Summary
This position is located in the within the Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD). Risk Management and Innovations Staff (RMIS) handles technical evaluations for new food safety technologies. This position is interdisciplinary and can be filled in one of the following disciplines: General Natural Resources Management And Biological Sciences, Microbiology, Consumer Safety, Chemistry or Food Technology
Duties
Plans, develops, and drafts Agency policy, directives, notices, and industry guidance.
Identifies significant development related to the assigned program area, prepares analyses of the implications and recommends program modifications.
Develops, publicizes, and garners support for the program agenda by meeting with other Agency program officials, key executives within the Department and USDA, as well as external agencies and parties.
Serves as a scientist, as a lead of a project team, and as a technical professional with USDA.
Initiates, plans, and conducts projects, and surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of both operational and public health performance related to food safety policy implementation and modernization to develop recommendations to modify programs.
While developing policy documents and leading teams, identifies conflicts or problems, communicates them to leadership and resolves them, as needed.
Education
0401 Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences Basic Requirements: Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. or Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Click here for more information on this series: OPM Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences Series 0401 0403 Microbiology Series Basic Requirements: Degree: microbiology; or biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included at least 20 semester hours in microbiology and other subjects related to the study of microorganisms, and 20 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences combining course work in organic chemistry or biochemistry, physics, and college algebra, or their equivalent. or Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in microbiology, biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Click here for more information on this series: OPM Microbiology Series 0403 0696 Consumer Safety Series Basic Requirements The education must have been obtained at a college, university, or an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary, U.S. Department of Education U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. Applicants must meet one of the following requirements. A bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in quality assurance or a related degree that included at least 30 semester hours in one or a combination of the following: consumer laws, biological sciences, food science, chemistry, pharmacy, physical sciences, food technology, nutrition, medical science, engineering, epidemiology, veterinary medical science, legal investigations, law enforcement, or related scientific fields that provided knowledge directly related to consumer safety officer work. The 30 semester hours may include up to 8 semester hours in statistics, or course work that included the principles, theory, or practical application of computers or computer programming. or Combination of education and experience: courses consisting of at least 30 semester hours in the fields of study described in paragraph A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Experience: To meet specialized experience requirements, the applicant's work experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies necessary to perform at the grade level of the position. Qualifying experience involves enforcing laws and regulations to protect consumers from foods, drugs, cosmetics, fabrics, toys, equipment, and household products that are defective, dangerous, impure, unwholesome, ineffective, or improperly or deceptively labeled or packaged. Click here for more information on this series: OPM Consumer Safety Series 0696 1320 Chemistry Series Basic Requirements: Degree: physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics. or Combination of education and experience: course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Click here for more information on this series: OPM Chemistry Series 1320 1382 Food Technology Series Basic Requirements: Degree: food technology, or dairy technology, microbiology, biology, chemistry, physics, or a related discipline or field of biological or physical science. The course work must have been comprised of at least 30 semester hours in the basic biological and physical sciences, and included at least 20 semester hours in food technology and closely related subjects, or 20 semester hours in subjects that can be applied directly to food technology. or Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major, including the course work specified, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Click here for more information on this series: OPM Food Technology Series 1382
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies listed in this vacancy announcement. Only those highly rated by the subject matter experts will be referred to the selecting official. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the preliminary resume and education review required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Interpersonal Skills Oral Communication Project Management Strategic Thinking Technical Credibility Written Communication In addition to the online questionnaire, applicants for this position will be evaluated by one or more subject matter experts. If a panel is conducted, subject matter experts may review your resume and other application materials to determine your qualifications and assign a rating based on the required competencies. Please ensure that your resume does not simply list job duties, but also highlights accomplishments that demonstrate possession of the required competencies. Preference will be applied to applicants who move forward after the pre-certificate evaluation. Applicants who meet the 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 and applicants under some special hiring authorities need only meet minimum qualifications to be referred. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and assessment questionnaire, this position requires a preliminary resume and education review to evaluate competencies and education required to perform the job. Note: If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all 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 including removal from the Federal service. To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13028514