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Posted: March 25, 2026 (1 day ago)

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EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE FOR REGULATORY OPERATIONS

Food Safety and Inspection Service

Department of Agriculture

Fresh

Location

Salary

$192,332 - $204,121

per year

Closes

April 15, 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 overseeing regulatory operations to ensure food safety standards are met efficiently within the Department of Agriculture.

The job focuses on leading teams, managing resources, and driving improvements in government processes while upholding constitutional principles.

It's ideal for experienced leaders passionate about public service, efficiency in federal operations, and the rule of law, with a strong background in regulatory or administrative 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 regulatory operations in food safety or government inspection, shown through resume examples
  • Proven ability to manage resources, budgets, and implement process or technological upgrades for efficiency
  • Leadership skills to inspire high-performance teams, foster accountability, and guide through organizational changes
  • Knowledge of the American system of government and commitment to serving the public and upholding the Constitution
  • Resume limited to 2 pages (11-point font, 0.8-inch margins) with clear examples of accomplishments, education, and experience
  • SES eligibility; current or former SES members may have ECQ exemptions

Full Job Description

This position is designated as SES, Career Reserved. USDA structures its SES positions into position levels. This is a position level 1 with a salary range of $192,332 - $204,121 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(s).

MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): All applicants must submit a written narrative response to the following TQs. You must address each TQ separately.

Each TQ narrative must not exceed two (2) pages. Please give examples and explain the complexity of the knowledge possessed and the sensitivity of the issue you handled.

Describe your knowledge of and expertise in meeting food safety regulatory challenges.

In doing so, provide a specific example of how you used critical thinking and effective communication in managing the public health functions of a multidisciplinary, geographically dispersed, food regulatory program.

Describe your experience in evaluating complex food safety regulatory information to identify potential compliance issues and develop a timely response that considers public health impact, regulatory scope, and political environment.

Please include specific examples and impact of your actions. Describe your experience in leading teams and programs in a complex, geographically dispersed, multi-faceted operating environment.

Major Duties:

  • The Executive Associates for Regulatory Operations (EARO} in the Office of Field Operations {OFO) are responsible for managing and administering the nation's meat, poultry and egg products inspection and verification program.
  • Supervise one or more District Offices.
  • Provide overall planning, leadership, administration, and evaluation of assigned Districts.
  • Oversee recall management activities, food emergency incident responses, and outbreak investigations.
  • Assure implementation of new or revised procedures and programs.
  • Serve as the national level representative in the resolution of industry appeals originating in assigned Districts.
  • Participate with other OFO executives in shaping policy and programs for the Agency's inspection and compliance activities.
  • Develop and foster cooperative relationships with numerous and varied individuals and groups, including industry groups, consumer groups, union officials, and state, federal and international food safety partners.

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Posted on USAJOBS: 3/25/2026 | Added to FreshGovJobs: 3/26/2026

Source: USAJOBS | ID: FSIS-SES-2026-1169600