For This Issue

Inspectors & Safety Officers
Needed To Address Seafood and

Other Consumer Concerns

The public is very concerned that seafood originating in the Gulf

will be tainted with oil. Product re-calls of other foods also causing anxiety.

Both the Food Safety & Inspection Service and the Food & Drug Administration are

hiring to address these issues. Signing bonuses and student loan

repayments offered for some jobs in some locations.

The FDA has established a Twitter account* to keep the public informed of food safety issues. One of the major issues on Twitter is the safety of seafood originating in the Gulf of Mexico. The Twitter account and the Agency website also list current food product re-calls. These concerns are resulting in the hiring of more Consumer Safety Officers, GS-0696 and Food Inspectors GS-1863.

Nationwide Hiring
At present the Food Safety & Inspection Service, FSIS, has posted a nationwide Vacancy Announcement for full and intermittent Food Inspectors. The job pays to $50,431 before locality pay, overtime and other adjustments. Work experience or related education preparing food may qualify applicants.

The Food & Drug Administration is hiring Consumer Safety Officers. These jobs occur regularly at specific locations. Depending on grade level the position pays up to $97,333. These employees may also receive locality pay differential.

Signing Bonuses
The FSIA is giving signing bonuses, called “Recruitment Incentives,” in some locations. Bonuses can be up to 25% of starting salary, potentially as high as $12,607. Locations where signing bonuses can change quickly depends on the supply of qualified applicants. Also available in the same locations are student loan repayment bonuses of $10,000. Interested candidates can check the Agency’s website for the current list of signing bonus locations .

Full-Time and Intermittent Work
At the present time, there are full-time and intermittent Food Inspector positions open nationwide. Intermittent means on-call. The base pay is $15.00 to $24.16 @ hour depending on qualifications. Duties and qualifications are the same for both full and part-time work.

Qualifications/Food Inspector
At the GS-5 level a candidate must have one year of specialized experience or have successfully completed a full four-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree that included 12 semester hours (18 quarter hours) in the biological, physical, mathematical or agricultural sciences or related scientific fields that provided knowledge directly related to consumer safety officer work.

The Inspection Service describes qualifying experience in this blurb: “You must have one year specialized experience that was obtained after your 16th birthday. The experience must show qualifying knowledge, judgment, interpretive ability, and technical skills.”

Applicable experience can include, “Work experience preparing food, as a chef or cook in a large-scale commercial establishment. This experience must demonstrate responsibility for proper food preparation, handling and sanitation practices…”

Applicants can also qualify based on education. The education requirement is stated by the Service as follows, “You may qualify at the GS-5 level based on successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelors degree from an accredited college or university, which included 12 semester hours in the biological, physical, mathematical, or agricultural sciences. If you are within 9 months of graduating you may apply.”

Food Inspector Application Process
Food Inspectors required to complete an Assessment Questionnaire. The Assessment Questionnaire measures the applicant’s qualification for the job. In addition, the applicants need to submit a Federal resume or application form. If an application form is preferred by the applicant it can be obtained on-line .

How To Apply
FSIS maintains a phone line to send application packages to interested applicants. Candidates may call 1-800-370-3747 to request packages. Or email: foodinspectorapps@fsis.usda.gov

Candidates may also request an application package by mail from the address below.

Application should be made on-line. For information by mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service,
FSIS HRFO Service Teams
Butler Square West 4th Floor
100 North Sixth Street
Minneapolis, MN 55403-1564

Fax: (612)370-2060
Phone: 1-800-370-3747

Consumer Safety Officer
Consumer Safety Officers , GS 5/13, regulate the food and drug industries including such activities as investigating complaints of injury, illness, or death, initiating actions against violators, advise industry, state and local officials on enforcement policies, plan and direct regulatory programs, develop inspection procedures and techniques. Salaries range depending on level from $72,900 - $112,704.00 without differential that boosts pay in applicable areas.

Consumer Safety Officer Qualifications
The Consumer Safety Officer requires at least 30 semester hours in a scientific field plus appropriate experience. Work experience that involved inspections of food, drugs, medical devices, blood or cosmetic testing. Most entry level Officers have B.S. degrees. Entry level jobs open regularly, although only mid and senior level are open at present. These require at least 5 years experience in a similar position, perhaps, with a state, county or city organization. The position occurs in FDA facilities throughout the U.S.

How to Apply
Consumers Safety Officer
Candidates interested in Consumer Safety Officer jobs can start here .

* Twitter

FDA

FSIS

Working at FDA
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