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State of Colorado · 9 hours ago

CDA-Export Certification and Potato Program Coordinator (Administrator III)

Broomfield County, CO

Full-time

Hybrid

Mid, Senior Level

$59K/yr - $71K/yr

6+ years exp

The State of Colorado's Department of Agriculture is dedicated to enhancing the agricultural sector, and they are seeking a CDA-Export Certification and Potato Program Coordinator. This role involves enforcing agricultural statutes, conducting pest surveys, and coordinating export certification programs to facilitate safe interstate and international trade of plant commodities.

AssociationHealth CareNon Profit

No H1B

Responsibilities

To enforce statutes and rules for numerous agricultural programs that provide human health, environmental and consumer protection

To conduct pest surveys

The position is the program coordinator for issuing federal and state phytosanitary certificates

The position must obtain and maintain the status of Accredited Certifying Official (ACO) by the USDA-APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) to issue a federal phytosanitary certificate for international export

Position provides certification to allow interstate and international shipment of plant commodities and will occasionally need to travel to complete the inspections

The position implements interstate and international export requirements for plant commodities by researching online databases and websites and contacting importing state program managers

The position checks for phytosanitary storage and field inspection, nursery stock site certifications, greenhouse request inspections and other types of inspections needed to allow export shipment

The person works with the Plant Health and Certification program manager to determine the requirements of the importing state or country and to determine the type of inspection needed and after the inspection is conducted determines whether the results support issuance of the certification document

Position will support the program manager in training inspectors and others regarding procedures and inspection processes

Backup for issuing certificates are - Plant Health and Certification Program Manager, CAPS program manager, trained inspectors and Field Staff Section Chief

The person in this position works on the Seed Potato Act and Late Blight Quarantine in consultation with the Division Director

This includes, implementing program objectives, developing registration, inspection, enforcement and administrative procedures

The position works with the USDA-APHIS-PPQ (United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health and Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine) to implement the export certification program by maintaining memorandum of understating (MOU) with USDA to issue federal phytosanitary certificates; develops procedures, fee structures, and inspection protocol to provide certification

Maintains official accredited certification status by completing continuing education and passing the reaccreditation exam

Trains staff on procedures and approves work

Determines interstate and international export requirements for plant commodities by researching online databases (PExD) and websites (PCIT) and contacting importing state program managers and USDA officials

Prepares and issues the appropriate certificate to meet the state’s or country's requirements

This must be done multiple times daily for numerous commodities

This involves taking in information via email, phone, fax or an online application system on the type, genus and species, and plant part of the commodity wishing to be exported

This position will facilitate safe and compliant interstate trade for the state's agricultural sector

Position will serve as the primary liaison for nurseries and commodity growers, responsible for initiating and maintaining regulatory compliance agreements

Key functions include the detailed administration of testing documentation, processing contracts and invoices for essential phytosanitary checks (such as soil, seed, onion testing, European corn borer, and Japanese beetle), and the accurate issuance of official stickers and phytosanitary certificates required for shipment Authorization

The position must obtain and maintain the status of Accredited Certifying Official (ACO) by the USDA-APHIS-PPQ to issue federal phytosanitary certificates for international export

This requires maintaining knowledge of USDA-APHIS's policies and procedures by reading updates provided via email, staying current with the Export Certification Manual and by obtaining information from the USDA export certification specialist assigned to Colorado

The position must take the required training and PASS the ACO test and complete regularly scheduled online reaccreditation requirements

Works with the USDA-APHIS-PPQ to implement the federal phytosanitary certification service and state issues plant health certificate

In order to do this the position determines if an inspection or other verification if the requirements for freedom from plant pests required by the importing country or state can be met and if so, the most efficient means to do this

Must have a significant knowledge of plants and plant pests, specifically those that are grown in Colorado and must have the ability to research information in cases of new or unusual plants and plant pests

Tracks the need for inspections to meet export requirements based on history, quarantine rules of other countries and states and contacts with the export industry

Based on this information the position determines inspection needs for both the timing of the inspections, type of inspection to be performed, procedures for each type of inspection (storage, field, and site certification, structure) to determine if the pests of concern are present

Determines if other types of documents such as compliance agreements can be utilized to assist in meeting the requirements while making the most efficient use of division resources and the client's efforts

Tracks client adherence to the compliance agreements and modifies and updates them as needed

Position will develop procedures utilizing clear and concise writing skills

Will require the use of Google suite, Microsoft suite or SalesForce platforms in order to create procedures, and track inspections and agreements

Train inspectors and others regarding procedures in the field and problem solving when general procedures don't meet the specific need

Ensure appropriate equipment, vehicles, traps, lures, etc., and temporary staff available for all types of inspections

If the requirements cannot be met because documentation of freedom from the pest(s) cannot be obtained, the position communicates this to the applicant via phone, email or mail and provides options for the applicant to meet the requirements if it is possible

If the requirements can be met, the position works with other staff to conduct the inspection or verification to meet the requirements

Once the requirements are met, the position then oversees the preparation of the export certificate and the issuance of the document and sees that it is signed by an accredited certifying official

Also, the position oversees the delivery of the document to the applicant based on the request

Conduct the inspection of a commodity to be exported

In doing so the position may frequently be required with little or no advanced notice, to travel by automobile in state and stay overnight one or more weeks at a time up to two or more weeks per year

When conducting the inspections the position must have the ability to visually examine or compare items, to handle, lift and manipulate items, detect color sizes and shape and to climb in and out vehicles and warehouse areas and drive for periods of up to 5 or more hours per day

They may need to walk and maneuver in restricted areas and diverse terrain: driving the location to perform the inspection; accurately filing out or creating reports by inputting into tablets, legibly handwriting and/or using a computer software

Manages export certification programs including nursery and seed labeling and cleanliness standards

Support environmental and consumer protection regarding the distribution of live plants, nursery stock and seeds as well as implementation of quarantines, conducting request inspections, surveying for pests to provide certification and documentation of freedom from pests in Colorado

Implements statute and rule requirements and program objectives by analyzing statutes and rules and regulations, developing registration, inspection, enforcement and administrative procedures in collaboration with appropriate departmental, industry and concerned parties

Negotiates with other agencies on contracts like for example onion sampling and testing for pests with certified nematode labs

Serves as a resource on export of plant commodities and related regulatory issues

Supervises and guides the export certification program by maintaining memorandums of understanding with USDA to issue federal phytosanitary certificates; develops procedures, fee structures, and inspection protocol to provide certification

Maintains official accredited certification status by completing continuing education and passing the reaccreditation exam

Trains staff on procedures and approves work

Export certification operates within narrow timeframes to deliver perishable commodities to distant countries in a timely manner

The position must be able make timely decisions and work well under deadlines

Be able to prioritize effectively and work on several different requests within a short period

Communications with all contacts must be done effectively and efficiently, and should be conducted professionally and courteously when exchanging information via telephone or other electronic media; and must work cooperatively, coworkers, stakeholders and the general public

Process potato shed suspension upon notification of USDA with a lit of NNC numbers, the specific pest, the shed and field number the phytosanitary tracking number, shipping date, and other information by notifying the CSU Potato program mangers, the CDA Phyto Program manager in Monte Vista, and the owners of the shed(s) that of the of the field associated with the shed of the suspension

Puts information and related document into a folder and logs this information into a a database that tracks current year’s suspension and reinstatements which is shared with the Monte Vista phyto office and CSU as it is updated

Collaborates with the Division Director and Plant Health Program Manager conducting an external outreach and education for stakeholders, collaborators and interested parties concerning potato seed certification and potato late blight quarantine restrictions

Qualification

Accredited Certifying Official (ACO)Phytosanitary certificationPlant healthProgram managementRegulatory complianceCommunicationInterpersonal skillsProblem-solvingTeam playerDetail oriented

Required

Six (6) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to program management in an agriculture field

Must have an active Colorado driver's license

Position must obtain and maintain the status of Accredited Certifying Official (ACO) by the USDA Agriculture Plant Health Inspection Service to issue federal phytosanitary certificates for international export

Must be a resident of the state of Colorado

Be willing to travel for frequent single-day trips to work sites throughout assigned area and be willing to have overnight travel to other areas of Colorado

Must be willing to work outside of normal business hours

Will need to work outdoors in adverse conditions such as rain, heat, and snow

Excellent interpersonal, communication and public speaking skills

Knowledge working with plant health

Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and juggle multiple priorities, and able to react and adjust quickly to changing conditions

Detail oriented

Excellent communication skills; able to communicate effectively and articulately in writing and orally with diverse communities in all corners of the state

Work well under pressure

Strong relationship management skills and excellent representation of the department in community interactions

A proven track record for developing and maintaining trusted relationships with stakeholders and industry experts

Excellent negotiation and consensus building skills

Proactive approaches to problem-solving and with strong decision-making capability

Highly resourceful team-player, with the ability to also be extremely effective independently

Preferred

Bachelor's degree in Horticulture or Plant Biology

Be eligible to obtain federal ACO Licensure

One (1) Year in regulatory experience to qualify for ACO Licenture

Previous experience working in the State of Colorado

Benefits

Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan plus optional 401(k) and 457 plans (www.copera.org)

Medical and dental health plans ( https://stateofcoloradobenefits.com/ )

Employer supplemented Health Savings Account ($60 per month)

Paid life insurance, plus additional optional life insurance options

Paid Short Term Disability and optional Long Term Disability coverage

11 paid holidays per year plus generous vacation and sick leave accruals

BenefitHub state employee discount program

Employee Wellness program State of Health

Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, remote work opportunities, free parking, professional development and more!