Recent Graduate Consumer Safety Officer
Positions are located in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Regulatory Affairs. The incumbent serves as a Consumer Safety Officer demonstrates and is recognized for a high level of competence in the full range of commodities regulated within the boundaries of an FDA Program such as: foods, drugs, medical devices, imports, etc. or in a narrow specialty within a program area. Applicants may apply to one of the duty stations as listed.
Duties
- Collects samples of foods, drugs, cosmetics, and hazardous substances and examines company records to document evidence of interstate origin.
- Assess the degree of consistency with Good Manufacturing Practices and efficacy of quality controls.
- Prepares written report showing results of inspections and investigations.
- Communicates with other Consumer Safety Officers, inspectors, and laboratory staff.
Consumer Safety Officer
As a Consumer Safety Officer (CSO), you will be responsible for conducting inspections and investigations in an industry regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and submitting written computer-generated reports accompanied by supporting evidence documenting violations of the laws that we enforce.
- CSOs routinely examine products covering six primary areas: pharmaceuticals, medical devices, human and animal foods, biologics, bioresearch monitoring, and imports to ensure compliance with U.S. law. This includes imported products at ports of entry around the country.
- FDA works closely with our U.S. Customs and Border Protection counterparts to cover ports of entry along with nine International Mail Facilities (IMF). In some districts, a CSO assigned to import operations may be trained/assigned to one of the United States border locations or IMF.
FDA CSOs add value by:
- 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).
CSO Qualifications
- A bachelor’s or graduate/higher level degree in quality assurance or a related degree that includes at least 30 semester hours in one or a combination of the following: consumer laws, biological sciences, food science, chemistry, pharmacy, physical sciences, food technology, nutrition, medical science, engineering, epidemiology, veterinary medical science, legal investigations, law enforcement, or related scientific fields that provided knowledge directly related to consumer safety officer work.
- The 30 semester hours may include up to 8 semester hours in statistics, or course work that included the principles, theory, or practical application of computers or computer programming
or
- A combination of education and experience--courses consisting of at least 30 semester hours in the fields of study described in the information above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
- Position requires travel up to 50% of the time, and a driver’s license. Successful candidates should have the ability to travel by car, air, and internationally if needed.