Agricultural Commodity Grader (Meat) - Department Of Agriculture : Job Details

Agricultural Commodity Grader (Meat)

Department Of Agriculture

Job Location : Washington,DC, USA

Posted on : 2024-12-04T08:44:49Z

Job Description :

Summary

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.

A Recruitment Incentive may be available for this Announcement.

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Overview

* Accepting applications

* Open & closing dates

11/27/2024 to 12/04/2024

* Salary

$39,576 - $57,354 per year

* Pay scale & grade

GS 5 - 7

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Locations

* Dakota City, NE 1 vacancy

* Lexington, NE 1 vacancy

* Remote job

* Telework eligible

* Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

* Relocation expenses reimbursed

* Appointment type

Permanent

* Work schedule

Full-time

* Service

Competitive

* Promotion potential

* Job family (Series)

* 1980 Agricultural Commodity Grading

* Supervisory status

* Security clearance

Not Required

* Drug test

* Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

* Trust determination process

* Credentialing

* Suitability/Fitness

* Financial disclosure

* Bargaining unit status

Yes

* Announcement number

DE-12626025-25-LP

* Control number

821286200

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This job is open to

* The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

* Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees who meet the definition of a surplus or displaced employee.

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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.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

* 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

* 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).

* A recruitment incentive of up to 25% of base pay may be authorized for eligible candidates. This incentive requires a 2-year service agreement. The service agreement details will be provided prior to the new employee's entrance on duty date.

* Eligible AMS-LP employees may be eligible for a referral bonus for this vacancy.

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.

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.

1 full year of graduate level education in Agriculture, Mathematics, Engineering, Science, Business, Economics, or a related field.

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.

Additional information

* 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.

* First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.

* Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee.

* This position is represented by a collective bargaining unit (union), specifically the 1608: American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).

* Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

* Worksite Information: This position is located at the duty station(s) listed in this vacancy announcement and is not eligible for telework or remote work.

* A recruitment incentive of up to 25% of base pay may be authorized for eligible candidates. This incentive requires a 2 year service agreement. The service agreement details will be provided prior to the new employee's entrance on duty date.

* Eligible AMS-LP employees may be eligible for a referral bonus for this vacancy.

* Applications can be accepted from students who expect to complete qualifying education by 3/4/2025.

* Work environment includes regular and reoccurring moderate discomforts working in and exposure to: freezing, humid, and/or hot temperatures, dust, odors, and wet and/or slippery surfaces, equipment, floors, and stairs.

* Incumbent may be required to work on weekends, holidays, and overtime, multiple shifts and/or changing/rotating shifts.

* Commuting and/or driving to/from home (or travel), in darkness or sunlight for long time frames or over long distances, to /from a plant or service area(s).

* 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.

* 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.

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:

* Commodity Grading

* Meat & Meat Product Grading

* Meat Commodity

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

To preview the application questionnaire, please visit:

* Benefits

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* Required Documents

As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure or downtime, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

* Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications; and 5) supervisors name and phone number for each work period listed and whether or not they may be contacted for reference checks.

* If education is being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program. For further information, visit the following: Foreign Education Evaluation. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

* If claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions within 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. The certification must be on the letterhead of the appropriate military branch and include the dates of military service. Veterans' preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.

* If claiming 10-point veterans' preference you must provide the DD214 or certification requirements (see above bullet), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference visit FEDSHIREVETS

* Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), last performance appraisal that is at least fully successful or its equivalent, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.

* Worker's Compensation Separation: Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50.

* Disability Annuity Termination: Notification from OPM of disability annuity termination AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held. Military Reserve or National Guard Technician Special Disability Retirement Annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456: Certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard Bureau AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.

* How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.

Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.

Step 2: Create a Resume with USAJOBS or upload a Resume into your USAJOBS account. You may want to customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. In addition, your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).

Step 3: Click Apply Online and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Simply log into your USAJOBS account and click on Application Status. Click on the position title, and then select Update Application to continue.

NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.

Agency contact information

MRP Human Resources

Phone 612-###-#### Email [email protected]

Address Agricultural Marketing Service

USDA APHIS MRPBS

250 Marquette Avenue, Suite 410

Minneapolis, MN 55401

Learn more about this agency

Next steps

If you set up your USAJOBS account to send automatic email notifications, your will receive an email acknowledging: 1) the submission of your online Occupational Questionnaire and resume was successful, 2) if you were referred to the selecting official for consideration, and 3) if you were selected or not selected. Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status. We expect to make a final job offer approximately 40 days after the deadline for applications.

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. This announcement may also be used to fill additional like vacancies, including vacancies elsewhere within the agency or other USDA organizations.

Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to [email protected], subject line: Fair Chance Act.

* Fair and Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

* Criminal history inquiries

* Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy

* Financial suitability

* New employee probationary period

* Privacy Act

* Reasonable accommodation policy

* Selective Service

* Signature and false statements

* Social security number request

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Required Documents

* Worker's Compensation Separation: Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50.

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How to Apply

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.

Agency contact information

MRP Human Resources

Phone 612-###-#### Email [email protected]

Address Agricultural Marketing Service

USDA APHIS MRPBS

250 Marquette Avenue, Suite 410

Minneapolis, MN 55401

Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Apply Now!

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