Consumer Safety Inspector

USDA-FSIS; Burlington (NC); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sign-on Bonus $5,000

Creditable service for annual leave

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Referral Bonus $1,000

Job summary

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is seeking Consumer Safety Inspectors (CSI) for the Raleigh District with assignments in Burlington and Graham, NC. Responsibilities include evaluating regulated food commodities to ensure compliance with safety standards and reporting findings.

Shifts and species will vary by assignment. Positions require meeting specialized experience at GS-5/7/8/9 levels with progression, and the work may involve travel or detachment to multiple plants within

Qualifications

• Specialized experience in properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities or substances for human consumption.
• GS-5 requires at least 52 weeks of qualifying experience in fields such as consumer safety inspector, food inspector, or related roles with examples like sampling, reporting results, and communicating findings.
• GS-7 requires at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level, with independent execution of routine assignments.
• GS-8 requires at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level, including work with the Federal Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products Inspection Acts, HACCP/SSOP, and basic statistics.
• GS-9 requires at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-8 level with more independent responsibilities, including export determinations and coverage outside duty station.

Job description

Summary

$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. Employee may be detailed to any shift at any plant in the Raleigh District. Burlington assignment covers plants in Burlington and Graham, NC.

Requirements

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. 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.

Benefits and Incentives

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. USDA is a great place to start or continue your career.

A federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

FSIS offers various recruitment incentives to newly hired eligible Consumer Safety Inspectors (CSI). You may be eligible for one or more of the following:

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

For more information on incentives, see Additional Information.