call Laura Hutchison at (919) 214-1984 or laura.hutchison@usda.gov Employee may be detailed to any shift at any plant in the Raleigh District.

The Petersburg position covers plants in Jarratt, VA and Petersburg, VA You 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 provided you with knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities or other products for human consumption.

Your experience should be acquired working in positions such as consumer safety inspector or inspection aid, food inspector, public health inspector, quality inspection specialist, or other related positions.

See specific grade level specialized experience definitions below.

GS-5: 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, or other food or beverages for human consumption, or other ingestible substances, such as pharmaceuticals.

Your resume must show examples 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).

Your experience should 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.

GS-7: In addition to the qualifications above, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level, and you must have performed standard and recurrent duties on an independent basis.

Your resume should demonstrate 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.

GS-8: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level.

In addition to the qualifications above, your experience must include 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.

GS-9: 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 at a more independent level than lower graded CSIs, which may include duties such as recommending refusal of exports and providing temporary coverage at locations outside of the 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 Major 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 (SSOPs) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans meet regulatory requirements
• Verify that meat and poultry slaughter and/or processing establishment's SSOPs and HACCP plans meet regulatory requirements
• Review records, observe plant operations and conduct hands-on verification to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and prepare detailed documentation 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 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 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
• Perform 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.