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Plant Protection and Quarantine Officer

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
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Plant Protection and Quarantine Officer (Trade Specialist)

Sacramento, CA

Boise, ID

Seattle, WA

As a PPQ Officer (Trade Specialist) you will serve as a technical consultant and liaison for PPQ, on issues regarding trade in agricultural commodities and export certification, and are responsible for providing multi-state expertise for trade negotiations and ensuring the continuity and quality control of the export certification program.

*Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

  • The duties may include, but are not limited to:
  • Works directly with visiting foreign officials to address work plan compliance and new market access issues.
  • Helps provide recommendations on phytosanitary issues, reviewing program activities to ensure alignment with strategic priorities, appropriate resource utilization, and identify deficiencies.
  • Provides local and multi-state expertise during international trade negotiating, and interprets negotiated work plans and implements work plans at both a local and multi-state level.
  • Serves as a PPQ technical specialist, interpreting foreign quarantine regulations, negotiating to resolve international phytosanitary procedural disagreements, and managing export work plans.
  • Coordinates with PPQ Field Operations and S and T and states regarding pest lists, and assists in the development of pest lists of domestic commodities identified for possible export.
  • Proficient with export database tools (i.e. - PCIT, Phytosanitary Export Database (PExD), etc.), and notifies PIM, ES of conflicts or confusing language in the database.
  • Serves as a point of contact and technical resource for phytosanitary programs in an assigned area, and proficient in agriculture production and commodity management practices in specialized areas.
  • Investigates issuances of FPCs for detained shipments for verifying documents, adherence to certification policy and procedures, and conformance with foreign countries' plant import requirements.
  • Conducts field audits involving review of facilities to ensure compliance with Federal regulations, policies, and procedures and with PPQ's obligations to bilateral agreements, protocols, and MOUs.

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 E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/
  • Valid state driver's license is required at the time of application.
  • 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 specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

BASIC REQUIREMENT:
Degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, entomology, plant pathology, botany, taxonomy, zoology or other biological science or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR
Combination of education and experience: post high school education with courses equivalent to a major, which is defined as 24 semester/36 quarter hours, in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, chemistry or related disciplines appropriate to the position, PLUS appropriate experience or additional course work.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must meet the following qualification requirement.

FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-11 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

  • Interpreting foreign quarantine regulations to facilitate international trade, negotiating to resolve international phytosanitary procedural disagreements, and management of export work plans.
  • Conducting field audits involving review of facilities to ensure compliance with federal regulations, policies, procedures, and with plant protection and quarantine bilateral agreements, protocols, and international standards.
  • Facilitating meetings between federal personnel, industry, county officials, and foreign officials, to assure work plan requirements are met, to negotiate and resolve disagreements and procedural problems.
  • Coordinating and arranging site visits to establish new export/import programs, monitor work plan compliance of existing programs, to address program noncompliance or emergency measures and to negotiate site visit objectives.
  • Making decisions which require considerable interpretation of administrative and technical guides which may include: planning the technical approach and determine the order of priority of individual phases of an assignment acting upon complicated trade issues and adapting and modifying control and quarantine methods and techniques.

Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS are required if:

  • This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified.
  • You are qualifying for the position based on education.
  • You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education.
  • This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university.

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.
  • First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.
  • Locality pay will vary based upon the selectee's duty location. A final salary determination will be made upon selection.
  • This position is represented by a collective bargaining unit (union), specifically the National Association of Agriculture Employees (NAAE).
  • Worksite Information: This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements. Additional information regarding ad hoc, occasional, or reoccurring telework may be obtained at a later time from the hiring manager or program during the hiring process.