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Supervisory Agricultural Commodity Grader (Poultry) (Federal State Supervisor)

Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Marketing Service
Marketing and Regulatory Programs

Summary

You will serve as Federal-State Supervisor and is responsible for administering and implementing the programs that are responsible for developing, implementing, and administering programs for the grading, verification and/or inspection of beef, veal & calf, lamb, pork, shell eggs, poultry, and rabbit products.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/19/2026 to 02/25/2026
Salary
$74,678 to - $116,362 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Cherokee, IA
Lyon County, IA
O'Brien County, IA
Osceola County, IA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
MP-12885509-26-LP
Control number
858017700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted only from current permanent AMS employees with competitive and noncompetitive status, and CTAP/RPL eligibles.

Duties

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  • 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:
  • Utilize federal and/ or state cooperating employees, supervises and directs programs for voluntary grading
  • Performs shell egg surveillance inspection at registered plants to assure the control of restricted and inedible eggs under the Egg Products Inspection Act (EPIA)
  • Assures the uniform interpretation and application of the regulations, instructions, standards, and specifications governing the services
  • Plans and assigns subordinates’ work. Schedules and approves leave. Provides guidance to employees on both administrative and technical matters
  • Works closely with Regional Office personnel to recruit employees; conduct interviews, and recommend selections to the Regional Director
  • Conducts technical reviews of audit programs and the performance of audit personnel who conduct quality system verification audits throughout the U.S. Conducts audits as needed.

Requirements

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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.
  • May need to serve a one-year probationary period.
  • Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
  • 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.
  • In accordance with Office of Government Ethics regulations concerning conflict of interest, the incumbent will be required to submit a financial disclosure report within 30 days of their effective date of appointment and annually thereafter.
  • 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.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

FOR THE GS-11 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience of hands on grading experience in the commodity of Meat or Poultry (equivalent to the GS-09 level) that demonstrates:

  • Independently grading and/or inspecting rare or unusual products or product types
  • Inspecting or evaluating more complicated processing equipment procedures, and conditions of storage or transportation
  • Applying grading standards and/or inspection regulations to make difficult, controversial, and borderline determinations and to recognize and identify extremely rare commodity defects and diseases.
OR

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a degree in Mathematics, Economics, Science, Engineering, Agriculture or Business; OR LL.M., if related.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience of hands on grading experience in the commodity of Meat or Poultry (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that demonstrates:
  • Performing the full range of grading and/or inspection tasks involved in directly supplying agricultural grading services to producers or members of the trade
  • Serving as technical expert performing final grading reviews, making appeal determinations, resolving controversies, and providing broad guidance on difficult and controversial grading inspection problems.
  • Advises other graders on difficult determinations and instructs trainee graders.
Note: There is no education substitution at this level.
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-11 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

There is no education requirement.

Additional information

  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL). Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP or RPL, eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP 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 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.
  • Relocation expenses may be authorized for this position. Additional information may be provided at time of interview or if selected.
  • Locality pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection.
  • This position involves Mobile Work: Mobile work is characterized by routine and regular travel to conduct work in customer or other worksites as opposed to a single authorized alternative worksite. Examples of mobile work include site audits, site inspections, investigations, property management, and work performed while commuting, traveling between worksites, or on Temporary Duty (TDY).
  • Physical Demands - Regularly conducts on-site inspections and audits of red meat, poultry and shell egg plants. Work requires periods of physical exertion to lift and move boxes and cartons of product often weighing over 50 pounds.
  • Prolonged periods of standing, walking, stooping, bending, and climbing; physical coordination.
  • Finger dexterity in at least one hand for poultry grading assignments, and two hands for red meat and shell egg assignments to perform digital examinations of commodity.
  • Ability to detect abnormalities in the commodity through normal or corrected vision in at least one eye for distance, depth perception, and color.
  • Ability to assure safety in a highly mechanized noisy environment; adequate or correctable hearing; and the ability to determine product qualities through smell.
  • Work environment is split between an office and trips to various locations.
  • While conducting field reviews or audits of hatcheries, production sites, feed mills, and in processing plants, the incumbent is exposed to high noise levels, cold temperatures, slippery surfaces, dust, odors, and equipment.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements. Your resume must address experience and education relevant to this position. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification will be referred to the hiring manager 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: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12885509

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