Description
Salary Commensurate with Experience
Who We Are:
Agriculture is the heart of it all in Ohio!
The Ohio Department of Agriculture protects all Ohioans by safeguarding plants and animals, conserving our natural resources and supporting farmers. ODA is cabinet-level agency reporting to Governor DeWine. Food and agriculture is Ohio’s number one industry, contributing $124 billion to the economy and employing one in eight people. Ohio is home to more than 75,000 farms, with agriculture touching every part of the state. Not only does Ohio rank number one in Swiss cheese production, but we are top three in the nation’s egg production and fifth in soybean production. Ohio’s farmers impact those well beyond state lines, feeding families across the nation.
ODA’s beautiful campus is located in Reynoldsburg on 158-acres. Not only is parking free, but food trucks frequent the campus for coffee and lunch.
You’ll find great coworkers here, who are experts in their field and care about the work they do.
What We Do:
Working for the Ohio Department of Agriculture means strengthening our state with the help of our 19 divisions programs. Our staff ensures the products you consume every day are safe to eat and drink. We protect Ohio’s farmland, improve soil health and water quality, all while keeping our plants, crops, and animals free of pests and disease. We are home to the state’s top food safety laboratory and serve as the hub for a statewide lab safety system. Our folks protect consumers by ensuring you get what you pay for through weights and measures accuracy standards. ODA oversees Ohio’s 94 county and independent fairs, the showcases of our towns and cities, and protects fair goers by inspecting the amusement rides you love to enjoy!
As a member of team ODA, you will be working with people of the highest caliber, doing great work, and making a difference for all Ohioans.
The Division of Meat Inspection is charged with verifying that each state inspected meat and poultry establishment produces safe, wholesome, and properly labeled products in a sanitary environment. DMI Staff is responsible for regulating 260 meat and poultry establishments statewide. Of those, 177 are fully-inspected facilities and provide slaughtering and processing operations for resale. The remaining 83 establishments operate under a "custom exempt" status and provide a "not-for-sale" service to individuals who wish to have their own animals slaughtered
What You’ll Do:
Looking for a transition in your veterinary career? How about a veterinary role that doesn’t require you to work every weekend, evening, or holiday? You may even be eligible for student loan forgiveness!
Yes, please!
If you don’t have a heavy background in agriculture, no problem! You’ll learn all about agriculture from our top-notch experts who dedicate their lives to a cleaner, safer, and better Ohio. ODA is looking for a licensed and accredited Veterinarian to cover Western Ohio for the Division of Meat Inspection. The ideal candidate has a basic understanding of pathology, infectious diseases, and handling livestock.
This Veterinarian position would be headquartered in one of the following counties: Adams, Allen, Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Darke, Defiance, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Highland, Logan, Lucas, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Ottawa, Paulding, Preble, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, Van Wert, Warren, Williams, or Wood.
The responsibilities of this position include:
- Administers, coordinates & enforces regulations of state & federal programs
- Reviews & implements policies & procedures established to ensure efficiency & uniformity of meat & poultry inspections for assigned geographic area
- Directs & oversees trainee inspection staff in performance of meat inspection & disease detection activities
- Monitors inspection activities (e.g., meat food products & poultry products); reviews Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP), and Specified Risk Materials (SRM) programs to ensure slaughter/processing facility compliance
- Coordinates inspection activities with local, federal & other state officials & trains inspection staff on various inspector duties (e.g., disease & abnormal animal recognition on ante-mortem & post-mortem of carcasses & parts, humane handling & slaughtering, sample collection, preservation & shipment techniques & procedures, aseptic technique, chain of custody, detection of probable causes of spoiled processed meat products, tissue sampling & testing for pathogens, detection & testing of carriers of antibiotics, sulfa, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and other chemicals)
- Evaluates meat inspectors in performance of ante-mortem & post-mortem techniques & humane handling & uses In Plant Performance System (IPPS) evaluation methodology to evaluate performance and report deficiencies
- Conducts IPPS reviews & coordinates with district supervisor to evaluate performance of inspection personnel, gives input on annual evaluations and participates in constructing performance improvement plans when needed
- Prepares & submits specimens & samples of other products used in conjunction with meat/poultry products (e.g., curing agents, ingredients, packing & packaging materials)
- Monitors or conducts random & specific tissue sampling to detect chemical & biological residues
- Uses epidemiologic principles & techniques to monitor various phases of meat handling & processing operations to prevent bacteriological contamination that impacts public health
- Serves as the expert authority on animal health and food safety maintaining the obligation of providing information on a daily basis to promote and protect public health; Knowledge and understanding with the Public Health Information System (PHIS).
- Conducts & leads Food Safety Assessments (FSA) as a trained Enforcement, Investigation, Analysis Officer (EIAO) in meat & poultry establishments (e.g., performs in-depth evaluations to assess design & validity of establishment’s food safety systems)
- Makes recommendations & prepares administrative enforcement reports & acts as liaison between inspection staff & central office (CO) (e.g., recommends whether a plant is in compliance or whether regulatory control action is warranted; provides technical advice & outreach information to management personnel or owners of meat & poultry slaughtering & processing establishments regarding proposed construction projects & forwards plans to CO for review; monitors establishment actions to ensure recall effectiveness)
- Conducts Humane Handling Verification visits at livestock establishments or Good Commercial Practice correlation visits at poultry establishments to ensure compliance with all animal handling regulations.
- Conducts sanitary inspections of meat & poultry slaughtering & processing establishments & prepares & submits inspection reports to central office
- Responds to inspectors call of suspect animals entering slaughter operation to perform thorough examination of animal in order to gather information needed to make accurate final disposition
- Provides explanations to inspection personnel & plant personnel on animal disease conditions observed as a means of understanding & education
- Assists in disease eradication & surveillance programs sponsored by other departmental divisions through tissue collection, sampling & reporting as assigned
- Performs variety of administrative duties (e.g., provides animal disease control program information; reviews correspondence; recommends policy revisions; oversees implementation of district level program policies & procedures & ensures adherence to division guidelines; plans, directs, conducts & attends educational meetings, conferences & seminars; delivers lectures to plant &/or livestock owners & operators, & general public; conducts district meetings in coordination with district supervisor to discuss regulatory issuances, department performance standards, & staff expectations on a routine basis)
We support diversity and inclusion:
ODA values its internal diversity and pledges to cultivate an inclusive and engaging environment for all employees where differences are embraced and celebrated. The agency commits to building a workforce that champions the advancement of these principles and initiatives. The values on which these efforts are founded are respect, empathy, transparency, equality, and equal access.
What’s in it for you:
At the State of Ohio, we take care of the team that cares for Ohioans. We provide a variety of quality, competitive benefits to eligible full-time and part-time employees. For a list of all the State of Ohio Benefits, visit our Total Rewards website! Our benefits package includes:
Medical Coverage
Quality, affordable, and competitive medical benefits are offered through multiple plan options. Find more information on the state’s benefits website.
Dental, Vision and Basic Life Insurance
Dental, vision and basic life insurance premiums are available the following month after your hire date.
Time Away From Work and Work/Life Balance
- Paid time off, including vacation, personal, and sick leave
- 11 paid holidays per year
- Childbirth/Adoption leave
Ohio Public Employees Retirement System
OPERS is the retirement system for State of Ohio employees. The employee contributes 10% of his/her salary towards his/her retirement. The employer contributes an amount equal to 14% of the employee’s salary. Visit the OPERS website for more information.
Deferred Compensation
The Ohio Deferred Compensation program is a 457(b) voluntary retirement savings plan. Visit the Ohio Deferred Compensation website for more information.
Maternity Benefits
- 12 weeks paid childbirth leave at 70% with option to supplement to 100%
- Expanded maternity health care benefits available to state employees enrolled in the Ohio Med PPO and Ohio Med NN (narrow network) medical plan options. Several prenatal, childbirth, and post-childbirth services are provided at no out-of-pocket cost to employees utilizing network providers.
- Examples of services now covered by network providers at 100% include:
- Prenatal care, including physician visits and examinations.
- Home health care services designated as maternity care (for expectant members on bed rest).
- Inpatient claims for all types of delivery.
- Inpatient NICU claims, from birth through discharge.
- Postpartum care, including office visits for follow-up, and procedures/treatments directly related to maternity.
- Medications prescribed for both antepartum and postpartum conditions (e.g., morning sickness, postpartum depression). Medical services provided by non-network providers will be processed at the applicable coinsurance, deductible, and out-of-pocket limits.
- Prescription drugs that are directly related to maternity care are covered with no copay. The State of Ohio has collaborated with the prescription drug third-party administrator (OptumRx) to provide a list of covered medications that can be approved for zero copay via prior authorization from providers.
Public Student Loan Forgiveness:
If you’re employed by a government or not-for-profit organization, you might be eligible for the PSLF Program. The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans. Find out more on the PSLF website.
Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program:
USDA’s Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP), authorized by the National Veterinary Medical Services Act (NVMSA) helps qualified veterinarians offset a significant portion of the debt incurred from receiving their veterinary medicine degrees in return for their service in certain high-priority veterinary shortage situations. Find out more on the VMLRP website.
Requirements
License to practice veterinary medicine issued by Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board; accreditation under CFR, Title 9, Part 161 issued by United States Department of Agriculture
AND
12 months experience working in diagnostic service laboratory identifying livestock diseases, or pathology training, or practicing veterinary medicine, or working in area of livestock disease control & eradication, or working as veterinarian in state or federal food inspection program, or as manager in area of meat & poultry inspection
AND
6 months training or 6 months experience in state & federal laws regulating practice of veterinary medicine, implementation of programs to inspect & control infectious & contagious diseases in livestock & poultry industry or meat & poultry inspection
OR
18 months experience as Veterinarian, 65915
AND
Accreditation under CFR, Title 9, Part 161 issued by United States Department of Agriculture
**Must have valid driver's license from state of residence to operate a state vehicle.
