Food Safety Specialist jobs in Athens, GA

We at the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) take our responsibilities to you very seriously and are committed to protecting and promoting Georgia's agriculture through superior service and leadership.

·       The mission of the GDA is to protect consumers, promote agriculture locally and globally, and assist our customers using education, technology, and a professional workforce.

·       The vision of the GDA is to continue to be a globally recognized leader in agricultural excellence through a commitment to safety, quality, growth, and innovation.

Applicant must reside in the following Counties or be willing to relocate:

·       CLAYTON

·       FAYETTE

Job Summary:

This position is in the GDA's Retail Food Section of the Food Safety Division. The Food Safety section is responsible for protecting consumers’ health by ensuring that food in Georgia is prepared in a clean environment and honestly presented.

In addition, the Food Safety Division is responsible for enforcing State laws, rules, and regulations by conducting sanitation inspections of Retail Food Stores.

·       The Food Safety Division employs specialists, which conduct random, unannounced inspections of regulated firms that are licensed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

·       These regulated firms include grocery stores, convenience stores, bakeries, seafood operations, salvage food operations, and mobile meat trucks. Additionally, ensuring Good Retail Practices (GROs) are followed and food wholesomeness is maintained.

·       Agriculture Compliance Specialists collect food and water samples during inspections and review sanitation practices and product labels.

All Agriculture Compliance specialists must complete advanced training in various specialized processing operations.

Job Duties:

Duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• • Assists with the implementation of programs to detect specific diseases in cooperation with state, federal, and industry standards.
  • Inspects and investigates grocery stores, convenience stores, bakeries, seafood operations, salvage food operations, and mobile meat trucks.
  • Check refrigeration equipment for proper operation.
  • Observe food facility employees and ensure proper equipment cleaning procedures and proper handling of insecticides and sanitizing chemicals.
  • Learns to plan, organize, and manage activities of assigned staff and/or program
  • Reports compliance findings to FDA, USDA, and others.

• • Performs duties in a manner to ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Model Ordinance (MO), and Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) requirements.
  • Collects samples of food and dairy finished products, processed products, environmental swabs, raw milk, and water samples as necessary from all firms in the assigned area of responsibility and/or as directed according to established procedures.
  • Transports samples to laboratories for analysis within the prescribed timeframe.
  • Provides knowledge, skills, and experience to assist and guide colleagues and management.
  • Performs State/FDA contract inspection, HACCP inspection, Shellfish Inspections, and other specialized inspections as assigned.
  • Maintains a working knowledge of current policies, laws, regulations, and guidance documents.
  • Attends training sessions, meetings, and conferences.
  • Provides consultation, information sharing, technical assistance, and in-service training to food and dairy personnel regarding health and food sanitation, rules and regulations, and their enforcement.

NOTE:  If you are applying for this position based on college credit, please submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. This will help determine if you meet the qualifications for this position based on your education. Failure to submit a transcript may result in not being eligible for this specific position if qualifying based on education.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:   Preference will be given to applicants, who, in addition to meeting the Minimum Qualifications, possess knowledge, skills, and abilities in the following areas:

·       Certification as a registered sanitarian or registered environmental health specialist by the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA).

• • Two years of professional experience conducting inspections and investigations for compliance with established state and federal health and food and/or milk sanitation laws, rules, and regulations; and/or
  • Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.

NOTE: The Georgia Department of Agriculture conducts background checks on all final candidates. The hiring of applicants is contingent upon satisfactory employment verification results, background, criminal records investigations, and motor vehicle reports.

HOW TO APPLY:  Resumes may be submitted by adding to your profile in Team Georgia Careers:

·       Via Team Georgia Careers http://team.georgia.gov/careers/

The GDA is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. All qualified applicants will be considered but may not necessarily receive an interview. Due to this office's large volume of submissions, information concerning application and/or interview status cannot be provided. Selected applicants will be contacted for the next steps in the interview process. Applicants who are not selected will not receive a notification.

Please contact the Human Resources Office at (404) 656-3615 if you need accommodation.

** The position will be closed once a suitable candidate is identified *