This position is located in the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Livestock & Poultry Program (LP), Quality Assessment Division (QAD), Grading Services Branch. The incumbent of this position performs the full range of meat grading and quality assurance monitoring duties. All locations may be eligible for a recruitment incentive.

Duties

The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity. The duties may include, but are not limited to: Examines meat to evaluate factors related to product quality. Selects samples and meat products within specifications. Explains evaluation determinations to plant management. Prepares and issues certificates based on quality standards. Assists supervisors with on-the-job training of meat graders and other employees.

Requirements

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/
• Selectee will be subject to a pre-employment medical statement and/or exam.
• Prior to an official offer, selectee will be required to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) acknowledging/accepting that geographic mobility is a condition of employment. Failure to sign the MOU will result in withdrawal of the job offer.
• All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.
• The work requires periods of considerable physical exertion to push, pull, lift, carry, and move boxes, cartons, and heavy packages, buckets, sacks or bags of product (often weighing up to/over 50/55 pounds).
• Prolonged standing, walking, stooping, bending, twisting, and climbing; physical coordination and balance on ladders are required to get into and out of commodity, chilling/freezing, holding, and storage facilities.
• Finger dexterity in at least one or both hands/fingers to perform digital examinations of commodities and grasping/handling or moving equipment.
• Normal or corrected vision in at least one eye for distance, depth perception, and color to detect abnormalities in product.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. FOR THE GS-05 LEVEL: General experience: Applicants must have three years of progressively responsible experience, one year of which was equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to the next lower level in the Federal Service (equivalent to the GS-04 level), experience may have been obtained in the private or public sectors. The experience must demonstrate the ability to: Analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions. Plan and organize work. Communicate effectively orally and in writing. Experience must provide evidence of the skills shown above. General clerical experience (typing, filing, routine processing, or other non-specialized repetitive tasks) is not creditable. OR 4-year course of study leading to a Bachelor's degree. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level. FOR THE GS-07 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Determine the grade, quality, and/or acceptability of livestock, or food grade product, and/or evaluate the sanitation, refrigeration, other facility procedures of food in production, processing, packing, storage, and/or transportation. This could include examination by sensory evaluation and use of instruments designed for field examination of products (i.e. processing plant, warehouse, livestock operation, food establishment, supermarkets, hotels, or similar workplace) to determine quality against regulations and official standards while maintaining permanent records. OR 1 full year of graduate level education in Agriculture, Mathematics, Engineering, Science, Business, Economics, or a related field. OR Superior Academic Achievement: To qualify based on superior academic achievement, you must have completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution AND 1) have a class standing in the upper third of the graduating class, 2) membership in a national scholastic honor society (excluding Freshman honor societies), or 3) must meet certain GPA requirements. GPA requirements: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on official transcripts or as computed based on 4 years of education, or courses completed during the final 2 year of the curriculum; OR 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required course completed in the major field or courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum (GPA will be rounded to one decimal place, e.g., 2.95 rounds to 3.0 and 2.94 rounds to 2.9). Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level. TRANSCRIPTS are required if: You are qualifying for the position based on education. You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education. You are qualifying for this position based on Superior Academic Achievement. This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-05 & 07 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. 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

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Marketing Service USDA APHIS MRPBS 250 Marquette Avenue, Suite 410 Minneapolis, MN 55401 US
• Name: MRP Human Resources
• Phone: 612-336-3227
• Email: [email protected]