AGRICULTURAL/WEIGHTS & MEASURES INSPECTOR III - Los Angeles County (CA) : Job Details

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER/WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

FILING DATES: 08/30/2021 - Until the needs of the department are met and is subject to closure without prior notice.

EXAM #: V0011G

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT: Open Competitive Job Opportunity

JOB TYPE: Permanent

DEFINITION:

Acts as a senior or lead person and participates in the inspection and enforcement of Federal, State, local agricultural, weights and measures, fire, health and safety laws, regulations, ordinances and policies for protection of such constituent groups as consumers, agriculture, and industry.

CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS:

Positions allocable to this class are characterized by their responsibility for performing senior and lead level assignments and/or the more difficult and complex inspection and enforcement assignments. Incumbents receive administrative and technical direction from a Deputy Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer. Incumbents of these positions act as the on-site lead inspector, enforce safety practices and procedures, and instruct in methods for the expedient and accurate accomplishment of either agricultural or weights and measures inspections. Positions in this class monitor the quantity of inspections conducted by lower level inspectors or associates and make recommendations to management on the preparation of performance evaluations and probationary reports for these employees. These positions may act as a field working supervisor over agricultural inspection, weights and measures, or weed abatement functions by providing training and orientation to employees, establishing job deadlines and maintaining assignment logs. Incumbents in this class possess a high degree of proficiency, knowledge and expertise in Federal, State and local laws related to departmental programs. Positions in this class perform tasks such as bending, stooping, and lifting objects over 25 lbs in the performance of their duties. Some positions may be required to drive and operate large scale inspection vehicles, operate cranes with 250 lbs or more test weights, and/or operate other large vehicles or equipment.

Supervises inspectors and workers by performing a full range of tasks; delegating assignments to the appropriate staff member(s); monitoring, reviewing, and evaluating staff performance; participating in various human resources-related processes, such as interviewing, employee-relation investigations and discipline; and enforcing safety practices and procedures.

Performs complex and sensitive field inspections of commercially used measuring and weighing devices, sale prices, petroleum products, produce cases, nursery stock, commodities, improved/unimproved parcels, and other packaged goods by driving a vehicle to various inspection sites; using appropriate tools and equipment; lifting items, kneeling, crouching, twisting, reaching, and climbing for extended periods of time; applying advanced technical knowledge and pertinent rules and regulations; exercising the utmost care and safety in the performance of duties; issuing certificates of inspection, notifications, and violations; and calculating and collecting fees from clients for services and materials provided.

Leads investigations related to complaints or prosecution for criminal violations and civil actions by participating in and/or directing the evidence gathering activities of subordinate inspectors, collecting and preserving the evidence, compiling relevant information, preparing technical aspects of cases for the prosecution staff, assisting in providing a response/corrective action plan to the Board of Supervisors, and serving as an expert witness in judicial or administrative proceedings.

Participates in and conducts continuous surveys by collecting commodity samples for testing; collecting insects, weeds, soils, plants, and diseases; assisting in nuisance abatement or pest control; maintaining chain of custody of collected samples used for evidence-gathering; and gathering compliance data.

Prepares a variety of documents by using a personal computer/mobile devices and appropriate applications/databases or by manually completing standard forms.

Acts as a liaison between the department served and contract cities, government officials, enforcement and regulatory agencies, businesses, clients, the public, and other departments and agencies by serving as the initial point of contact within the department; presenting information at specialized seminars; attending meetings; coordinating activities; participating in special projects involving education and public outreach to the general public and the regulated community, and representing the department in a positive and professional manner.SELECTION REQUIREMENTS:

A Bachelor's degree from an accredited* college or university with specialization in one or more appropriate disciplines in agricultural science, biological science, chemical science, physical science, mathematics, and/or statistics, including the completion of approved college level courses in Botany AND Entomology -AND- either:

Option I: Two years of full-time experience at the level of an Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector II in the service of the County of Los Angeles. Experience at the level of an Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector II is defined as an inspector that performs inspections and investigations to enforce Federal, State and local agricultural, weights and measures, fire, health and safety laws, regulations, ordinances and policies for the protection of such constituent groups as consumers, agriculture, and industry.*

Option II: Four years of full-time experience performing weights and measures inspection, calibration, and related functions *

Option III: Four years of full-time experience performing agricultural inspection and enforcement, and/or weed abatement functions *

LICENSE:

A valid California State license for Weights and Measures Inspection in all categories -AND- valid California State licenses for Agricultural Inspection in all categories. Some positions may be required to obtain and hold a Qualified Applicator Certificate for restricted use pesticides.

A valid California Class C Driver License is required to perform job-related essential functions. Some positions may be required to hold a Class A or Class B license.

License Information: Successful applicants for positions that require driving must obtain and present a copy of his/her driving record from the California Department of Motor Vehicles before final appointment. Applicants should not present a copy of their driving history until asked to do so by the hiring department. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether an applicant's driving history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job. License must not be currently suspended, restricted, or revoked.

PHYSICAL CLASS: Arduous: Involves frequent heavy lifting over 25 pounds, often combined with bending, twisting, or working on irregular surfaces; and occasionally requires extraordinary physical activity.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION:

* Accredited colleges and universities include all colleges and universities that meet the accreditation guidelines indicated on the bulletin.

In order to receive credit for any college course work, license, or certificate, you must include a legible copy of the official transcripts, license, and/or certificate of completion, respectively, with your application or within 15 calendar days of filing.

* Part-time experience will be prorated. Experience in inspection and enforcement must be within a public jurisdiction.

NO OUT-OF-CLASS EXPERIENCE WILL BE ACCEPTED.

EXAMINATION CONTENT

A multiple-choice assessment, weighted at 100%, assessing Deductive Reasoning, Verbal Ability, Management Potential, Working to High Quality Standards, Responsibility, Achievement, Willingness to Learn, Accepting Others, Showing Courtesy, Working Relationships, Analyzing Information, Learning Quickly, Compliance with Rules and Regulations, Adapting to Change, Controlling Emotions, Working Energetically, and Professional/Technical Expertise.

Applicants must meet the Selection Requirements and achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on the written test in order to be placed on the eligible register.

STANDARDIZED MULTIPLE CHOICE TESTS ARE NOT REVIEWABLE BY CANDIDATES PER CIVIL SERVICE RULE 7.19.

Transfer of Test Components:

* Applicants who have taken identical components recently for other exams may have their scores automatically transferred to this examination.

* This examination contains test components that may be used in the future for new examinations and your test scores may be transferred.

Test Preparation

Study guides and other test preparation resources are available to help candidates prepare for employment tests. An interactive, Online Test Preparation System for taking practice tests may be accessed on the Department of Human Resources website at Please click on Find a Job and then Job Search Toolkit. Test Preparation Information is located under the Employment Test Assistance section.

You can also access test preparation for the computerized portion of the test by going to While these practice materials will help in preparing for the test, we advise you to review ALL related materials that you deem necessary.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION:

The names of candidates receiving a passing score in the examination will be placed on the eligible register in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of eligibility. Applications will be processed on an as-received basis. No person may compete for this examination more than once in a twelve (12) month period.

SPECIAL INFORMATION:

The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

VACANCY INFORMATION:

The list of successful candidates created from this exam will be used to fill vacancies throughout the Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and Measures as they occur.

AVAILABLE SHIFT:

Appointees will be required to work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION:

The acceptance of your application will depend on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Selection Requirements. Please be sure your application shows complete information, including dates for education and jobs held which relate to this position. In the space provided for education, include the names and addresses of schools attended, titles of courses completed, dates completed, and number of credits earned. For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your job title, beginning and ending dates, and description of work performed. All information is subject to verification. We may reject your application at any time during the examination process.

Utilizing VERBIAGE from the Class Specification and Selection Requirements serving as your description of duties WILL NOT be sufficient to demonstrate that you met the requirements. Doing so may result in an INCOMPLETE APPLICATION and you may be DISQUALIFIED.

In order to receive credit for the required degree/coursework, certification, and/or license, you must include a legible copy of the official diploma, official transcripts, or official letter from the accredited institution which shows the area of specialization, and/or a legible copy of the official certificate and/or license at the time of filing or within 15 calendar days from the date of filing application.

NOTE: If you are unable to attach required documents, you must fax them to (626) ###-#### or email them to [email protected] within fifteen (15) calendar days from filing online or your application will be rejected. Please include your name, exam number (V0011G), and exam title (AWM Inspector III) on all the faxed documents.

HOW TO APPLY:

Applications must be filed online only. Applications submitted by U.S. Mail, Fax, or in person will not be accepted.

Apply online by clicking on the green Apply button at the top right of this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance of the deadline as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty, you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. this is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

NOTE: All notifications including invitation letters will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], and

[email protected] to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.

It is your responsibility to take the above steps to view correspondence. Los Angeles County will not consider claims of not viewing or receiving notification to be a valid reason for late test administration or rescheduling of a test component.

Applicants have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County.

All information is subject to verification. We may reject your application at any time during the examination and hiring process, including after appointment has been made. Falsification of any information may result in disqualification or rescission of appointment.

Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES: For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

NO SHARING OF USER ID, E-MAIL AND PASSWORD: All applicants must file their application using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

ADA Coordinator Phone: (626) ###-####

Teletype Phone: (626) ###-####

California Relay Services: (800) ###-####

Department Contact Name: Tanya Marchese

Department Contact Phone: (626) ###-####

Department Contact Email: [email protected]