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Consumer Safety Officer (EIAO)

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Baltimore, Maryland
Closing date
Dec 4, 2020
Duties

Summary

All Consumer Safety Officers may be detailed anywhere in the Raleigh District.

Vacancy Info: Richmond, VA (Richmond County)
Consumer Safety Officer (EIAO) SJ-541, GS-0696-11/12
Shift: First Shift, Mon.-Fri.7:00 am to 3:30

Salary:
GS-11: $66,217 - $86,081
GS-12: $79,367 - $103,182

Vacancy Info: Baltimore, MD (Baltimore County)
Consumer Safety Officer (EIAO) SJ-541, GS-0696-11/12
Shift: First Shift, Mon.-Fri, 7:00am to 3:30 pm

Salary:
GS-11: $72,030 - $93,638
GS-12: $86,335 - $112,240

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

  • This position may be filled as a multi-grade career ladder. If position is filled at a developmental grade level, assignments will be of a more limited scope, performed with less independence, and may reflect limited complexity/personal contacts.
  • You may/will:
  • Conduct on site consumer protection assessments to verify the design and proper functioning of a plant's food safety and process control systems.
  • Assess the scientific adequacy of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs), microbiological verification sampling protocols, or other process control measures.
  • Perform investigative work related to food processing and/or slaughter systems to obtain information, gather evidence, or verify facts in support of administrative or civil enforcement matters.
  • Make recommendations regarding the type of enforcement action that is necessary, and assist in the preparation of enforcement related documentation such as notices of intended enforcement, suspension letters, deferral letters, and letters of warning.
  • Collect necessary information pertaining to product recall activities, consumer complaints, or other public health concerns.
  • Determine the relevance of data and documentation in-plant records, laboratory test data, and observed activities for compliance with provisions of laws and Agency regulations.
  • Assist inspection personnel, as needed, in the consistent nationwide implementation of significant new inspection procedures designed to verify that official establishments meet regulatory requirements for food safety and other consumer protection.


Travel Required

75% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Satisfactory background investigation and/or fingerprint check required.
  • Successful completion of a Condition of Employment (TCOE).
  • US 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.
  • 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/.
  • All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to complete a self-certification medical statement regarding their physical ability to perform the duties of the position.
  • Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance. Failure to successfully meet these requirements could lead to adverse action proceedings including possible termination.
  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.


Qualifications

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 one year at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade (e.g. one year at the GS-09 grade level for consideration for the GS-11 grade level.)

Specialized experience: In order to meet the specialized experience requirement, you will need to have completed 52 weeks of progressively responsible specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade level. This experience may be gained under GS, PHHRS, another pay band system, or any combination of GS, pay band, or other experience.

Specialized experience is defined as under supervision and/or guidance from senior personnel, verify safety systems for the production of products intended for consumption (e.g., food, pharmaceuticals, drinking water, biological specimens, etc.). 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. 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.

To qualify for the GS-11: 52 weeks or more of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (generally, the GS-9 level). 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
OR
  • A combination of education and specialized experience--the minimum education requirement of courses consisting of at least 30 semester hours in the fields of study described above, plus appropriate experience and additional education.

To qualify for the GS-12: 52 weeks or more of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (generally, the GS-11 level). Specialized experience is defined as independent and regular responsibility for verifying safety systems for the production of products intended for consumption (e.g. food, pharmaceuticals, drinking water, biological specimens, etc.). In addition to meeting the specialized experience (as stated for the GS-11), your experience for the GS-12 may come from food processing, manufacturing practices, statistical process control, microbiological testing, laboratory analytical procedures, and/or other technical areas that might affect food safety.

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

This position has a minimum education requirement to qualify at either of the advertised grades. All applicants need to meet the minimum education requirements for this position. The minimum education requirement is:

A bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in quality assurance or a related degree that included at least 30 semester hours of related course work (i.e. 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 the paragraph above, plus appropriate experience (as described under the Qualifications Box) or additional education.
Please view OPM's Qualifications Standards, Consumer Safety Series, GS-0696 .

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployed Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) : 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 applications must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Promotion Potential: If selected, you may be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if all requirements are completed and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

This announcement may be used to fill additional like vacancies in the announced duty location(s).

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication (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.

Selectee may be subject to one year probationary/trial period.

Initial appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of training.

Please note the following: After completing the 4 week training, 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.

All applicants tentatively selected will be required to complete a self-certification medical statement regarding their physical ability to perform the duties of the position.- Selectee must maintain a Public Trust security clearance. Failure to successfully meet these requirements could lead to adverse action proceedings including possible termination

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.-

CONFIDENTIAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT: 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. Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. If selected you will be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI) and a credit report.

Veterans Policy

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:
  • Language, Mathematics, Information Processing, Analytical
  • Communication, Leadership, Personal Characteristics
  • Technical Skills and Knowledge, Government Laws and Regulations
  • Information Technology Fluency, Industry Awareness
Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) 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 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 to meet minimum qualifications to be referred.
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 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.

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 Online" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10965920

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

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; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications. If you need assistance in creating a federal resume see this click here .

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 award, 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.
You must submit the documents below if you claim any of the following:
Current and Former Federal employees:
  • Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing you are/were in the competitive service, highest grade held (or promotion potential) on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND
  • Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. A performance plan is not an acceptable substitute.
  • Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP Priority: 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.

    Other Special Hiring Authorities: If claiming eligibility under a Special Hiring Authority not listed above submit appropriate supporting documentation. See Hiring Authorities .

    If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

    Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

    Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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