Consumer Safety Inspector

This position offers a $5,000 sign-on bonus, creditable service for annual leave accrual, eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and referral bonus awards.

About the role

The duties of a Consumer Safety Inspector are performed in a hazardous working environment. Shifts and species will vary based on assignment. Employees may be detailed to any shift at any plant in the district.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) responsible for protecting the public's health by ensuring the safety of the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and processed egg products.

Responsibilities

• Apply 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).
• Develop written reports and/or report findings orally (e.g., documenting abnormalities in the product or production environment and communicating those findings to others).
• Maintain effective personal contacts with a variety of individuals (e.g., discussing findings with internal or external contacts regarding food safety standards established in the production environment).
• Make determinations on products for human consumption or the production environment (e.g., ensuring conformance with established standards).

Requirements

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Qualifications

Specialized experience is experience that provided knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities or other products for human consumption. Such experience may have been acquired in work such as consumer safety inspector or inspection aide, food inspector, public health inspector, quality inspection specialist, or similar positions.

GS-05 Level

• At least 52 weeks of qualifying experience that provided knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities and substances (e.g., meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or other food or beverages for human consumption, or other ingestible substances, such as pharmaceuticals).

GS-07 Level

• At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level.
• Experience in independently carrying out routine, standard assignments on a regular and recurring basis.

GS-08 Level

• At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level.
• Experience working with the Federal Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products Inspection Acts to inspect meat, poultry, and egg products.
• Experience with basic SSOP and HACCP principles and practices to verify plant HACCP and SSOP responsibilities.
• Perform basic mathematics and elementary statistical concepts and methods to perform testing and sampling procedures.
• Experience in reaching and interpreting conclusions.

GS-09 Level

• At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-08 level.
• Experience working at a more independent level, including 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).

Benefits

As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a comprehensive benefits package. FSIS offers various recruitment incentives to newly hired eligible Consumer Safety Inspectors (CSI), including:

• $5,000 Sign-on Bonus: For newly appointed employees only.
• Creditable Service for Annual Leave Accrual: Calculated to determine the annual leave accrual rate.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program: For more information, visit PSLF Program.
• $1,000 Employee Referral Bonus Award: Paid to employees who refer applicants who are hired with FSIS.