Agriculturist (Senior Regulatory Policy Specialist)

Agriculturist (Senior Regulatory Policy Specialist)

Department: Department of Agriculture

Location(s): Fort Collins, Colorado, Raleigh, North Carolina

Salary Range: $111147 - $154280 Per Year

Job Summary: As an Agriculturist (Senior Regulatory Policy Specialist), you share responsibilities for providing program and policy support/guidance to plant health programs administered by the Imports, Regulations, and Manuals (IRM) unit of the Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Program of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); specifically, activities related to foreign and domestic plant quarantine policies and regulations regarding the import and interstate movement of plant products.

Major Duties:

• The duties described are for the full-performance level. At developmental grade levels, assignments will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity.
• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Establishes and carries out policies and program objectives relating to the safe importation and safe domestic movement of fruits, vegetables, plant products, and other regulated articles.
• Provides leadership and coordination in the science-based development and modification of regulations, policies, objectives, standards, guidelines and procedures.
• Serves as a principal evaluator and coordinator to provide leadership in the drafting of regulatory work plans for the development of formal regulatory publications that relate to new and existing quarantines and regulations for PPQ programs.
• Evaluates, recommends, and implements effective import and domestic policies that are operationally feasible and satisfy international obligations while facilitating safe trade and interstate movement of plants and plant products.
• Provides technical interpretation, information, and guidance to staff and to domestic plant quarantine officials, nurserymen, exporters, importers, the general public, and other interested parties.
• Serves as a nationally recognized consultant and advisor to other APHIS officials concerning foreign quarantine requirements pertaining to the importation of plants and plant products into the U.S. and territories.
• Represents the Programs and APHIS at national and international meetings with full authority as subject matter expert concerning the adoption or modification of rules, regulations, and procedures of regulatory, domestic and import policy.

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. 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. BASIC REQUIREMENT: Degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must meet the following qualification requirement: 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: Experience interpreting plant pest and quarantine regulations and policies in order to provide guidance to colleagues and customers. Experience working with personnel from other Federal and State agencies to implement regulatory actions. Experience recognizing and communicating with leadership about emerging issues or potential complications in implementation of Program policy and operations. Experience drafting appropriate documentation that supports Agency actions and regulatory policy decisions. Knowledge of the Federal rulemaking process as it relates to the Federal Administrative Procedure Act, the Plant Protection Act, and other statutory and regulatory authorities under which APHIS, PPQ, PHP operate. Note: There is no education substitution for specialized experience at this grade level. TRANSCRIPTS are required: This position requires specific coursework or a degree in a specific field to be basically qualified. 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.

How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing. Resume cannot exceed two pages. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this. Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application. Step 2: Create a Resume with USAJOBS or upload a Resume into your USAJOBS account. You may want to customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. In addition, your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement). Step 3: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Simply log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application" to continue. NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable. Applicants who submit a resume that exceeds two pages will be removed from consideration.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-10