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  5. Consumer Safety Officer Positions at FDA
  1. Career Descriptions

Consumer Safety Officer Positions at FDA

View all current FDA job openings at USAJOBS

Description of Position

FDA consumer safety officers perform duties that may include:

  • investigating complaints of injury, illness, or death caused by an FDA-regulated product
  • initiating actions against violators
  • advising industry, state and local officials and consumers on enforcement policies, methods, and interpretation of regulations
  • planning and directing regulatory programs
  • developing inspection procedures and techniques
  • coordinating the review process of New Drug Applications (NDAs)

Grade (Salary) Levels

The federal General Schedule (GS) grade levels at which consumer safety officer positions are most commonly filled are:

  • GS-5 through 13 at the headquarters level
  • GS-5 through 11 at the field level

(Note: Higher grade levels in both headquarters and field offices are available based on either peer review of individual accomplishments or supervisory responsibilities.)

For a list of GS-grade salaries, see the Office of Personnel Management website.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications required for all grades in this position include:

  • a full course of study at an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree, including 30 semester hours in one or a combination of biological sciences, chemistry, pharmacy, physical sciences, food technology, nutrition, medical science, engineering, epidemiology, veterinary medical science, or related scientific fields that provide knowledge directly related to consumer safety officer work
  • or 30 semester hours of course work as described above plus appropriate experience or additional education. The required 30 semester hours can include up to 8 semester hours in statistics or course work that includes the principles, theory, or practical application of computers or computer programming.

To qualify for higher-graded positions, candidates must have additional amounts of either specialized experience or directly related education. The amount of additional experience or education required depends on the grade of the position.

Geographic location

FDA consumer safety officers are located in headquarters (suburban Washington, D.C.) and in FDA facilities throughout the country.

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