KEY REQUIREMENTS



• U.S. Citizenship
• Specialized experience or education (See Qualification/Evaluation)
• Detailed Resume and Supporting Documents
• Registered for Selective Service, if applicable (See Benefits/Other)
• Assessment Questionnaire completion (See How to Apply)
• Background Suitability Investigation and fingerprints

Entry-level Food Inspector positions filled through this announcement generally work in slaughter plants. These Food Inspectors:

• Examine food animals in privately-owned meat or poultry plants
• Perform their duties before and after slaughter, guaranteeing that the product is not contaminated
• Maintain sanitation procedures
• Are a valued member of a dynamic team that ensures the product is fit to eat and compliant with Federal laws

 To view examples of the types of work performed, please click on: Inside Look

An applicant may meet the GS-5 basic qualifications in one of two ways:

1.  Specialized Work Experience or

2.  Education

      If qualifying based on Specialized Work Experience, you must:

Have the equivalent of at least one year of full-time Specialized Work Experience that was obtained after your 16th birthday.

Provide specific examples of qualifying knowledge, judgment, interpretive ability and technical skills related to a finished product.

 

     Examples of Specialized Work Experience may include, but is not limited to:

Processing food in a slaughter, processing or manufacturing plant, or a comparable production activity which prepares food, beverages or pharmaceuticals for human consumption.

Meat cutter/butcher in a wholesale or retail meat/poultry business that includes a full range of responsible duties such as sanitation, product judgment, determinations, and/or using formulas and recipes. 

Performing Quality Control tests and/or laboratory tests in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical or pet food industry or other similar environments, assuring that standards are met with products that are consumed by humans or animals.

Managing or supervising staff in the food or livestock industry demonstrating effective skills in communicating job requirements, evaluating employees' results of work methods or processes, interpreting standards or instructions and budget or payroll responsibilities.

Commercial restaurant or kitchen chef or cook responsible for proper food preparation, safe food handling and sanitation practices and judgment recognizing abnormalities in food.

Veterinary Technician conducting lab tests, assessing animals and/or partial examination of animals, performing necropsies, monitoring animals under anesthesia and administering medications.

 

    If qualifying based on Education, you must:

• Have earned a Bachelor's degree or completed a full 4-year course of study in any field leading to a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.    
• Degree courses MUST include 12 semester or 18 quarter hours in the biological, mathematical, physical or agricultural sciences.    

If you have not completed your degree, but are within 9 months of graduating, you may apply. All qualifications based on education will be verified.  You are required to submit a copy of your official transcripts when you apply.  Failure to do so will result in an ineligible rating.

 GS-7 basic qualifications:

The only way to meet the GS-7 basic qualifications is the equivalent of one year of full-time regulatory work experience as a state, federal or military Food Inspector responsible for sanitation practices, laws and regulations governing the food industry and processed products, product judgment determination and the ability to communicate with food industry personnel.If you do not have this type of work experience, you will not be considered at the GS-7 level. 

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standard for the Food Inspector position may be reviewed by clicking on this link: Food Inspector (1863) Qualifications

Medical Requirements 

The duties of a Food Inspector are performed in a hazardous working environment.  The below requirements are not an all inclusive list. 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 44 pounds
• Have manual dexterity of the upper body, including arms, hands, and fingers with a normal sense of touch in both hands
• Must be free of chronic eye disease
• Have good near and distance vision
• Have the ability to distinguish shades of color. (Any significant degree of color blindness (25 percent or more error rate on approved color plate test) is disqualifying).
• The ability to hear and understand conversational voice.

This position requires a successful passing of a pre-employment physical.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

After completing the online Assessment Questionnaire, View Occupational Questionnaire you will automatically be assigned an initial self-assessed rating based on your answers.  The Human Resources Office will not evaluate your application until you are being considered for a position.  At that time, you will be evaluated on your relevant education, work experience and training as it relates to the fundamental competencies (communication, decision making, flexibility, self management and conscientiousness), required for this  job.  

 Basis of Rating:

• Category rating procedures will be used to rank and select eligible candidates.  Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of the following quality categories:  Best Qualified, Well Qualified and Qualified.  Placement into these categories will be based on an evaluation tool tied to specific competencies relevant to this position. 
• Veterans' Preference eligible's will receive rating and selection priority over non-preference eligible candidates within each category.  Veterans who provide proof of a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category.
• Regardless of quality category, you must meet all requirements for this position must be met, including a completed application package that supports your answers to the Assessment Questionnaire  You are strongly encouraged to ensure that your work history thoroughly documents the duties, responsibilities, and accomplishments that are directly related to this position. 
• If the Human Resources Office is not able to verify specialized experience based on what you provide you may miss consideration for one or more vacancies. 
• The Human Resources Office will not conduct up front reviews and will not request missing documentation.
• If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your description of experience and/or education or that your application is incomplete, you may be assigned an "ineligible" rating. 

Employees hired under a Temporary Limited Appointment do not confer all of the benefits usually associated with the Competitive Service.  Temporary Employees hired through this job announcement will earn annual leave (vacation) and sick leave when assigned a regularly-scheduled tour of duty.  Temporary employees are not eligible for promotion, reassignment, transfer or Within Grade Step Increases.  They are not provided coverage under the Federal Employee Retirement System or the Federal Employees Government Life Insurance program.

Temporary Employees are only eligible to elect Federal Employee Health Benefits coverage if their one year appointment is extended and they complete one year of current, continuous service.  If the temporary employee is eligible for and elects health benefits coverage, the employee is responsible for payment of the entire premium. 

OTHER INFORMATION:

You may also apply to our other Food Inspector job announcements by clicking on the links below.

Full Time (permanent) Food Inspector: Full Time Job Vacancy Announcement

Intermittent (on-call/as needed) Food Inspector: Intermittent Job Vacancy Announcement

 

Veterans’ Preference: To receive preference, you must provide documentation (such as a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214, Member 4 copy is preferred, or if you have not yet received your DD 214, you may submit other written documentation from the armed forces certifying that you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the documentation was signed.  Prior to appointment, applicants must provide a copy of their DD 214, that includes beginning and ending dates of service and character of discharge).  Applicants claiming 10-point preference, must submit a signed Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference and must also submit a copy of the required supporting documentation (such as an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying that you have a service-connected disability, other acceptable documents are listed on the SF-15).  For additional information:  Feds Hire Vets

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See Selective Service

Background Investigation:  Employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background investigation and granting of a federal suitability or security clearance.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture participate in E-Verify and will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary,the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.  What is E-Verify?  Why is it required? 

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP). The ICTAP and CTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. For information regarding ICTAP eligibility click: ICTAP and CTAP 

You will be allowed to complete the online assessment questionnaire and application process only ONCE in a 12 month period.  Your application is valid through the closing date of the announcement unless otherwise notified. To begin the application process, please follow the steps below: 

• Carefully read and review this complete Job Announcement.

Apply online at www.FoodSafetyJobs.gov click on the "Food Inspector Online Application Process" section.

 

Submit your resume online.  Your resume should include:  Details of your work experience relevant to this position including your duties and responsibilities, dates (month/year) and hours worked per week for each position; College degrees earned; the Job Announcement Number; the position and grade level you are applying for; and your full name, complete mailing address, day/evening telephone numbers and current email address.  You may submit your resume by fax or mail if you do not have Internet access.

 

Complete the online Application and Assessment Questionnaire.  Read the step-by-step instructions as a guide to completing the assessment questionnaire carefully to ensure accuracy before clicking “Submit”. 

 

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 online application and the assessment questionnaire.  If this is not an option, refer to the Alternative Methods for Applying section below for specific instructions. 

• Submit supporting documents:

       -  TRANSCRIPTS:  Copies of official college transcripts for degree(s) earned if education is used to qualify for this position.

      -   VETERANS' PREFERENCE:  DD-214 (Member 4 copy), signed SF-15 and the VA letter verifying your disability rating.  Failure to submit these documents will result in you not receiving preference for this job announcement.   For further information see Feds Hire Vets.

      -   SF-50:  If you are or have been a Federal employee, please submit a copy of your most recent Form SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action.

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:  612-370-2060. 

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

Resume

Assessment Questionnaire  View Occupational Questionnaire

Copy of Official Transcripts (if qualifying based on education)

Veterans' Preference documentation if applicable

 

**Failure to submit any applicable required documents will result in an ineligible rating or loss of preference until the documentation is received.

AGENCY CONTACT INFO:

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

Once your application and assessment questionnaire are submitted online, you will receive an acknowledgement email verifying that your submission was successfully received.  The automated staffing system will automatically assign an initial self-assessed rating based on the answers you provided when you applied.  The Human Resources Office will not evaluate your application package until you are being considered for a position.  Your resume, relevant education, work experience and supporting documents will be carefully reviewed to ensure you meet the basic qualifications.  If further evaluation or interviews are required you will be contacted.  (See FAQs)

 

CHECK YOUR APPLICATION STATUS:  You should monitor your application status by viewing the "MY ACCOUNT" tab at USAJobs.  From your account page, click on "Application Status" and you may view the latest information update.  This status is updated ONLY when new information is available.  

 

 

Additional Duty Location Info

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