Agriculture Specialist

Agriculture Specialist (Field Inspector)

This position is located within the office of Animal Health & Food Safety, Food Distribution Division, in Rapides Parish. The Department of Agriculture and Forestry is looking for dedicated professionals—apply today and make a difference. Food Distribution division is responsible for the administration and management of four federally funded nutrition programs: USDA National School Lunch Program (NSLP), USDA Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), USDA Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), food assistance during a federally declared disaster (DA).

As an Agriculture Specialist (Field Inspector), you will support Louisiana's food safety and public health efforts by inspecting, reviewing, monitoring, and auditing the USDA food programs located in the central portion of the state encompassing approximately 16 parishes. This position requires regular interaction with facility managers, program administrators, warehouse personnel, volunteers, and other stakeholders throughout an assigned geographic area. Supervision for this position is received from the Agriculture Assistant Division Director.

Selected

Core Competencies:

• Following Policies and Procedures:
  The ability to follow, reinforce, adapt, or develop policies and procedures to maintain compliance with federal and state legal requirements, State Civil Service rules, and organizational policies.
• Learning Actively:
  The ability to pursue learning, seek feedback, and integrate new knowledge to improve personal and professional performance.
• Making Accurate Judgments:
  The ability to assess options, weigh risks, and make sound decisions using available information and logical reasoning.

Selected Preferred

Competencies:

• Displaying Professionalism:
  The ability to uphold workplace standards through consistent conduct, responsible communication, and consideration for others.
• Thinking Critically:
  The ability to analyze information objectively, identify connections across sources, and form logical, well-supported conclusions.

LDAF cares about the well-being of its employees! We offer a fully employer-funded Employee Assistance Program (EAP), providing valuable support and resources to help you and your household members thrive at work and  EAP is also free for all members of your household.

Three years of experience in one or a combination of the following:
1. Administrative services
2. Inspecting or enforcing compliance with agricultural laws, rules, or regulations
3. Inspection and testing of weighing and measuring devices OR A bachelor's degree in forestry, an agricultural, biological, chemical, environmental, health, or physical science, or an information technology, mathematics, or business field.

Job Duties:

• Identify compliance issues, communicate required corrective actions, conduct follow-up activities when necessary, and document inspection findings and resolutions.
• Develops annual review plans and conducts comprehensive audits of USDA Food Program recipient agencies, including schools, correctional facilities, commodity distribution agencies, and commercial warehouses.
• Evaluates program operations for compliance with federal regulations, state standards, contractual requirements, and corrective action mandates.
• Oversees USDA food distribution activities within an assigned region, assessing agency needs, inventory controls, food losses, and fiscal accountability.
• Maintains the USDA Food Request Changes database and evaluates recipient agency food requirements to support effective resource allocation.
• Inspects commercial warehouse operations to ensure compliance with USDA, state, and contractual standards.
• Reviews agency agreements and recommends renewals, approvals, and appropriate fiscal actions for noncompliance.
• Provides technical assistance, administrative guidance, training, and improvement plans to recipient agencies to strengthen program operations and compliance.
• Collaborates with USDA, FDA, LDH, Department of Corrections, and other state and federal partners to resolve program, regulatory, and food safety concerns.
• Develops and delivers training,…