Investigator

Summary

The Packers and Stockyards Division (PSD) administers the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, as amended and supplemented. The Packers and Stockyards Act (Act) is a competition, trade practice and financial protection law. Its principal purpose is to maintain effective competition and fair trade practices in livestock, meat, and poultry marketing.

Duties

• •The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• •As a senior Investigator, provide expert-level guidance while enforcing the jurisdictional, competition, financial, and trade practice provisions of the Packers and Stockyards Act.
• •Plans, coordinates, and conducts complex investigations involving livestock, meat, and poultry firms.
• •These investigations address unfair, deceptive, or anticompetitive practices; financial compliance issues; market power concerns.
• •Develop comprehensive investigation work plans, independently review and analyze documents, data, records and other evidentiary materials; conduct direct surveillance.
• •Interview witnesses and subjects, including administering sworn statements.
• •Prepare detailed investigation reports that support regulatory or legal action.
• •Evaluate and assess scale technologies, carcass evaluation devices, weighing procedures, pricing and value formulas, and means for eliminating weighing error sources.
• •Provides expert-level technical training and guidance, lead and mentor investigative teams, provide subject matter training, and offer technical guidance to staff on investigative methods.

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 time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-12 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates: Develops investigative work plans and devises and applies modifications to investigative techniques to carry out investigations of firms in different segments of the livestock industry in support of enforcing USDA statutes and regulations. Applies problem solving and enforcement techniques of Packers and Stockyards statutes and regulations to provide expert technical advice, guidance, and recommendations to other investigators. Independently conducting Packers and Stockyards reviews and investigations in livestock, meat or poultry industries. Independently researching, interpreting, and applying Local, State and Federal regulations and standard operating procedures in the livestock, meat or poultry industries. Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level. 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

This position does not have an education qualification requirement.