Outreach Specialist

AGRICULTURE - A Cornerstone of Washington's Economy

The Washington State Department of Agriculture has been serving the state for more than 100 years. Through service, regulation, and advocacy, we keep agriculture viable and vital in Washington State, while protecting consumers, public health, and the environment. We work extensively with farmers and ranchers, but our responsibilities – from ensuring food safety to environmental protection – touch the lives of millions of people locally, nationally, and abroad.

The agency includes 780 employees approximately and grows close to 1,000 employees at the peak of seasonal work.

The Opportunity

The WSDA Seed Program provides accurate, timely and high-quality seed analysis and certification services while continually striving for improvements in methods and technologies to assure success for the program and its seed industry stakeholders. WSDA Seed Program is a unit within the Commodity Inspection Division that conducts pre-harvest seed field inspections and laboratory seed testing of agricultural, vegetable, native plants, rangeland grasses and flower seeds grown under the certification and phytosanitary programs. The program is responsible for seed certification, seed testing, phytosanitary visual seed inspection, seed inspection and official seed sampling as well as the program is the state seed regulatory agent. Additionally, the program monitors two seed quarantines to assist producers to replicate disease and pest free commodities.

The Seed Regulatory Outreach & Compliance Specialist provides overall assistant management, technical oversight, and strategic direction for the Seed Program that centrally operates from the seed inspection laboratory in Yakima, WA. This position coordinates the development, implementation, and management of the Seed Programs' Regulatory program and processes. The Seed Regulatory Outreach & Compliance Specialist spends significant time working directly with the industry and engages stakeholders in decision-making processes through official visits, the Seed Advisory Committee, and other related meetings. This position is responsible for the seed inspection and regulatory state seed laws for the state of Washington.

What to Expect

Some of the various responsibilities within this role:

• Cooperate with the USDA-AMS Federal Seed Regulatory & Testing Branch and other state agencies to carry out rules and policies for interstate seed shipments in compliance with truth-in-labeling laws.
• Establish and maintain a list and finding in regulatory seed samples submitted to USDA AMS for laboratory analysis.
• This position enforces statutory and administrative regulations, policies, and rules that protect the integrity of the movement of seed.
• Operate the regulatory program within the budget provided by the Program Manager for laboratory analysis and shipment of seeds to outsource laboratories for analysis.
• Develop positive and collaborative relationships with regulatory entities and associations such as the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Association of American Seed Control Officials (AASCO), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
• Read, interpret, comprehend, and follow instructions and methodology in policies, procedures, and rules related to processing seed samples for seed certification.
• Report violations of Federal Seed Act to appropriate authorities and collaborate with investigations as requested.
• Maintain a current list of PVP and IP varieties and lists which industry members have annual authority for Certified seed production.
• Conduct Quarterly downloads from Department of Licensing a list of current Seed Dealers within the state.
• Coordinate random sampling of current Seed Dealers for regulatory, education, and outreach in the form of site visits.
• Develop appropriate outreach material for stakeholders and consumers on Washington state seed law.
• Communicate with stakeholders when seed samples are out of tolerance or compliance with Washington State Seed Law.
• Develop necessary forms and tools at an agency or program level to adequately track progress and measure the findings among seed labeling and regulatory sampling.
• Collaborates with members of the public and the Seed Industry to develop new and amend existing agricultural rules and regulations relating to the production, certification, sales, and the phytosanitary protection of seed.
• Collaborate with USDA AMS Seed Regulatory personnel on national and international seed laws and trade policy.
• Guide policy at the regional and national level in order to provide proper presentation of the interests of the Washington Seed Industry in regard to seed regulatory and enforcement.
• Execute WAC's and policies established for seed certification in close cooperation and agreement between industry clientele and the Seed Program.
• Develop internal and external Certified Seed Conditioner Permit instructional materials.
• Routinely coordinate onsite visits with conditioning plants for document, record, and file sample retention compliance.
• Develop a regular outreach schedule to conduct onsite visits with stakeholders in each crop kind to equally evaluate satisfaction with program services and develops strategies for improvement.
• In the absence of the Program Manager, oversee all supervision of all the employees assigned to the Seed Program and directly supervises key leadership positions.
• Supervise and coordinate work of others.

Who should apply?

Professionals with:

• A bachelor's degree in business administration, public administration, law, public health, health administration, or a related field

AND

• Three (3) years of experience conducting research and analyzing policies, laws, rules, or regulations.

OR

• Comparable combination of graduate education and experience.

AND

• Must be able to acquire and maintain seed sampling accreditations for International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), Association of American Seed Control Officials (AASCO), and USDA.
• Must be able to acquire and maintain a valid Washington State Driver's License.

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

• Two (2) or more years of supervisory experience.
• More than one (1) year experience working in a testing laboratory, seed warehouse management or equivalent.
• Familiarity with seed testing processes, procedures, and standards such as AASCO, ISTA, & Canadian Methods.
• Familiarity with state procedures, Federal Seed Act, Washington State Administrative Codes related to seed certification standards and United States Department of Agriculture regulations.
• Familiarity with ISO accreditation and Quality Management Systems.
• Demonstrated ability to utilize standard MS office software: Outlook, Word, & Excel.
• Demonstrated experience in supervising or leading others.
• Must be able to lift up to 30 pounds and use hand carts to move larger items.

Employee Benefits

· A healthy work/life balance, which may include flexible work schedules, and teleworking.

· WSDA provides an excellent benefits package beyond traditional benefits. State employment offers Dependent Care Assistance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Public Service

Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Deferred Compensation, Employee Recognition Leave. Learn more about our benefits on the Washington State Healthcare Authority website.

· 12 paid Holidays & Vacation and Leave Accruals.

· All Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required will be provided by the agency.

· Commute Trip Reduction Program.

For more information about the Washington State Department of Agriculture, visit us at www.agr.wa.gov.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must:

1. Create and/or update your careers.wa.gov profile.

2. Complete the online application and attach the required documents: resume, cover letter, and three professional references.

3. Answer the supplemental questions associated with the job listing.

4. Submit your application.

Applications received via e-mail will not be accepted in lieu of applying through the state's on-line recruitment system, careers.wa.gov.