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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
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-09 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:
Master's or equivalent graduate degree in agriculture, mathematics, engineering, science, business, or economics.
OR
2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.
OR
LL.B. or J.D., if related.
Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.
TRANSCRIPTS Are Required If
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-09 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
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.
- Commodity grading 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 and finger dexterity in both hands to perform digital examinations of commodities.
- 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 detect abnormalities in the commodity through normal or corrected vision in at least one eye for distance, depth perception, and color.
- The work environment includes exposure to cold temperatures of coolers, which are 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit (and on occasion for short periods at subzero temperatures).
- High noise levels of industrial processing equipment; the risks of forklifts, meat hooks and/or meat products and other items moving or falling.
- Slippery floors and stairs; and the risks of cutting and sawing equipment.
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-09 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:
- Independently grades and/or inspects primary products in the commodity group and performs difficult assignments such as: regularly making borderline grading decisions on a variety of products.
- Performs the full range of grading and/or inspection tasks involved in supplying grading services to producers or members of the trade in the commodity specialization.
- Inspect or evaluate more complicated processing equipment and procedures, and conditions of storage or transportation and advising industry employees on product quality control methods.
- Serve as technical expert, performing final grading on reviews, making appeal determinations, resolving controversies, or providing broad technical guidance.
Master's or equivalent graduate degree in agriculture, mathematics, engineering, science, business, or economics.
OR
2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.
OR
LL.B. or J.D., if related.
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.
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-09 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.
- 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)/ Chapter 1608.
- 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.
- 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.
