Senior Regulatory Policy Specialist

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted only from current permanent USDA-FSIS employees with competitive status; and CTAP/RPL eligible candidates.

• Draft clear and actionable policy documents that support agency regulatory objectives.
• Provide authoritative guidance on regulatory matters to internal and external stakeholders.
• Analyze program data to assess the effectiveness of inspection policies and recommend improvements.
• Coordinate communication and collaboration among team members to ensure alignment on project goals.
• Set measurable goals and priorities for regulatory policy initiatives.
• Resolve conflicts and facilitate consensus among diverse stakeholders.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary or trial period, unless previously served. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• If you are newly hired, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" system.
• 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/.
• False statements or responses on a resume or application can jeopardize employment and may be grounds for disciplinary action, including removal from Federal service.
• If you are selected, you may need to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) prior to being appointed to determine suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

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.

Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible.
One year at the GS-13 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-14 level. (Must submit your non-award SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade.)

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying. One year of specialized experience (equivalent to GS-13) is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

A GS-14 Senior Regulatory Policy Specialist requires at least one-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level. Your experience must include the following:

• Professional knowledge of biological scientific concepts, principles, methodology, and practices, with familiarity in related disciplines such as food safety, chemistry, and microbiology.
• Experience providing key leadership and program direction as a scientific professional in developing regulatory policy for new and existing meat, poultry, and egg inspection regulations.
• Demonstrated customer service skills when interacting with Agency personnel, regulated industry, or the public.
• Ability to apply sound reasoning to support decisions based on policy.
• Attention to detail to ensure policy development and information accuracy aligns with the Agency's food safety, public health, and consumer protection goals within a HACCP environment.

Specialized experience must be thoroughly outlined and supported in your résumé.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning

In addition to the online questionnaire, applicants for this position will be evaluated by one or more subject matter experts. If a panel is conducted, subject matter experts may review your resume and other application materials to determine your qualifications and assign a rating based on the required competencies. Please ensure that your resume does not simply list job duties but also highlights accomplishments that demonstrate possession of the required competencies.

Preference will be applied to applicants who move forward after the pre-certificate evaluation. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Non-competitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need only meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and assessment questionnaire, this position requires a preliminary resume and education review to evaluation competencies and education required to perform the job.

Note: If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, yourscore 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.

When Food Safety and Inspection Service completes its hiring, the remaining list of qualified candidates may be shared with additional federal agencies. You will have an opportunity to opt-in if you would like your name, application material, and assessment results shared to be considered for employment with additional agencies. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you can continue to explore other job opportunity announcements.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13090543

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

Resume that includes: Personal Information: name, address, contact information; Education; Work Experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); other qualifications. Resume cannot exceed 2 pages.

• Your application may be disqualified if you include any of the information listed here: What should I leave out of my resume?

If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of all relevant college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, official transcripts will be required prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.

Current and former Federal employees:

• Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) showing you are/were in the competitive service, highest grade held (or promotion potential) on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade AND
• Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. A performance plan is not an acceptable substitute.

Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), current performance appraisal with rating of at least "Fully Successful" or equivalent, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.

Next steps