Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Program

State of Washington•Yakima County – Other, WA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is seeking a Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Program Manager to lead its Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Program. This program is crucial for facilitating the marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables by providing accurate, unbiased inspections and voluntary third-party grading. The manager will oversee program administration and operations, including supervising management staff across three regions, managing approximately 175 FTEs, and ensuring consistent policies and procedures for the inspection of fresh and raw product fruits and vegetables. The role involves implementing state and federal mandates, providing services for third-party grading, and offering technical oversight and strategic direction for a program operating throughout the state. The program's mission is to provide reliable, self-supporting, fee-for-service inspection and certification to ensure the continued trade of high-quality, pest-free fruits and vegetables from Washington. The manager will also represent the division and program in agency-wide groups and lead industry interactions. This position is responsible for the financial viability of the program, which is entirely supported by user fees and has a biennial budget of $35 million.

Requirements

Bachelors Degree in Agriculture, Business Administration or related field, or equivalent experience.
Skilled communicator with good leadership skills.
Knowledge of human resource management.
Facilitation and negotiation skills.
Financial management knowledge.
Contracting knowledge.
Knowledge of personnel management principles.
Program management knowledge.
Ability to work in a diverse and sensitive political environment.
Five (5) years industry or supervisory experience in commodity inspection, or supervisory or management experience related to fruit and vegetable packing, handling or logistics.
Understanding of federal and state inspection procedures and rules and regulations applicable to grading standards and to those governing certification for freedom of pests and diseases.
Familiarity with and capability of operating computers to use word processing, spreadsheets, database and email programs.

Nice To Haves

Masters Degree in Agriculture or related field or equivalent experience, including coursework or continuing professional education in public administration or management.
Technical expertise in agriculture and general knowledge of commodity inspection and fruit and vegetable production, storage, packing, and transportation practices.
Knowledge of international phytosanitary and quality standards, post-harvest technologies, food processing and fresh fruit and vegetable packing technologies and food distribution systems.
USDA AMS license to inspect all fruits and vegetables grown and/or packed in the state of Washington.
USDA APHIS license to inspect and issue phytosanitary certificates to foreign destinations.
Basic understanding of the audit verification program or licensed to be an auditor.

Responsibilities

Develops and implements policies for the Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Program.
Responds to industry needs to ensure reliable and technically sound services that are financially sensible and within agency guidelines.
Conducts regular visits to regional and area offices to ensure consistent technical implementation and managerial direction.
Collaborates with federal agencies like USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to enforce regulations and apply procedures through delegated authorities.
Maintains the highest standards of personal, professional, and ethical conduct.
Serves as the final program authority for interpreting federal agency rules and regulations as they apply to the program, sometimes dealing with conflicts of opinion with federal personnel.
Acts as the primary contact for parallel-agency technical interaction and provides final recommendations on suspending or revoking fruit and vegetable licenses.
Ensures regulatory enforcement actions are timely, equitable, and comply with legal processes.
Serves as the contact for the development and implementation of work plans/protocols for international markets.
Hosts and works with international delegations.
Responds to technical details for programs like USDA Plant Protection and Quarantine.
Acts as a liaison between delegations and the industry.
Oversees the training and professional development of all program employees.
Monitors the progress of fruit and vegetable certification processes to ensure timely and consistent service delivery.
Ensures employees are performing to established standards and following agency policies.
Makes decisions on high-profile or urgent personnel matters and provides guidance on grievances or labor relations issues.
Performs progressive disciplinary actions and makes recommendations for more serious disciplinary actions.
Is responsible for recruitment or delegating recruitment authority and providing input into the final hiring process.
Develops the program’s budget by projecting revenue, expenditures, and program growth to ensure fiscal viability.
Prepares and submits allotments in accordance with agency fiscal instructions.
Performs long-term planning to ensure fees charged will meet future needs.
Monitors cash flow and adjusts operations as necessary to ensure program viability.
Makes strategic and tactical decisions regarding the direction of the program.
Develops and implements a strategic plan with performance measures, and understands and implements Results Washington and Lean quality management principles.
Measures and reports on program activities and functions, using information to make adjustments and improvements.
Initiates changes to state law and administrative regulations following consultations with industry stakeholders.
May testify before the Legislature or represent the program to other government entities or industry groups.
Explores and employs new, emerging technologies to make program delivery more effective.
Participates in organizations or groups that could influence agency or division policies and practices.
Contributes to agency assessments and improvement committees.
Maintains the Fruit and Vegetable Advisory Board, meeting regularly to provide program and industry information, suggest changes, and act as a focus group for proposed rule and law changes.
Participates in regional, national, or international fruit and vegetable inspection organizations and contributes to policy development and information sharing.
Understands and applies state, federal, and foreign regulations and laws, and agency policies and procedures.
Develops and evaluates technical, regulatory, administrative, policies and procedures related to the F&V Inspection Program.
Directs the activities of staff members to accomplish the objectives of the Program in compliance with USDA and WSDA regulations.
Makes final decisions on the issuance of certificates and associated billings, recommends suspension or revocation of certificates, and takes other appropriate regulatory action against non-compliant operations.
Coordinates cooperative efforts, such as administrative embargoes and phytosanitary certification services, with other states or federal programs.
Plans spending, projects revenue, and takes action to stay within spending authority.
Monitors budget status on at least a monthly basis.
Continually monitors and identifies alternate Inspection programs or audit-based services that could provide industry with cost-saving measures while maintaining program integrity.

Benefits

Flexible work schedules
Teleworking
Dependent Care Assistance
Flexible Spending Accounts
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Tuition Waiver
Deferred Compensation
Employee Recognition Leave
12 paid Holidays
Vacation and Leave Accruals
All Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required will be provided by the agency.