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Posted: January 26, 2026 (0 days ago)

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Consumer Safety Officer

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Department of Commerce

Fresh

Location

Salary

$34,701 - $101,988

per year

Closes

February 2, 2026

GS-5 Pay Grade

Base salary range: $33,878 - $44,042

Typical requirements: 1 year specialized experience. Bachelor's degree.

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

Job Description

Summary

This entry-level job with NOAA involves inspecting seafood to ensure it meets safety standards and complies with consumer protection laws, helping protect public health through trade and commerce oversight.

A good fit would be someone with a background in science or related fields who is detail-oriented and interested in applying their knowledge to real-world food safety inspections.

It's ideal for recent graduates starting a career in government regulatory work.

Key Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in quality assurance or related field with at least 30 semester hours in areas like biological sciences, food science, chemistry, or consumer laws
  • Combination of education and relevant experience may substitute for full degree requirements
  • One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-05 level for entry qualification (basic education meets this for ZP-1/GS-05)
  • Transcripts required to verify education from accredited institutions
  • U.S. citizenship or nationality
  • Ability to work in locations including Long Beach, CA; Hollywood, FL; Gloucester, MA; or Seattle, WA
  • Active email for recruitment communications

Full Job Description

This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce (IATC) Seafood Inspection Program, with 11 vacancies in Long Beach, CA; Hollywood, FL; Gloucester, MA; and Seattle, WA This position is also announced under vacancy number NMFS-26-12869775-DE, which is open to all US Citizens or Nationals.

You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active.

Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards.

This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience OR substitution of education for experience OR combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified.

Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. The education must have been obtained at a college, university, or an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary, U.S.

Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. You MUST meet the following requirements: You MUST meet the following requirements: EDUCATION: A.

Degree: A bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in quality assurance or a related degree that included at least 30 semester hours in one or a combination of the following: consumer laws, biological sciences, food science, chemistry, pharmacy, physical sciences, food technology, nutrition, medical science, engineering, epidemiology, veterinary medical science, legal investigations, law enforcement, or related scientific fields that provided knowledge directly related to consumer safety officer work.

The 30 semester hours may include up to 8 semester hours in statistics, or course work that included the principles, theory, or practical application of computers or computer programming. OR B.

Combination of education and experience: Combination of education and experience--courses consisting of at least 30 semester hours in the fields of study described in paragraph A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service.

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

To qualify at the ZP-1 or GS-05 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants that meet Basic Education Requirements for the series are considered qualified at the ZP-1 or GS-05.

To qualify at the ZP-2 or GS-07 level: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-01 or GS-05 in the Federal service.

Specialized experience MUST include all of the following: Participating in performing food inspections; and Assisting in the review of records of food processing facilities inspections.

OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: One full year of graduate-level education.

OR SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: As demonstrated by a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with one of the following.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your application clearly states how you meet the provision below: A grade point average (GPA) of 2.9 or higher based on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last 2 full years of undergraduate study; A GPA of 3.5 or higher based on a 4.0 scale for required courses completed in a major field of study, or those courses completed in a major field of study during the last two years of undergraduate study; Class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision of the college; Membership in a national Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies.

OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience as described above. Major Duties:

As a Consumer Safety Officer, you will perform the following duties: Conduct audits of seafood processing facilities and vessels to evaluate conformity with regulations, program policy, and industry standards for ensuring safe, healthy and quality seafood products in manufacturing processes.

Perform inspections of raw and processed seafood products to evaluate the safety, quality, and health of the products in accordance with regulations, grade standards, program policy, and item descriptions or specifications.

Support the implementation of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) process in facility audits and inspections to identify violations, recommend corrective actions, and develop HACCP and quality management programs in processing plants and vessels in compliance with regulations and program policy.

Note: The duties described above are at the ZP-2 level and the ZP-1 is the developmental grade level leading to such performance. The full performance level for this position is a ZP-3.

The ZP-1 is equivalent to the GS-05. The ZP-2 is equivalent the the GS-07/09. The full performance level for this position is a ZP-3. The ZP-3 is equivalent to the GS-11/12.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: This position requires the operation of a Federal motor vehicle.

Incumbent must possess a valid driver's license to travel to seafood processing locations, and/or transport samples for inspection, on a regular and recurring basis.

This position has physical requirements. Must be able to lift 50 pounds or more.

Must possess sensory abilities (sight, smell, taste) which are capable of detecting and identifying abnormalities (defects) in product characteristics.

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Posted on USAJOBS: 1/26/2026 | Added to FreshGovJobs: 1/26/2026

Source: USAJOBS | ID: NMFS-26-12869774-ST