Agriculture Specialist 1-3

Posting number: AHFS-175029-7.22.26-TW

Department: DAF-Agriculture and Forestry

Job classification: AGRICULTURE SPECIALIST 1

Posting type: Open

Categories: Agriculture

Summary
                                                                    
Job #AHFS-175029-7.22.26-TW
This position is located within the office of Animal Health & Food Safety, Meat & Poultry Inspection Division.
District Parishes served include Caddo, Ouachita, Bossier, Webster, Bienville, Madison, East Carroll, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Franklin, Grant, Tensas, Union, Jackson, Red River, Richland, Caldwell, Sabine, La Salle, Catahoula, Claiborne, West Carroll, Concordia, Lincoln, DeSoto, and Winn

Are you passionate about protecting public health by inspecting food, enforcing quality regulations, and ensuring consumers receive only safe, wholesome products? The Department of Agriculture and Forestry is looking for dedicated professionals—apply today and make a difference.
Selected Core Competencies:
Following Policies and Procedures: The ability to follow, reinforce, adapt, or develop policies and procedures to maintain compliance with federal and state legal requirements, State Civil Service rules, and organizational policies.
Learning Actively: The ability to pursue learning, seek feedback, and integrate new knowledge to improve personal and professional performance.
Making Accurate Judgments: The ability to assess options, weigh risks, and make sound decisions using available information and logical reasoning.

Selected Preferred Competencies:
Displaying Professionalism: The ability to uphold workplace standards through consistent conduct, responsible communication, and consideration for others.
Thinking Critically: The ability to analyze information objectively, identify connections across sources, and form logical, well-supported conclusions. 

LDAF cares about the well-being of its employees! We offer a fully employer-funded Employee Assistance Program (EAP), providing valuable support and resources to help you and your household members thrive at work and at home. The EAP is also free for all members of your household. Examples of dutiesThree years of experience in one or a combination of the following:

1. Administrative services
2. Inspecting or enforcing compliance with agricultural laws, rules, or regulations
3. Inspection and testing of weighing and measuring devices

OR

A bachelor’s degree in forestry, an agricultural, biological, chemical, environmental, health, or physical science, or an information technology, mathematics, or business field. QualificationsThe official job specifications for this role, as defined by the State Civil Service, can be found here. Supplemental informationJob Duties:
The program inspects all animals harvested and processed for human consumption by Louisiana facilities, inspects and approves the premises of regulated facilities to ensure compliance with federal and state requirements, operates a federally accredited laboratory performing analyses on meat food samples, and reviews and approves all labels of meat and poultry products to ensure that accurate product information is supplied to the consumer.

• Performs regulatory inspections of wholesale meat and poultry facilities to ensure official establishments are in compliance with Federal and State regulations.
• Inspects meat and poultry food products produced by processing establishments and intended for human consumption. 
• Verifies product formulations for proper use of restricted ingredients. 
• Takes appropriate enforcement actions to ensure regulatory non-compliances are corrected. 
• Evaluates plant facilities and recommends options for changes and improvements. 
• Recommends changes in Program policies and procedures based on inspection findings.
• May perform inspections under a federal/state cross-utilization agreement in USDA-regulated establishments staffed by State Program personnel. 
• Works with parish, state, and federal agencies during investigations, supporting the enforcement of meat and poultry regulations. 

Performs other duties as may be assigned

Functional Requirements

Reaching above the shoulders

Walking and standing (8 hours)

Light to moderate lifting, 20 pounds, with occasional lifting of up to 40 pounds

Occasional bending or kneeling

Occasional demands may be required for moderately strenuous activities in emergencies over long periods of time

Sit for a long period of time at a workstation or in a vehicle for travel

Drive a vehicle to perform duties

Assignment may require daily use of sharp instruments (e.g., knives)

Environmental Factors:

Occasional excessive heat and humidity

Slippery and uneven walking surfaces

Occasionally working in moderately cold temperatures for short periods of time

Required to wear appropriate safety protection (e.g., hard hat)

Position-Specific Details:
Appointment Type: 

• Full-time- this position may be filled by probation or by promotion of a classified employee of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry serving with permanent status. 
• Applicants who are not permanent employees of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry will be required to serve a probationary period up to 24 months. 

Career Progression: This position may be filled as an Agriculture Specialist 1, 2, or 3, depending on the level of experience of the selected applicant(s).
Compensation: 
*Below positions have a Special Entrance Rate in the Career Progression Group*

Agriculture Specialist 1 has an SER of $1,538.47 Bi-weekly.

Agriculture Specialist 2 has an SER of $1,646.40 Bi-weekly.

How To Apply:
No Civil Service test score is required in order to be considered for this vacancy.

To apply for this vacancy, click on the “Apply” link above and complete an electronic application, which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities. Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process. Further status message information is located under the Information section of the Current Job Opportunities page.

*Information to support your eligibility for this job title must be included in the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education). Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completed education and experience sections on your application. Applications may be rejected if incomplete.

For further information about this vacancy, contact:
Tiffany Waddell - HR Analyst
Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry
5825 Florida Blvd., Suite 1001
Baton Rouge, LA 70806 
twaddell@ldaf.state.la.us

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is an Equal Opportunity Employer and State as a Model Employer (SAME) to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry strictly prohibits workplace harassment and discrimination on the on the basis of race, color, gender, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, religion, national origin, military service, sickle cell trait, protected genetic information or other non-merit factor. LDAF also strictly prohibits employment decisions based upon or influenced by such factors.