GENERAL INFORMATION:

This position is located in Portland with the Agricultural Development and Marketing division at the Oregon Department of Agriculture. This announcement will be used to create a list of qualified applicants for a current vacancy.

TO QUALIFY:

A Bachelor's Degree in Agricultural Sciences, Natural Resources, or any degree demonstrating the capacity for the knowledge and skills; and four years professional-level evaluative, analytical and planning work. OR;

Any combination of experience and education equivalent to seven years of experience that typically supports the knowledge and skills for the classification.

NOTE: To receive credit for all required/related coursework without a degree, a photocopy of transcripts is required.

Preference may be given to applicants with experience or knowledge in agriculture and school nutrition programs.

IF YOU QUALIFY, please see the TEST section of this announcement.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Serves as the agency’s program manager and primary liaison with Oregon School Districts, Oregon Department of Education, NGO’s and stakeholders interested in increasing utilization of locally produced food product in Oregon K-12 school feeding programs.

·       Provides project management to coordinate a variety of activities to achieve measurable outcomes for a unified goal.

·       Works with Oregon farms, ranches and fishers to implement forward contracting and other innovative programs to enhance utilization of locally produced foods in Oregon K-12 school feeding programs

·       Coordinates programs to use USDA surplus commodity ingredients with Oregon produced ingredients to develop new compounded value-added menu items for Oregon K-12 school feeding programs

·       Identifies and applies for private, state and federal grant funds as necessary to assist farm to school program development

·       Coordinates with ODA, OSU extension and NGO capacity and infrastructure development to overcome existing packing, processing and distribution constraints

·       Conducts analysis of current percentage utilization – by product type -- of Oregon grown or processed food products in Oregon K-12 school feeding programs

·       Travels occasionally out of state to maintain understanding of programs available and best practices for similar farm to school initiatives nationally

Other duties – At the request, and at the direction of the Administrator or other executive team managers, performs other duties related to the support of Oregon agriculture and food processing. Works with others in the Agricultural Development and Marketing Division in the development and implementation of activities to reach the goals of the Division and the Department.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Extensive in-state travel required to meet with producers; overnight travel, night and weekend meetings; air travel (domestic and international) and use of state, personal and rental vehicles.

THIS IS THE TEST - You must answer the following statements

Use a separate sheet of paper. Write your name at the top of each test page. Write down any work experience (paid or unpaid) and training that you have which is related to each question. Be sure that the jobs where you gained the experience you describe in your answers are listed in the “Work History” section of your application form. Your grade will be based upon your answers. Applicants with the highest scores will be invited for an interview. If there are several parts to a question, answer each part separately. Number your answers to agree with the question. Attach your response to your application. Your application will not be accepted if it is incomplete.

1.     Much of the success of the Farm to School Program is dependent on collaboration with governmental and non-governmental organizations. Describe your project management experience in a) coordinating and executing various projects; b) organizing programs, individuals and groups; and c) providing leadership to build teams to achieve measurable outcomes.

2.     From your perspective prioritize the three most important objectives for the Farm to School Program to accomplish in the next two years. Where do you see if moving to beyond the next two years?

3.     Describe your understanding of school food service procurement practices including negotiating, specifying and sourcing food that is safe and wh olesome?

4.     Talk about how you have worked directly with farmers or packers to source food products. Did you buy on a spot or cash basis or did you negotiate forward contracts over a growing season or calendar period?

5.     Is there anything that you feel uniquely positions you for this position?

APPLICATIONS

You must complete a State of Oregon application form (PD100). You can get applications, supplements and job announcements from the ODA Web Site at http://oregon.gov/ODA, State of Oregon web site www.oregonjobs.org or any local office of the Oregon Employment Division.

If you have a disability and need an alternate format in order to complete the employment process, you may call Recruitment Services at (503) 378-2130. Please be prepared to leave a message describing the alternate format needed.

PLEASE NOTE: Complete all parts of the application. You may submit additional information describing experience and training needed to meet the requirements in the "TO QUALIFY" section of this announcement. If you do, it must include a description of each job and the months and hours per week worked. Do not attach letters of recommendation, work examples or placement files to your application (this information should be retained for interviews). References will be checked prior to time of hire to verify information contained in your application and supplemental materials.

Your completed application materials may be mailed or hand delivered to the Human Resources, Department of Agriculture, 635 Capitol St. NE, Salem, OR 97301-2532, phone (503) 986-4584, email to jobs@oda.state.or.us, or faxed to 503-986-4769. Your application and supplemental material must be received by the close date. The Department cannot be responsible for material that is illegible or missing as a result of transmitting by fax or which may be lost through the mail. We are unable to acknowledge or verify receipt of applications due to the large volume.

If your application is not accepted, you will receive a notice by mail advising you of the reason(s). Your application will not be returned and you may not submit additional information. If you feel an error has been made, you may request a review. Your request must be in writing and must be received within 10 days from the date of the notice. If the recruitment is still open, you may submit a new, completed application. It must be received in our office by 5:00 pm on the close date.

This agency is not required to delay our selection process. If your application is incomplete when submitted, the delay in submitting a new application may result in missing an opportunity for interview and hire.

Keep a copy of your application for job interviews. The Department of Agriculture will not provide applicants with copies of their application materials.

Current job openings are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the Internet: www.oregonjobs.org

Oregon Dept of Agriculture is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer committed to a diverse work force.