
Director
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Washington, DCFull-time$169–197K/yrPosted today
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At a glance
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Requirements
Credentials this posting asks for.
Job overview
The Director serves in the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s Office of Policy and Program Development, Risk Management and Innovations Staff. The role participates in senior management decisions and leads policy operations, staff, and resources. It coordinates policy and regulatory initiatives, evaluates program effectiveness, integrates scientific and risk-based analysis, and represents the organization in high-level stakeholder engagements.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Full job description
Summary
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health regulatory agency responsible for ensuring the safety of meat, poultry, and processed egg products. This position is in the Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD), Risk Management and Innovations Staff (RMIS).
Duties
- Serve as a member of Senior Management Team, participating fully and speaking with the authority of the Assistant Administrator and Deputy Administrator in developing, recommending, and supporting the mission, goals, and policies of the program.
- Ensure day-to-day activities impacting policy operations are carried out effectively, keeping managers informed of significant issues and developments.
- Coordinate program activities and ensure adequate follow-through on pending action items.
- Direct, plan, oversee, and coordinate staff operations within OPPD-RMIS, allocating and controlling resources efficiently.
- Review and evaluate operations to make work assignments, assess program and policy efficiency, and recommend improvements.
- Supervise a team of professional and administrative employees, ensuring equity among performance standards and rating techniques.
- Establish and maintain productive contacts with officials throughout OPPD, FSIS, other agencies, consumer groups, and regulated industry to enhance communication and facilitate collaboration.
- Promote and ensure adherence to Agency equal employment opportunity (EEO) and civil rights policies, goals, and objectives.
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. Time in Grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet the time in grade requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled (e.g. one year at the GS-14 grade level for consideration for the GS-15 grade level.). Specialized Experience: For the GS-15 level: Applicants must have one-year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-14 level) in the Federal service that includes ALL of the following: Leading the development, coordination, and implementation of policy or regulatory initiatives, including establishing processes for timely, coordinated, and vetted policy formulation. Improving effectiveness of organizational processes by communicating, collaborating, and building consensus across multiple programs or units in support of Agency priorities and policy initiatives. Leading analysis of new issues and existing programs (e.g., sampling) to ensure alignment with mission objectives, statutory requirements, scientific foundations, and organizational policy goals. Integrating scientific, technical, or risk-based analysis into policy development, including collaboration with subject-matter experts to evaluate risks and formulate evidence-based recommendations. Supervising and leading multidisciplinary professional staff at the GS-14 level or above, including allocating resources, evaluating performance, resolving complex personnel issues, and exercising full supervisory authorities. Representing an organization in high-level engagements, such as interagency meetings, industry discussions, or stakeholder forums, involving sensitive or complex policy matters requiring authoritative communication and negotiation. Overseeing the development of regulatory guidance, industry compliance materials, assessment methodologies, or sampling program frameworks that support national-level policy or public health objectives and innovative technologies. Managing programs involving complex, controversial, or urgent public health or regulatory issues, requiring independent judgment, high-level decision-making, and the ability to address significant operational or policy challenges. For more information on how to qualify for this position, Click Here 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
There is no education substitute for this position. How You Will Be Evaluated
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): Accountability Customer Service Decisiveness Flexibility Interpersonal Skills Problem Solving Resilience The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. 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) the 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. 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 to meet minimum qualifications to be referred. NOTE: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. 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. 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/13097686 Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status. You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status). 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 selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter. Selectee is subject to financial Disclosure Requirements in accordance with 5 CFR, Part 2635, Sub part E regarding business or personal transactions with applicants, borrowers, or business contacts who have or who are seeking business with this Agency. Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI) and a credit report. Assignment Restrictions: FSIS Directive 4735.9, Office of Field Operations Assignment Restrictions and Rules on Gifts from Regulated Industry, sets out the Agency's requirements regarding employee assignment restrictions, as it pertains to family and personal relationships. Please read before applying. 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.
How this job compares
Set against the 8,129 open Director jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$169–197K/yr
- Washington, D.C. median$155–260K/yr131 salary ranges
- US median$155–264K/yr6,303 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $183K, is 16% below the Washington, D.C. median midpoint ($219K) — in the middle half of Director salary ranges in Washington, D.C..
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 144 open Director jobs in Washington, D.C. and 8,129 across the US. 4% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience — less than three in four Director postings that state a minimum ask for (median 9 years, across 6,764 postings).
- Education
- 5,300 of the 8,129 open Director jobs (65%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
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