Plant Inspector jobs in Denver, CO

Agriculture is a part of all our lives. When you eat, put on clothes, or care for an animal--your life is touched by agriculture. Colorado's food and agriculture industry generated $47 billion of economic activity in 2019 and supports nearly 5% of the state's workforce. CDA is proud to be a part of such an important industry.

Mission:

The CDA's mission is to strengthen and advance Colorado's agriculture; promote a safe and high-quality food supply; protect consumers; and foster responsible stewardship of the environment. 

CDA Wildly Important Goals:

To accomplish our mission, CDA focuses on four “wildly important goals:” 

Goal 1: Building Economic and Supply Chain Resilience

Goal 2: Advancing Voluntary Stewardship    

Goal 3: Supporting the Next Generation in Agriculture    

Goal 4: Promoting Animal Health and Welfare

We use these goals to focus and align the daily work of our staff in support of Colorado farmers and ranchers. Learn more about our Department and our wildly important goals in our performance plan on our website.

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

To learn about the total compensation package for State government employment visit: https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/totalcompensation

• Inspection - Inspects commodities, crops, facilities, and other items to determine compliance with statutes and other requirements.
• Investigation - Investigates alleged violations related to certain statutes and collects evidence and official samples related to alleged or possible violation of laws, rules or for other purposes.
• Communication - Disseminates information, informs, or instructs supervisors, coworkers, regulated entities and the public about the agencies underlying rationale, motive, intent, laws, rules, and policies.
• Reporting - Creates or compiles reports and findings regarding inspections and investigations and submits them to program managers.
• Enforcement - Issues legal documents for enforcement purposes.

This position is advertised in line with the Governor’s executive order focused on skills-based hiring practices that focuses on the knowledge, skills, and abilities specific to the job and aligns the hiring process accordingly. Skills-based hiring reduces potential barriers for applicants and allows for reduced bias in the hiring process by providing a direct description of skills that are unique to the duties assigned to the position with a recognition that the applicant may have developed these skills through education, training, or past experiences. 

• Four (4)  years of professional experience in a regulatory capacity, and/or professional pesticide related activities.

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a field of study related to plants or pest management such as: horticulture, biology, botany, or other plant related natural science field. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Relevant years of state service;
• Background in Investigations 
• Background in Inspections
• Bilingual in Spanish 

• Qualifying Education will substitute for years of experience on a year-for-year basis. 

• Must possess and maintain a valid Colorado Driver's License with the ability to independently travel.
• Circumstances may require position to work outside of regular business hours.
• Position will travel overnight including up to one or more consecutive weeks at a time approximately 30-35% of the work year.
• Position will need to be able to lift up to 50 pounds. 

• Clear understanding and experience in organic rules and certifications.
• Intuitive sense of agricultural practices
• Conflict negotiation skills
• Ability to take initiative in stressful situation.'
• Organizational and Planning Skills
• Act independently on daily responsibilities.
• Knowledge of Pesticide Application
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and public speaking skills.
• Project management skills: ability to multitask, problem-solve, prioritize, create systems and processes and collaborate with and engage others.
• 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.

• Online application (completed fully) describing how you meet the minimum qualifications
• OR If you are not able to submit an online application, a paper application is available at this link: PDF State Paper Application.  Paper applications must be received (either by US mail or email to mary.hunt@state.co.us by the closing date and time of the application period listed on this announcement.
• DD214 (if applicable)
• Unofficial copy of transcripts (if applicable)

• Technical Competence – Technical experience as it relates to the duties outlined in this job announcement.
• Depth and Breadth of Experience – Experience that covers multiple areas outlined in this job announcement.  Experience should be varied and not one dimensional and demonstrate a wide range of community involvement.
• Job Fit – Experience will be evaluated to determine how well your past experience aligns with and meets the business needs of this position.  Current experience is preferred.