What are the responsibilities and job description for the Consumer Safety Officer position at USDA?
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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) and the specialized experience requirement..
Time in grade: You must have completed 52 weeks at the next lower grade to meet the time-in-grade requirement for the grade you are applying to (e.g. one year at the GS-09 grade level for consideration for the GS-11 grade level.)
Individual Occupational Requirement: You must meet the following IOR requirement to qualify. You can meet the requirement with education or a combination of education and experience:
OR
Your work experience must demonstrate that you have 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.
This may also include experience working with federal or state regulatory requirements and enforcement actions, applying investigative methodology, documenting case files for administrative or civil enforcement actions including the collection of evidence and testimonies, implementing or monitoring recall activities and/or consumer complaints, assessing the comprehensive design and/or implementation of food safety systems, assessing microbiological sampling and testing programs, and/or monitoring quality control procedures within a food safety environment. Slaughter experience is not considered specialized experience.
Specialized experience GS-11: You must have experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade verifying safety systems for the production of products intended for consumption (e.g., food, pharmaceuticals, drinking water, biological specimens, etc.) under supervision or with guidance from senior personnel. This may include verifying of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs), Sanitation Performance Standards (SPS), sanitation, pathogen reduction verification procedures, food security verification procedures, and other consumer protection activities (e.g., economic adulteration and misbranding, E. coli or Salmonella reduction procedures, etc.), or any interactions of these systems.
Education can be used in lieu of specialized experience as defined below:
Follow this link for more information on the 0696 Consumer Safety Officer series: Consumer Safety Series, GS-0696.
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.
Education
Transcripts must be submitted to show that you meet the basic requirement. 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. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to entering on duty.
Education must have been obtained from an accredited school, college, or university, Follow this link to verify your institution's credentialing: Dept. of Education Accredited Schools
Education
If any education was completed at a foreign institution, you must submit evidence that the institution is accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. Follow these links to those credentialing organizations:
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployed Priority List (RPL): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP 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 applications must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
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.
This announcement may be used to fill additional like vacancies should any occur in the announced duty location.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact: USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
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.
Please note the following: After completing a virtual two week training course, Consumer Safety Officers (CSO), are provided on-the-job-training (OJT). OJT consists of shadowing a more seasoned CSO during a Food Safety Assessment (FSA) in order to receive experience on the FSA process. The supervisor determines if the CSO is ready to conduct a FSA on their own or if additional OJT is needed. In addition, if feasible, the new CSO will be assigned as the secondary CSO on other FSAs so that the learning process can be extended. The supervisor provides guidance, mentoring, and information to the new CSO to assist in the transition.
This position is eligible for telework up to four days per week and other flexible work arrangements. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor.
If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter. Selectee is subject to financial disclosure requirements in accordance with 5 CFR, Part 2635, Sub part E regarding business or personal transactions with applicants, borrowers, or business contacts who have or who are seeking business with this Agency.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
- Successful completion of training as a condition of employment (TCOE).
- U.S. Citizenship required.
- Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
- Must pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/
- If you are newly hired, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" system. To learn more about E-Verify visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
- Selectee may be subject to satisfactory completion of one year probationary or trial period.
- Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
- If you are selected, you may need to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) prior to being appointed to determine suitability for federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.
- False statements or responses on a resume or application can jeopardize employment and may be grounds for disciplinary action, including removal from federal service.
- If selected you will be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI) and a credit report.
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) and the specialized experience requirement..
Time in grade: You must have completed 52 weeks at the next lower grade to meet the time-in-grade requirement for the grade you are applying to (e.g. one year at the GS-09 grade level for consideration for the GS-11 grade level.)
Individual Occupational Requirement: You must meet the following IOR requirement to qualify. You can meet the requirement with education or a combination of education and experience:
- 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.
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.
Your work experience must demonstrate that you have 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.
This may also include experience working with federal or state regulatory requirements and enforcement actions, applying investigative methodology, documenting case files for administrative or civil enforcement actions including the collection of evidence and testimonies, implementing or monitoring recall activities and/or consumer complaints, assessing the comprehensive design and/or implementation of food safety systems, assessing microbiological sampling and testing programs, and/or monitoring quality control procedures within a food safety environment. Slaughter experience is not considered specialized experience.
Specialized experience GS-11: You must have experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade verifying safety systems for the production of products intended for consumption (e.g., food, pharmaceuticals, drinking water, biological specimens, etc.) under supervision or with guidance from senior personnel. This may include verifying of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs), Sanitation Performance Standards (SPS), sanitation, pathogen reduction verification procedures, food security verification procedures, and other consumer protection activities (e.g., economic adulteration and misbranding, E. coli or Salmonella reduction procedures, etc.), or any interactions of these systems.
Education can be used in lieu of specialized experience as defined below:
- 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree
- A combination of education and specialized experience. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level can be combined with the appropriate level of experience to qualify
Follow this link for more information on the 0696 Consumer Safety Officer series: Consumer Safety Series, GS-0696.
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.
Education
Transcripts must be submitted to show that you meet the basic requirement. 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. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to entering on duty.
Education must have been obtained from an accredited school, college, or university, Follow this link to verify your institution's credentialing: Dept. of Education Accredited Schools
Education
If any education was completed at a foreign institution, you must submit evidence that the institution is accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. Follow these links to those credentialing organizations:
- National Association of Credential Evaluation Services
- Association of International Credential Evaluators
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployed Priority List (RPL): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP 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 applications must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
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.
This announcement may be used to fill additional like vacancies should any occur in the announced duty location.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact: USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
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.
Please note the following: After completing a virtual two week training course, Consumer Safety Officers (CSO), are provided on-the-job-training (OJT). OJT consists of shadowing a more seasoned CSO during a Food Safety Assessment (FSA) in order to receive experience on the FSA process. The supervisor determines if the CSO is ready to conduct a FSA on their own or if additional OJT is needed. In addition, if feasible, the new CSO will be assigned as the secondary CSO on other FSAs so that the learning process can be extended. The supervisor provides guidance, mentoring, and information to the new CSO to assist in the transition.
This position is eligible for telework up to four days per week and other flexible work arrangements. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor.
If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter. Selectee is subject to financial disclosure requirements in accordance with 5 CFR, Part 2635, Sub part E regarding business or personal transactions with applicants, borrowers, or business contacts who have or who are seeking business with this Agency.
Read more
- Help Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As 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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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