Meat Poultry Relief Inspector- Billings

Meat Poultry Relief Inspector
- Billings

To be considered for Department of Livestock positions, applicants must complete and submit any required application materials online through the State Careers website:
Statecareers.mt.gov. This position is posted as "ongoing" however a first review of applications will take place on July 17, 2026. Materials Required of Applicants:
Cover Letter
- In your cover letter please describe your experience with food safety and how you might use that experience to carry out the duties of this position. Include specific details. Limit your cover letter to one page. Attachments not requested will not be reviewed by the selection panel. Resume References:
References will be required before an offer is made to an applicant for this position, however it is not a required submission of the application process at this time.
* Notice Regarding

Position Location:

Due to the demands of the position, it is required that applicants live within the Eastern MT district and is preferred that the incumbent be within 30 miles of Billings, MT. Applicants living within 30 Miles City, MT may also be considered. All other locations will be considered on a case by case basis. Additionally:
Districts are subject to change due to demands of the industry, the Department and Management discretion in order to fulfill work needs.

About this Opportunity! The meat and poultry inspector is the first line of defense for meat and poultry food safety. The inspector performs duties to verify that a food safety system within officially inspected slaughter and/or processing establishments is operating in compliance with regulations and in a way that will result in safe food. The Meat & Poultry Inspection Bureau's function is to ensure that meat & poultry products processed in Montana meet state and federal requirements governing the wholesomeness and purity of meat and poultry products.

This work is done in cooperation with other state and federal agencies. Meat and poultry Inspectors employed by the Department of Livestock inspect the slaughter and processing of food animals in privately-owned meat or poultry slaughter and processing plants. Site inspections involve the inspection of live animals, carcasses, facilities, slaughter and processing operations, and finished products. The inspector is also responsible for sampling products for laboratory testing, verifying plants' records, and inspecting labels and packaging of products.

There is a strong emphasis on interpreting both federal and state regulations and taking appropriate regulatory action. Inspectors record all findings and tasks in a federal database and must document daily activities in weekly reports.

RELIEF INSPECTOR INFO :
This is a relief inspector position with relief duties as a regular part of the incumbent's duty assignment. The successful applicant will have regularly assigned establishments as well as state-wide relief duties. There will be times when the incumbent will be called on short notice to report to an establishment to conduct inspection services. Overnight Travel:
The success of our program is dependent upon teamwork which will require overnight travel. Depending on the home location of the successful applicant, overnight travel may be required several nights per week.

The inspector conducts:
Regulatory oversight activities inside plants in matters relating to Sanitation Performance Standards (SPS), Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP), pathogen reduction verification procedures, food security verification procedures, and other consumer protections (e.g., economic adulteration and misbranding). The Inspector performs work within the Agency's automated Public Health Information system (PHIS) to include updating establishment profiles, selecting appropriate inspection tasks, entering information and reacting to data from PHIS.

The incumbent serves as slaughter and/or processing inspector in a red meat and/or poultry plant or department requiring the exercise of judgment in the full range of slaughter or processing inspection functions and carries out all aspects of slaughter or processing inspection as assigned. The inspector is expected to perform in-plant inspection in a wide range of different types of slaughter and processing plants.

This work requires:
Knowledge of state and federal regulations regarding the handling and labeling of meat and poultry, the characteristics and normal behavior of livestock, livestock diseases and related symptoms, skill in observation and sampling methods and techniques; state and federal facility and sanitation requirements, proper use of chemicals, insect and rodent control, personal hygiene, and water supply requirements, regulations regarding humane slaughter, additive formulas, authorized proportions of regulated substances, and the ability to discern injections sites and disease symptoms, operate a motor vehicle, and travel to remote locations.

The inspector is required to know how to…