Agricultural and Standards Investigator I (Promotional)

YOU MUST BE AN ALAMEDA COUNTY EMPLOYEE TO APPLY.

THIS IS A NEW PROMOTIONAL ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. 

The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year but can be extended. Qualified applicants must be current county employees and have completed the equivalent of six months of continuous service following a regular appointment in the Alameda County classified service (non-classified includes the District Attorney’s Office, the Medical Center, and the Superior Court) by 7/13/2015.  A regular appointment does not include provisional, TAP (Temporary Assignment Pool), or STEP-UP appointments. 

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted. Applications will only be accepted on-line.

Supplemental Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted. Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.  

 

THE AGENCY

The Alameda County Department of Agriculture/Weights and Measures promotes the Alameda County agricultural industry, protects the environment and the general public, and provides buyers and sellers a fair marketplace. We are the local enforcement authority for the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.

Our Mission is to:

Ensure the safe and responsible use of pesticides by farmers, pest control operators, government, industry, and the general public. Prevent the introduction, establishment, and spread of harmful insects, plant diseases, weeds, and other pests. Ensure that commercial transactions based on weight or volume are performed on accurate and appropriate equipment.

The department is recruiting for the positions of Agriculture & Standards Investigator I/II/III, if you are interested in applying for the various levels, simply click on the job announcement for the recruitment(s) you are interested in and "copy" your application to each and "submit" in order to apply

 

THE POSITION  

Under close supervision, the Agricultural and Standards Investigator I enforces state and federal laws and regulations and investigates violations of the California Food and Agricultural Code, California Code of Regulations, and the California Business and Professions Code. The Agricultural and Standards Investigator I assists in fruit, vegetable, honey and egg quality control inspections; inspection and testing of all commercial weighing and measuring devices; inspection of nurseries and seed dealers; inspection of pre-packaged commodities for accuracy of weight, measure, or count; inspections and investigations of point-of-sale transactions; the control and prevention of vertebrate, weed and agricultural pest infestations; pesticide use enforcement inspections and investigation to protect human health and the environment; and, performs related work as required.  

Education:

Possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in agricultural or biological science, chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, or other job-related majors such as law enforcement, commerce, and marketing. The California Department of Food and Agriculture County Licensing Program reviews applicant college transcripts to make the final determination regarding qualifications for licensing examinations.

Special Requirements:

• All candidates must acquire at least one of the following eight County Agricultural Biologist and County Weights and Measures Inspector licenses issued by the California Department of Food and Agriculture within twelve months from date of hire: Pesticide Regulation; Investigation and Environmental Monitoring; Commodity Regulation; Integrated Pest Management; Pest Prevention and Plant Regulation; Weight Verification; Measurement Verification; and Transaction and Product Verification.

• Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's license.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the "Examples of Duties" section of this specification.


Knowledge of: 

- Federal, State and local agricultural weights and measures laws, regulations, procedures, and practices, and their application.

-Record-keeping systems.

-Basic Entomology, Botany, Biology and Chemistry.

-Agricultural pests and their control.

-Elementary physics and arithmetic.

-All safety practices relating to weights and measures, and agricultural activities and their application. 

- Principles, mechanics, and care of equipment and testing devices, and of methods and techniques of inspecting. 

-Current agricultural and weights and measures issues.


Ability to: 

- Learn, interpret, explain and enforce local, state and federal laws and regulations pertinent to the work.

-Utilize standard methods of inspection and identification.

-Use appropriate safety clothing and equipment.

-Collect and identify important pests. 

- Use and maintain sensitive mechanical weighing and measuring devices.

-Develop and maintain an effective working relationship with co-workers, business contacts, and the general public.

-Communicate orally, write effectively, and prepare complete and accurate reports and records. 

-Periodically perform strenuous physical tasks requiring a moderate degree of manual dexterity, which may involve lifting up to 50 pounds. 

- Learn to operate specialized equipment (e.g. four-wheel drive vehicles, forklifts, all terrain vehicles, power sprayers, bait mixing and application equipment).

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF the following steps: 1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process. 2) A review of candidates’ Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process. 3) An oral interview  that may include a situational exercise which will be weighted as 100 % of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises. CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION. We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Applicants will be informed via e-mail with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

 

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN:

Deadline for Filing	Monday, July 13, 2015
Review of Minimum Qualifications	Friday, July 24, 2015
Screening for Best Qualified	Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Panel Interviews	Wednesday & Thursday, September 2 & 3, 2015
Departmental Hiring Interview – After the completion of the oral panel interviews	TBD

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

• Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
• Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
• Vision
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
• County Allowance
• Health Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
• Long Term Care Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Group Auto/Home
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

 

Debra Robinson-Harris, Human Resources Analyst III

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

510 - 272-6437