Summary

Join USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service as an Interdisciplinary Scientist. You will provide public health leadership by developing risk assessment protocols to evaluate microbial and chemical hazards in meat, poultry, and egg products. Working in a multi-disciplinary team, you will analyze foodborne data, oversee national sampling programs, and recommend mitigation strategies that form the basis of federal food safety policies.

Duties

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• Cleans, organizes, and processes data using standard software, spreadsheets, and programming languages.
• Monitors occurrence rates of pathogens and chemical contaminants in meat, poultry, and egg products.
• Drafts technical risk materials, summaries, and informational scientific updates for internal review.
• Sets structural priorities and evaluation parameters for National Residue or Microbiological Sampling Programs.
• Serves as a definitive technical resource for senior leaders on emerging public health hazards.
• Directs multi-disciplinary scientist teams, overseeing both core staff or large advisory groups.
• Evaluates technical foreign safety documents related to World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements and food safety systems.
• Addresses national technical societies, speaks to trade associations, and represents FSIS at federal conferences.

Requirements

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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: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

This position is interdisciplinary and may be filled with any of the following three series. 0403 Microbiology, 0415 Toxicology, or 1320 Chemistry series.

Basic Education Requirement: In addition to the specialized experience requirement, all series have a basic education requirement that you must meet to qualify. See hyperlink in each definition for additional information regarding the individual occupational requirements.

You can meet the IOR for the 0403 Microbiology series with education, a combination of education and experience.

A. Degree: microbiology; or biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included at least 20 semester hours in microbiology and other subjects related to the study of microorganisms, and 20 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences combining course work in organic chemistry or biochemistry, physics, and college algebra, or their equivalent.

B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in microbiology, biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

You can meet the IOR for the 0415 Toxicology series with education.

Degree: toxicology; or an appropriate discipline of the biological, medical, or veterinary sciences that included at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, biochemistry, or physiology, and 12 semester hours in toxicology.

You can meet the IOR for the 1320 Chemistry series with undergraduate education, a combination of education and experience or graduate education.

A. Degree: physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics.

B. Combination of education and experience: Course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Specialized experience: You must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-12 grade or its equivalent in federal service. Your resume must clearly describe in detail how your experience meets 4 out of 5 of the following requirements.

• Performing statistical analysis on microbiological or food science data sets to identify trends, anomalies, or systemic food safety risks.
• Managing food safety surveillance systems to evaluate occurrence rates of biological pathogens or chemical contaminants within meat, poultry, or egg products.
• Synthesizing scientific data to produce technical risk materials, summaries, or executive briefings for agency decision-makers.
• Leading multi-disciplinary scientific panels and advising senior leadership on complex public health hazards.
• Evaluating technical or international regulatory documents (such as World Trade Organization agreements) related to food safety standards or public health data.

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 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

If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of all relevant college transcripts. Do not simply submit your highest degree earned as many of the required courses MAY be on an undergraduate transcript. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, official transcripts will be required prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. 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 the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. 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 applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website.

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.