Consumer Safety Inspector

Food Safety and Inspection Service • Wilkesboro, NC

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Consumer Safety Inspector helps ensure that regulated establishments produce safe meat and poultry products by applying inspection methods, identifying and documenting regulatory noncompliance, and initiating enforcement action when warranted. The inspector verifies that establishments’ Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans meet regulatory requirements and are effectively implemented to prevent unsanitary conditions and product adulteration. Work includes reviewing records, observing plant operations, conducting hands-on verification, and assessing corrective and preventive actions, trends in noncompliance, and the need for regulatory control or enforcement.

The position also involves oversight of other consumer-protection matters, such as economic adulteration and misbranding; communicating regulatory requirements and inspection findings to plant managers, owners, and others; resolving differences in interpretation; and advising agency colleagues on inspection and enforcement matters. Inspectors conduct sampling, surveys, and tests, including checks for microbes, residues, or contaminants. They also verify imported meat and poultry products, authorize entry of compliant products, refuse entry when requirements are not met, and coordinate with other federal agencies on related matters.

Shifts and species vary by assignment. The employee may be detailed to any shift at any plant in the Raleigh District. The work is performed in a hazardous working environment and requires completion of training as a condition of employment. The position requires a pre-employment physical and the ability to meet the listed physical and medical requirements.

Requirements

• Be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national.
• Meet the specialized experience or education requirements for the applicable grade level (GS-05, GS-07, GS-08, or GS-09).
• For GS-05 experience qualification: at least 52 weeks of qualifying experience involving knowledge of regulated food commodities or other ingestible substances; examples include sampling or field testing, reporting findings, maintaining contacts, or making determinations against established standards.
• For GS-07 experience qualification: at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-05, including independently carrying out routine, standard assignments on a regular and recurring basis.
• For GS-08 experience qualification: at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-07, including work with federal meat, poultry, and egg inspection laws; basic SSOP and HACCP principles; mathematics and elementary statistics for testing and sampling; and interpreting conclusions.
• For GS-09 experience qualification: at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-08, with more independent work that may include recommending refusal of exports or providing temporary coverage outside the official duty station.
• Education may substitute for experience at specified grades: a qualifying bachelor’s degree with relevant coursework for GS-05; one year of directly related graduate education for GS-07; or two years of directly related graduate education or a related master’s degree for GS-09. Combinations of qualifying education and experience may also be used as described in the posting.
• Complete required training: begin within 90 days of the selection’s effective date and successfully complete it within 12 months.
• Meet applicable Selective Service requirements for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Pass background investigation and/or fingerprint adjudication, a pre-employment medical examination, and E-Verify employment verification.
• Successfully complete a one-year probationary period unless previously served.
• Read, speak, write, and effectively communicate in English.
• Use direct deposit for federal payments.
• Meet the physical and medical requirements, including full range of motion; ability to stand and walk on slippery or uneven floors and catwalks and climb stairs and ladders; lift, carry, push, and pull up to 30 pounds and occasionally up to 50 pounds; upper-body manual dexterity and normal touch in both hands; adequate near and distance vision and color discrimination; and case-by-case assessment of hearing loss or hearing amplification.

Responsibilities

• Apply inspection methods to ensure regulated establishments produce safe products.
• Determine and document regulatory noncompliance and initiate enforcement action when warranted.
• Verify that meat and poultry establishments’ SSOP and HACCP plans meet regulatory requirements and are effectively implemented.
• Review records, observe plant operations, and conduct hands-on verification of regulatory compliance.
• Determine whether regulatory control action is necessary and assess corrective or preventive actions, noncompliance trends, and whether enforcement is warranted.
• Conduct regulatory oversight concerning other consumer protections, including economic adulteration and misbranding.
• Explain legal and regulatory requirements to plant managers, owners, and others; discuss food safety programs and noncompliance resolution.
• Communicate and defend determinations on noncompliance and work with others to resolve differing interpretations of requirements.
• Advise other agency inspectors, supervisors, and officers on relevant inspection and enforcement matters.
• Conduct sampling, surveys, and tests to gather data on potential problem areas, industry trends, and other agency issues.
• Perform health and safety verification sampling and tests for microbes, residues, or contaminants.
• Verify that meat and poultry products approved for import comply with applicable federal regulations.
• Authorize entry of compliant imported products or refuse entry of products that fail admission requirements.
• Coordinate with other federal agencies on matters such as animal-health restrictions and refused-entry lots.

Benefits

• $5,000 sign-on bonus, subject to a signed two-year service agreement, satisfactory performance and conduct, and applicable conditions.
• Creditable Service for Annual Leave Accrual may be available to selectees.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
• Referral bonus awards of $1,000 may be available subject to eligibility and award criteria.
• Potential noncompetitive promotion under a career development plan if requirements are successfully completed and management recommends promotion; promotion is not guaranteed.
• Federal employee benefits package; eligibility depends on position type.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level