Consumer Safety Inspector - Zephyr, Texas

Job Summmary

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program: For more information please visit: PSLF Program Shifts and species will vary based on assignment. For additional information, please contact: Suzette Woerner @ 972-861-7661 or [email protected]. Employee may be detailed to any shift at any plant in the Dallas District.

Who can apply

1. Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
2. Internal to an agency - appears on USAJOBS

Job Duties

• YOU WILL/MAY:
• Ensure that regulated establishments produce a safe product by executing appropriate inspection methods, determining non-compliance with regulatory requirements, documenting noncompliance and initiating enforcement actions, where warranted.
• Verify that meat and poultry slaughter and/or processing establishment's Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plans meet regulatory requirements.
• Execute Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plans effectively to prevent unsanitary conditions and adulteration of product.
• Review records, observe plant operations and conduct hands-on verification to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and prepare detailed documentation (Non-Compliance Records) of non-compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Determine when regulatory control action is necessary. You will assess whether the plant's corrective or preventative actions are acceptable and effective, if there are trends in noncompliance, or if an enforcement action is warranted.
• Conduct regulatory oversight activities inside plants in matters relating to other consumer protections (e.g., economic adulteration and misbranding).
• Have contact with plant managers, owners and others to explain legal and regulatory requirements, discuss operation of the plant's SSOP, HACCP plan and other food safety programs.
• Communicate and defend determinations on non-compliance issues and discuss plans for addressing non-compliance.
• Work with a variety of individuals to resolve problems, clarify differences of interpretation concerning HACCP and other food safety or consumer protection requirements.
• Advise other Agency inspectors, supervisors and officers on inspection and enforcement matters for which you are involved.
• Conduct various samplings, surveys and tests to obtain pertinent data on potential problem areas, industry trends, or other issues of current interest to the Agency.
• Be involved in performing health and safety verification sampling and tests for detection of specific microbes (e.g., salmonella, listeria, etc.), residues or contaminants.
• Assure that products approved for import are in full compliance with all applicable Federal regulations governing the importation of meat and poultry products.
• Authorize entry of all meat or poultry products considered to comply with Federal regulations or refuse entry of any products which violate any of the requirements for admission into this country.
• Coordinate with other Federal agencies (e.g., the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on such matters as animal health restrictions and refused entry lots.

Requirements

Qualification

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below: Time-In-Grade: Applicants must meet requirements for one year at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade. (e.g. one year at the GS-05 grade level for consideration for the GS-07 grade level.) Specialized experience: 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 position with responsibility for sampling, quality control and sanitation in a food manufacturing or production environment, or similar environment for other ingestible items. 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. See specialized experience definitions below. For all grade levels: This experience should encompass at least two of the following areas: Skill in applying proper techniques for collecting samples and performing field tests and examinations, Skill in developing written reports and reporting findings or results orally, Skill in maintaining effective personal contacts with a variety of individuals. (GS-5) Applicant must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to at least the GS-04 level). Specialized experience includes: experience gained under close supervision 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-7) Applicant must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to at least the GS-05 level). Specialized experience includes: In addition to the qualifications above, incumbents are expected to perform 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, or other ingestible substances, such as pharmaceuticals. (GS-8) Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level). Specialized experience includes: In addition to the qualifications above, 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 HAACP 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) Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to at least the GS-08 level). Specialized experience includes: In addition to the qualifications above, incumbents are expected to have experience working at a more independent level than lower graded CSIs, such as recommending refusal of exports and providing temporary coverage at locations outside of the official duty station. Please view OPM's Qualifications Standards, Consumer Safety Inspector Series, GS-1862. The duties of a Consumer Safety Inspector are performed in a hazardous working environment. For additional information, please click here. The below requirements are not an all-inclusive list. Failure to fully meet a functional requirement is not automatically disqualifying. Applicants must: Be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the job functions, without hazard to themselves and others. Have full range of motion to perform rapid repetitive twisting and working with arms above shoulder level. Be able to stand and walk on slippery and uneven floors and catwalks, and climbing stairs and ladders. Be able to lift, carry, push and pull up to 30 pounds, with occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds. Have manual dexterity of the upper body, including arms, hands, and fingers with a normal sense of touch in both hands. Must have good near and distance vision, be free of chronic eye disease and have correctable vision of at least 20/40 in one eye. Have the ability to distinguish shades of color. Any significant degree of color blindness (more than 25 percent error rate on approved color plate test) may be disqualifying. Individuals with some hearing loss and/or requiring hearing amplification will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Education

Education may be used to qualify in lieu of specialized experience as described below. For the GS-05 level: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours/credits in any combination of coursework in the areas of: agricultural, biological, or physical sciences, food technology, epidemiology, home economics, pharmacy, engineering, or nutrition. Specialized government or military training may be creditable if it is directly related to this position. OR A combination of education and specialized experience. In this instance, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (with some related coursework as listed above) is creditable towards meeting the requirements, along with specialized work experience. The combination must equal 100% of the requirement. For example, if you meet 33% of the education requirement, then you will need to demonstrate that you possess at least 67% of the specialized experience requirements. For the GS-07 Level: One full year of directly related graduate education is qualifying for GS-7. OR A combination of education and specialized experience. In this instance, only graduate education directly related to the work of the position is creditable towards meeting the requirements, along with specialized work experience. The combination must equal 100% of the requirement. For example, if you have 33% of the education requirement, then you will need 67% of the specialized experience requirement. For the GS-09 Level: Two full years of directly related graduate education or a directly related master's degree is qualifying for GS-9. OR A combination of education and specialized experience. In this instance, only graduate education in excess of the first 18 semester hours directly related to the work of the position is creditable towards meeting the requirements, along with specialized work experience. The combination must equal 100% of the requirement. For example, if you have 33% of the education requirement, then you will need 67% of the specialized experience requirement.

Additional information

THIS POSITION REQUIRES A PRE-EMPLOYMENT PHYSICAL. Position Requirements. If you are a current FSIS employee and a non-competitive applicant (reassignment, change to lower grade, or non-competitive re-promotion) wanting consideration for this position, you must complete the online application process and/or apply using the new online self-service Reassignment System at: https://ohrportal.fsis.usda.gov/systems. Assignment Restrictions: FSIS Directive 4735.9, Office of Field Operations Assignment Restrictions and Rules on Gifts from Regulated Industry, sets out the Agency's requirements regarding employee assignment restrictions, as it pertains to family and personal relationships. Please read before applying. Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. For more information please visit: PSLF Program. Veterans Policy

Get More benefits details at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/careers/incentives/federal-employee-benefits-summary

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the education, experience, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below: Attention to Detail Decision Making Dependability Flexibility Interpersonal Skills Resilience Self Management Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if: (a) you meet minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Applicants who meet the basic minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Non-Competitive candidates need to meet minimum qualification requirements to be referred. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. **REMINDER** Applicants - Be sure that experience/education as described on your resume contains accurate and sufficiently detailed information to clearly demonstrate that you have the listed competencies. All information used to evaluate your application must be received by the closing date of the announcement. Once the position is closed, no additional information will be accepted. Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed. Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to and including removal from Federal service. Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form, i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right. To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12637910

Document Requires:-

The following documents are required for your application package to be complete: Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration. - Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties, including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; and title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) supervisor's phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications. If you need assistance in creating a federal resume please click here. Your application may be disqualified if you include any of the information listed here: What should I leave out of my resume? - Performance Appraisal: Most recently completed performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or a statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. Do not submit a performance plan. - Notification of Personnel Action (SF 50): Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing that you are/were in the competitive service, highest grade (or promotion potential) held on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade. Other required documents may include: - College transcripts: If education is required or you are using education to meet a qualification requirement, you must submit a legible copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, it must include student name, school name, and enough information to validate qualifications such as course names, prefixes, grades, semester or quarter credit hours, date degree was awarded, etc. Further, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college, or university, visit Dept. of Education Accredited Schools. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit NACES. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation. - Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP must provide: Proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.

How to appy this Job

Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process. To begin, click "Apply Online" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents. Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application. Step 2: In your USAJOBS account, you will have the opportunity to select your stored USAJOBS resume, create a new resume or upload a resume, and upload other relevant documents. All uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT, or Word (DOC or DOCX). See "Required Documents" for details. Select the document you want to submit. Step 3: Click "Apply Online," answer all required questions, verify the documents you selected from USAJOBS transferred into the Agency's staffing system, and attach any additional documents that may not have transferred. If qualifying based on education, you must submit a legible copy of your college transcript(s) with your application package, showing your conferred degree (if any) and/or applicable coursework as proof that you qualify based on education. If you have not yet graduated, submit your current transcript. NOTE: It is an applicant's responsibility to submit updated information. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Simply log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application" to continue. NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable. If you do not have access to the Internet, you are strongly encouraged to visit your library, state employment office, or another establishment that provides internet service to complete the online application and the assessment questionnaire. If this is not an option, refer to the Alternative Methods for Applying section below for specific instructions. Alternative Methods for Applying: If you are unable to apply using the internet, please fax your request for an application package along with your name and mailing address to: HR (Branch 3) 1-833-795-2327.

Apply Online

Next Step after Apply

Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log into your USAJOBS account to check your application status. We expect to make a final job offer approximately 40 days after the deadline for applications. This announcement may be used to fill additional like vacancies should any occur in the announced duty location(s). It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. See more information at: CHCO Council. Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to [email protected], subject line: Fair Chance Act.