|
Department:
Department Of Agriculture
Agency:
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Sub Agency:
Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA
Job Announcement Number:
W-ODIFP-2009-0002
Job Title:
Senior Food Defense Analyst
Salary Range:
73,100.00 - 133,543.00 USD /year
Series & Grade:
AP-0301-04/05
Promotion Potential:
05
Open Period:
Monday, August 24, 2009
to Sunday, September 27, 2009
Position Information:
Full Time Permanent
Duty Locations:
2 vacancies - Washington DC Metro Area, DC
Who May Be Considered:
This vacancy is advertised
under Delegated Examining (DE) procedures
and is open to US Citizens.
The vacancy is also being
advertised under Merit Promotion (MP)
procedures for status candidates under announcement
W-ODIFP-2009-
0001. Candidates who wish to
be considered under both DE and MP
procedures MUST apply to both
vacancy announcements.
Job Summary:
JOIN A GREAT FSIS TEAM!!
The Food Safety and Inspection
Service (FSIS) is a public health
regulatory agency of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Our
mission is to protect
consumers by ensuring that the commercial
supply of meat*, poultry,
catfish and egg products moving in
interstate commerce or
exported to other countries is safe and
correctly labeled and
packaged. We offer opportunities
for future
merit-based promotion, career
enhancement and professional
development; flexible work
schedules; and transit subsidies in some
locations. For more information about the
agency, visit FSIS.
* The "Food Conservation
and Energy Act of 2008", also referred to
as the "2008 Farm
Bill", was signed into Law on June 18, 2008. The
Farm Bill amends the Federal
Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) to include
Catfish as an amenable species
under the Act.
This position is in the Office
of Data Integration and Food
Protection (ODIFP). The
mission of the ODIFP is to coordinate the
agency's homeland security and
emergency preparedness/response
activities. These activities
include preparing for, preventing and
coordinating the FSIS response
to unintentional and intentional
incidents, threats, and hazards
affecting the nation's meat,
poultry, and egg products. The
ODIFP is comprised of the Office of
the Assistant Administrator
(OAA) and three component staff offices,
the Emergency Response Staff
(ERS), the Food Defense Assessment
Staff (FDAS), and the Data
Integration and Assessment Group (DAIG).
This position exists at the
FDAS. The FDAS is responsible for
coordinating the development
and implementation of strategies to
prevent, and respond to actual
or suspected deliberate contamination
of FSIS-regulated products. In
pursuit of such strategies, FDAS
performs and/or updates
vulnerability assessments relating to meat,
poultry, and egg products.
These assessments help identify threat
agents of concern, as well as
those commodities and nodes in the
production, transportation,
and distribution system most vulnerable
to attack. Based on the
results of these assessments, FDAS
collaborates with other
federal, state, and local government
agencies involved in food
safety and food defense, including the
federal intelligence community
and emergency management agencies,
such as the Department of
Homeland Security in the development of
strategies to mitigate
vulnerabilities of critical production and
processing nodes, enhance
screening for domestic and imported
products and enhance the
response and recovery procedures. FDAS also
works with meat, poultry, and
egg products industries to develop
and implement food defense
intervention strategies and guidance
materials to further enhance
the defense of these products.
Key Requirements:
- FSIS UTILIZES E-VERIFY TO
VERIFY IDENTITY AND EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY
- This announcement may be
used to fill one or more vacancies.
- Relocation expenses will
not be paid.
- Maintaining a SECRET
security clearance is required.
- You must be a U.S.
Citizen to apply for this job.
Major Duties:
This position may be filled as
a AP-04 or AP-05 multi-grade ladder.
At the AP-04 level,
assignments will be of a more limited scope,
performed with less
independence, and may reflect limited complexity
and personal contacts. At the
AP 04 level, the incumbent will be
acquiring the background necessary
to function at the full
performance level.
As the Senior Food Defense
Analyst, you will support the FDAS
Director. Your duties will
include:
*Providing scientific analyses
and technical support to the FDAS
Director in the development
and implementation of strategies to
prevent, and respond to
incidents and threats of intentional
contamination of FSIS
regulated products; the activities will
include the design and
execution of projects on vulnerability
assessments and the
development of strategies that will reduce the
likelihood of success of an
attack on the food supply and enhance
the response and recovery in
the event of an actual attack as well
as planning and evaluating all
aspects of the program.
*Serving as the project
leader/lead technical advisor to the
Director in the development of
USDA-FSIS sections in assigned
projects related to national
food defense initiatives; such
initiatives include
development of sector-specific inputs and
implementation strategies to
the Homeland Security Presidential
Directives.
*Participating in and helping
to maintain collaborative networks in
order to acquire and exchange
information concerning food defense
issues, current threats to the
food supply, and the food defense
concerns of others
organizations.
*Developing and maintaining
on-going relationships with officials
who represent other Federal
agencies.
*Exchanging information with
organizations concerning current food
defense issues.
*Providing information
concerning FSIS/USDA regulations, policies,
import/export programs, etc.
that related to food defense.
*Representing ODIFP with other
Federal agencies or as a member of
interagency work groups
involved with food defense and interagency
cooperation and representing
ODIFP at intelligence briefings, at ad
hoc interagency meetings and
conferences, and with various
agricultural trade
associations or similar groups who have an
interest in food safety and
defense.
*Developing and maintaining
relationships with other USDA
components, e.g. USDA Homeland
Security Office, APHIS, the OIG, and
FSIS's compliance and
operation components in order to exchange
information on food defense
issues and to coordinate USDA efforts to
mitigate identified
vulnerabilities of the food production,
processing, marketing, and
transport systems.
*Developing and giving
informational presentations on food defense
threats, defense measures, and
similar issues to various audiences,
e.g. trade associations and designing
informational material in
various formats and for
various forums, e.g. for conferences,
training sessions, briefing
sessions, etc.
*Assessing and disseminating
information concerning the food
defense/threats/issues
developed through these information networks
and ensuring that it is
integrated in ODIFP's vulnerability
assessments and other work
activities.
*Formulating specific
approaches and methods that will mitigate the
identified vulnerabilities,
risks, and threats to the food supply
and developing implementation
strategies.
*Implementing the mitigation
strategies.
Qualifications:
To qualify at the AP-04 level
(equivalent to the GS-12/13 in the
Federal Service), you must
have one year of specialized
experience equivalent to the
AP-03 level in the Federal Service.
To qualify at the AP-05 level
(equivalent to the GS-14 level in the
Federal Service), you must
have one year of specialized experience
equivalent to the AP-04 level
in the Federal Service.
Specialized experience is that
which has demonstrated knowledge of
the management principles and
practices associated with food or
other sector defense
(including food vulnerability and risk
assessment) and of the related
governing administrative laws,
policies, regulations and precedents
in order to development and
implement food security
intervention strategies and guidance
materials; knowledge of one or
more scientific disciplines in the
fields of microbiology, risk
assessment and public health.
The successful applicant will
have strong leadership skills
necessary to direct, motivate,
coordinate and integrate the work of
others; to keep initiatives
focused; to asses the effectiveness of
efforts and programs; and to
adjust programs and priorities
accordingly. You must also be
skilled in establishing and
maintaining effective working
relationships with individuals and
groups interested in or
affected by the program for which FDAS is
responsible as well as skilled
in responding to challenges in
understanding and supporting
those challenging program policies or
professional opinions.
All qualification requirements
must be met within 30 days after the
closing date of this
announcement. Additional information on the
qualification requirements is outlined
in the OPM Qualifications
Standards Handbook of General
Schedule Positions. Click here: for more information.
All supporting documents in
the "How to Apply" section must be
submitted by 11:59 PM (Eastern
Time) on the closing date of the
announcement.
How You Will Be Evaluated:
Applicants are evaluated in
accordance with Delegated Examining
Procedures. All are rated on the extent and
quality of experience,
education, and training
relevant to the duties of the position.
An
automated ranking system based
on the on-line application process is
used. Before a certificate of names can be
issued to the selecting
official, the resume is
reviewed carefully by an HR Specialist to
assure that (a) minimum
qualification requirements are met, (b) the
resume supports the answers
provided to the job-specific questions,
and (c) that your resume
addresses experience and education relevant
to this position.
The highest ranking eligible
applicants will receive a numerical
rating, including additional
points for Veteran's preference.
Veteran's preference WILL NOT
BE granted without proof as described
under the "required
documents" section of this announcement. The
highest scoring, qualified
applicants will be referred to the
selecting official.
Your resume must thoroughly
support your responses to the applicant
assessment questions. High
self-assessment in the applicant
questions that is not
supported by information in your resume may
eliminate you from
best-qualified status and subsequent referral to
the selecting official. Please
note that "see resume" or a similarly
unspecific response to a
vacancy question may disqualify you from
consideration.
There are several parts of the
application process that affect the
overall evaluation of your
application: the applicant assessment
questions, the core questions,
supplemental documentation submitted,
and your resume. This automated application system
simplifies the
application process, by
replacing the former KSA job-element
questions with the on-line
applicant assessment questions.
Your
resume is an integral part of
the process for determining if you
meet the basic qualifications
of the position, and whether you are
found to be best
qualified. Therefore, it is
important to
thoroughly explain what you
did and how you did it, rather than just
listing your current and
former employers.
In order to ensure your resume
contains the required information,
please see the Office Of
Personnel Management's Optional Forms 510
(Applying for a Federal Job)
and 612 (Optional Application for
Federal Employment), at Forms.
NOTE: If your position
involves the performance of more than one
type of work, it is essential
that approximate percentages of time
be identified in your
application for those specific duties you feel
describe experience which will
qualify you for this position as
required by the specialized
experience described in this
announcement. Failure to
provide approximate percentages could
impact your qualifications
determination for this position.
To
preview questions please click here.
Benefits:
Working for FSIS offers a
comprehensive benefits package that
includes, in part, paid
vacation, sick leave, holidays, life
insurance, health benefits,
and participation in the Federal
Employees Retirement System.
The following Web address is provided
for your reference to explore
the major benefits offered to most
Federal employees. To find out
more visit: Benefit Information.
Other Information:
FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES ALL
EMPLOYERS TO VERIFY THE IDENTITY AND
EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY OF ALL
PERSONS HIRED TO WORK IN THE UNITED
STATES. FSIS utilizes E-Verify
to verify identity and employment
eligibility by providing to
the Social Security Administration (SSA)
and, if necessary the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
information from each new
employee's Form I-9 to confirm work
authorization. E-Verify cannot be used to pre-screen
job applicants
or to re-verify current
employees and may not limit or influence the
choice of documents presented
for use on the Form I-9. If you
have
concern that there has been a
violation of the E-Verify program or
you feel you have been
discriminated during the verification process
based on your national origin
or citizenship status, contact the
Office of Special Counsel at
1-800-255-7688 (TDD: 1-800-237-2515).
For more information on
E-Verify you may contact DHS at 1-888-464-
4218.
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination
in all its programs and
activities on the basis of race, color,
national origin, age,
disability and where applicable, sex, marital
status, familial status,
parental status, religion, sexual
orientation, genetic
information, political beliefs, reprisal, or
because all or part of an
individual's income is derived from any
public assistance program.
(Not all prohibited bases apply to all
programs.) Persons with
disabilities who require alternative means
for communication of program
information (Braille, large print,
audiotape, etc.) should
contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-
720-2600 (voice and TDD). To
file a complaint of discrimination,
write to USDA, Director,
Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence
Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.
20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272
(voice) or (202) 720-6382
(TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity
provider and employer.
This Agency provides
reasonable accommodation to applicants with
disabilities. If you need a
reasonable accommodation for any part of
the application and hiring
process, please notify the agency.
Decisions on granting
reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-
case basis.
Employees new to the federal
government or the agency will be
required to complete a
'Declaration of Federal Employment,' (OF-
306), prior to being appointed
to determine their suitability for
Federal employment and to
authorize a background investigation.
False statements or responses
on your resume or questionnaire can
jeopardize your employment
opportunity and subject you to
disciplinary action, including
removal from Federal service.
This position is covered by
the Public Health Human Resource System
(PHHRS) Demonstration Project.
Effective July 19, 2009, FSIS
began operating under the PHHRS, a Pay
Banding and Pay for
Performance Demonstration Project, in which non-
bargaining unit positions will
be classified by career path,
occupational series, and pay
bands rather than the traditional
General Schedule (GS) grades
in the Federal Service. The
AP-04 pay
band is equivalent to the
GS-12/13 grade levels and the AP-05 pay
band is equivalent to the
GS-14 grade level.
PHHRS will allow FSIS the
flexibility to offer exceptional
candidates higher salaries
than most other Federal agencies.
Additionally, employees will
be eligible to receive an annual pay
increase based upon
performance.
For more information on PHHRS,
including information on its pay
tables and how it will benefit
employees, please visit PHHRS.
A background investigation
including fingerprints will be required
for new Federal
employees. The results of the
background
investigation could impact
your initial employment or affect your
retention.
Selectees may be subject to a
probationary period.
Male applicants born after
December 31, 1959, must be registered
with the Selective Service
System before they can be employed by an
Executive Agency of the
Federal Government. Click here: for more information.
Before hiring, you will be
required to sign and certify the accuracy
of the information in your
application. False statements can
jeopardize your employment
opportunity and subject you to
disciplinary action, including
removal from Federal service.
How To Apply:
Please read the instructions
carefully before calling with
questions. Thank you!
You must begin the application
process online at USAJobs. You will be required
to submit a resume, respond to
core questions, and to the online
vacancy questions.
Completed applications
include:
1. Your on-line resume.
Resumes are entered into USAJOBS.
Resumes
can be copied and pasted into
the personal information area of your
application from other word
processing documents at any time prior
to 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on
the closing date of the vacancy
announcement.
2. Answers to all core
questions (completed when registering on-line
in USAJOBS and as part of the initial
application process).
3. Answers to all vacancy-specific
questions (completed for each
job).
4. Via fax imaging, providing any
supplemental documents needed.
Applicants who do not respond
to the on-line vacancy questions and
who do not submit supporting
resumes will be rated ineligible.
Questions - click here Common Q & A's About Applying For Federal Jobs on
USAJobs.
Required Documents:
Individuals who have special
priority selection rights under the
Agency Career Transition
Assistance Program (CTAP) or the
Interagency Career Transition
Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be
well qualified for the
position to receive consideration for special
priority selection. To be
well-qualified and exercise selection
priority for this vacancy,
displaced Federal employees must be rated
at 85 or above on the rating
criteria for this position. For those
instances where the best
qualified lists include applicants with
scores less than 85, the
well-qualified score becomes the lowest
score on the best qualified
list. CTAP and ICTAP eligible's must
submit one of the following as
proof of eligibility for the special
selection priority: a
separation notice; a "Notice of Personnel
Action" (SF-50) noting current position
(or position at separation),
grade level, and duty location
or equivalent that documents
separation; a copy of your
most recent performance appraisal (at
least "fully
successful" or equivalent); an agency certification
that you cannot be placed
after injury compensation has been
terminated; an OPM
notification that your disability annuity has
been terminated; OR a Military
Department or National Guard Bureau
notification that you are
retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456.
Click here for more information.
If you are eligible for veterans preference, you MUST
submit proof
of your eligibility (member 4
copy of your DD 214, SF 15, and a
letter from the Department of
Veterans Affairs stating the
percentage of your disability,
as applicable). Copies of your DD-214
may be requested by calling
800-827-1000 or TDD# 800-829-4833 or
online at click here.
Future Military Retirees WHO
ARE CURRENTLY ON TERMINAL LEAVE: You
are required to submit a copy
of your retirement DD-214 or a copy of
your retirement letter AND a
copy of your terminal leave request.
Future Military Separatees WHO
ARE CURRENTLY ON TERMINAL LEAVE: You
are required to submit a copy
of your most recent DD-214 and/or a
copy of your most recent
active duty orders AND a copy of your
terminal leave request (if
applicable).
For more information regarding
veterans click here.
Supporting documentation should
be sent using the fax imaging
instructions after you have
applied for the vacancy announcement.
Faxing Supporting
Documentation:
The next step of the application
process is to fax all the required
supporting documentation
specified in the "Required Documents"
section of this vacancy
announcement. You do not need to
have all
of your supporting
documentation submitted in order to continue with
the on-line portion of the
application process. Please
carefully
follow the instructions below
to ensure your supporting documents
are properly faxed and
received. All required documents
must be
received by 11:59 PM (Eastern
Time) on the closing date of the
vacancy announcement.
***Not all of the document
types listed will pertain to you and you
may not have to submit ANY
documents; only submit documents needed
to complete your application package.
Contact Information:
Sharon Monahan, SPHR
Phone: 612-659-8602
Fax: 000-000-0000
TDD: 800-877-8339
Email: sharon.monahan@fsis.usda.gov
Or write:
Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA
Butler Square West, Sutie 420C
100 North Sixth Street
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Fax: 000-000-0000
What To Expect Next:
Once your complete application
is received we will conduct an
evaluation of your
qualifications and determine your ranking. The
most highly qualified candidates
will be referred to the hiring
manager for further
consideration and possible interview.
We expect
to make a selection within 45
days of the closing date of this
announcement.
PLEASE READ:
During this process, WE WILL
UPDATE YOUR status FOR EACH VACANCY ON
THE USAJOBS WEB-SITE. To view your status, login to My
USAJOBS (Tab
on USAJOBS Web-Site). Please do not contact for status.
EEO Policy
Statement: http://www.usajobs.gov/vacancy/vac_eeo.asp
Reasonable Accommodation Policy
Statement: http://www.usajobs.gov/vacancy/vac_reas_acc.asp
Veterans
Information: http://www.usajobs.gov/vacancy/vac_vet_info.asp
Legal and Regulatory
Guidance: http://www.usajobs.gov/vacancy/vac_legal_regulatory.asp
Control Number: 82998477
|
