Customer Support & Communication Program Specialist

This position is in the Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Education (OPACE), 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.

Major 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.