Customer Support & Communication Program Specialist

Summary

This position is in the Office of Public Affairs and Training (OPAT), Food Safety Education Staff (FSES). An integral part of the FSES program is the Meat and Poultry Hotline. The Staff's primary mission is to effectively communicate with the public and internal audiences about food safety issues and FSIS programs/activities; to gain and increase citizen participation and behavior changes regarding food safety; and to implement FSIS' mission to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

Duties

• Communicate professionally and effectively with consumers and others regarding meat, poultry, and egg product storage, handling, safety, labeling, and other areas related to the FSIS mission.
• Deliver consumer information, advisory services, and resources to a diverse audience with varying needs and characteristics, focusing on wholesomeness, food safety, storage, nutrition, and labeling.
• Provide information and resources to customers, using sound judgment to tailor responses to each customer’s unique needs, state of mind, and categories of questions.
• Utilize pre-approved Knowledge Articles (KAs) in knowledge management database (e.g., Salesforce) to ensure responses are timely, accurate, consistent, and understandable to the public.
• Adapt to changes in tools and methods, actively participate in training, and help capture and report hotline metrics.
• Assess and streamline efficiency and effectiveness of Hotline operations, appraise methods and techniques against metrics, and identify areas of improvement.
• Resolve calls, track consumer trends, and ensure the team is trained and prepared for evolving inquiries.
• Recommend methods for promoting the Hotline to targeted audiences, assist in developing outreach to media outlets and platforms, and serve as liaison with food science professionals.
• Take on additional tasks, as assigned, to support the overall mission and effectiveness of the Food Safety Education Staff and Hotline.

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. To qualify for the GS-9: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service that demonstrates: Knowledge of commonly accepted customer service and support principles. Basic understanding of and the ability to explain regulatory, scientific, technical, and other food safety and nutrition information in writing and orally. Researching on the topics of food safety, storage, nutrition, handling, preservation, packing, and/or labeling of food (meat, poultry, and egg products). Basic knowledge of software applications and systems to access and provide information from pre-approved written and approved knowledge articles. OR Master's or equivalent graduate degree in a related field. OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a related field. OR LL.B. or J.D., if related. To qualify for the GS-11: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service that demonstrates: Experience using technical software applications and knowledge-management systems. Serving as a liaison with scientific, regulatory, and food-industry professionals. Ability to exercise independent judgment in resolving complex or sensitive consumer inquiries. Communicating complex regulatory, scientific, and technical information. Providing advanced, authoritative consumer guidance to the general public. OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a related field. OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a related field. OR LL.M., if related. 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

Education may be substituted for experience at the GS-09 and GS-11 level, as defined above in the qualifications section. There is no minimum education requirement for this position. How You Will Be Evaluated

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent to which they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies: Customer Service Oral Communication Written Communication Attention to Detail Technical Competence Problem Solving Learning Technology Application Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Decision Making Reading Comprehension Reasoning Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) your resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official 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 and including removal from the Federal service. Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13070118 Other 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. If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.