MEAT & POULTRY INSPECTOR - CIRCUIT 3-3 (LIVINGSTON CO.) Target title for 59618

State of Illinois•Springfield, MO

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Illinois Department of Agriculture is hiring a Meat and Poultry Inspector for Circuit 3-3. This regional position helps protect the food production system by ensuring the production of safe and wholesome meat and poultry products. The Bureau of Meat and Poultry Inspection annually examines more than 400 establishments that provide wholesale meat or meat products for human consumption. The inspector works under general supervision in state and/or federal plants. The role includes inspecting fresh, smoked, cured, or cooked meat and poultry products, inspecting animals and poultry before and after slaughter, checking processing procedures and product formulations and labels, and submitting samples for laboratory analysis. The position requires residency in Livingston County, Ford County, or McLean County east of Interstates 39 and 74. The employee works from their home location as a base for daily operations and reports to the Springfield headquarters as operational needs require. The position has a Monday–Friday schedule, generally 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., though daily hours may vary. Overtime, including evening and weekend work, may be required. The work involves travel and exposure to unpleasant odors, extreme cold and heat, and potentially dangerous meat-cutting and processing machinery. It is classified as medium work, including lifting up to 50 pounds at a time and frequently lifting or carrying objects weighing up to 25 pounds.

Requirements

Knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to high school; courses in algebra, biology, or chemistry are preferred.
Successful completion of an agency-approved meat and poultry inspection training program.
Complete a name-based background screening and self-disclose criminal history.
Successfully pass a pre-employment physical.
Ability to travel in the performance of duties.
Appropriate, valid driver's license.
Ability to work overtime, including scheduled, unscheduled, or last-minute overtime, and to work evenings and weekends when required.
Residency in Livingston County, Ford County, or McLean County east of Interstates 39 and 74.
Ability to tolerate unpleasant odors in slaughterhouses and meat preparation areas, extreme cold in meat lockers, and heat in processing areas, and to use safety practices around dangerous meat-cutting and processing machinery.
Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely orally and in writing to explain regulations and inspection results and prepare inspection reports and records.
Ability to meet the physical demands of medium work, including lifting no more than 50 pounds at a time and frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 25 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Working knowledge of antemortem and postmortem inspection methods and techniques involving meat-producing animals and poultry.
Working knowledge of laws, rules, and regulations governing meat and poultry inspection and processing.
Working knowledge of additives and preservatives used in meat and poultry processing.
Experience conducting antemortem and postmortem inspections of animals, poultry, carcasses, and parts to identify disease or abnormal conditions.
Experience removing, dissecting, and analyzing glands, organs, and animal parts for signs of obvious disease.
Elementary knowledge of computer hardware and software.
Experience operating a computer and agency software and database applications.
Experience analyzing processing procedures and formulations for compliance with laws and regulations.

Responsibilities

Perform processing inspections in state and/or federal plants on fresh, smoked, cured, or cooked meat and poultry products.
Conduct antemortem and postmortem inspections of animals and/or poultry in state and/or federal plants.
Inspect plant processing procedures daily, including product formulations and labeling.
Submit product samples for laboratory analysis to determine compliance with laws and regulations.
Perform other duties reasonably within the scope of the position.