Agricultural Commodity Grader (Meat)

Help Help

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 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).
  
  

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 GRADE 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-04level), 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 grade level) that 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.

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.
• 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 employees 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 February 1, 2025
• 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 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.
• 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.
  
  

Read more

• Help Help 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.