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Posted: March 27, 2026 (0 days ago)

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DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR

Food Safety and Inspection Service

Department of Agriculture

Fresh

Location

Athens, Georgia

Salary

$204,122 - $216,010

per year

Closes

April 17, 2026More USDA jobs →

Job Description

Summary

This high-level executive role in the Food Safety and Inspection Service involves leading efforts to ensure safe meat, poultry, and egg products while overseeing operations in a key district office in Athens, Georgia.

The job focuses on strategic management, resource efficiency, and team leadership to uphold food safety standards and government regulations.

Ideal candidates are experienced senior leaders passionate about public service, efficiency in government, and the principles of the U.S.

Constitution, with a strong track record in executive management.

Key Requirements

  • Demonstrated executive experience addressing all five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), including commitment to the rule of law, driving efficiency, merit and competence, leading people, and achieving results
  • Technical Qualifications (TQs) related to food safety, inspection, or agricultural regulation, evidenced in resume
  • Senior-level leadership in managing large programs, budgets, and teams within government or regulatory environments
  • Knowledge of the U.S. system of government and commitment to constitutional principles and public service
  • Proven ability to improve efficiency through resource management, technology, and process upgrades
  • Strong problem-solving, accountability, and results-oriented skills for high-stakes operations
  • Resume limited to 2 pages (11-point font, 0.8-inch margins) highlighting relevant experience, education, and accomplishments

Full Job Description

This position is designated as SES, Career-Reserved or General. USDA structures its SES positions into position levels.

This is a position level 2 with a salary range of $204,122.00 - $216,010.00 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:

  • Participates with the Administrator, the Assistant Administrator, other Assistant Administrators, and staff officials in developing, recommending, and supporting Agency missions, goals, and policies.
  • Guides, supports, and shares in managing research programs related to the food safety research agenda conducted by scientists from the Agricultural Research Service and from outside sources.
  • Shares in managing tracebacks and in-plant and other investigations to combat foodborne illness outbreaks involving meat, poultry, and egg products.
  • Shares in managing a surveillance system to monitor the food supply from farm to table by collecting data from a variety of sources to monitor trends and assess the impact of foodborne. hazards on the public.
  • Shares leadership of the effort to monitor emerging human pathogens in the food supply and in food animals and to apply the principles of epidemiology to control and prevention strategies.
  • Directs the provision of expertise in microbiology, chemistry, toxicology, and related scientific disciplines to Agency program staff and the scientific community.
  • Coordinates the provision of expert scientific advice on the microbiological and chemical analysis of meat, poultry, and egg products to the laboratory, field operations, and compliance staff, and the staff of other Agency programs.

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

Source: USAJOBS | ID: FSIS-SES-2026-8847