Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector I/II/III

Job Description:

Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector I/II/III

Description

Description

The Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector under direct (I) to limited (III) supervision depending upon the level of the class, provides professional inspection, investigation and enforcement services to the agricultural industry and community by executing local, state and federal laws and regulations. Mandated programs in both agricultural and weights & measures disciplines govern the work of the department.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:
Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector I/II/III is a flexibly staffed class series, with placement dependent upon the licenses earned, and the experience and proficiency to perform the full range of duties within specific areas of state licensure. The role of these classifications is to enforce the laws and regulations set forth by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the California Department of Agriculture (CDFA), The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) as well as local county ordinances. California law requires all county employees working in the capacity of Inspector to possess licenses demonstrating job proficiency. The Department shall necessitate the specific California State licenses or Federal certifications required to certify and enforce the laws and regulations associated with the license obtained, and the licensing examinations are to be taken for each incumbent in order to progress incumbents to the advanced journey level. At each successive level in this series, incumbents are required to acquire and maintain specific licenses, exercise greater independent judgement, and handle assignments requiring broader knowledge with less supervision.

Agricultural/Weights and Measures Inspector I is the entry level of the class series. Under direct supervision incumbents learn to apply and enforce a variety of agricultural and weights & measures laws and regulations. The incumbents are strongly encouraged to obtain at least two (2) licensesin agricultural or weights & measures inspection issued by the CDFA within the first twelve (12) months of employment. With experience, incumbents will independently perform field inspections and investigations within the two (2) areas of required licensure while gaining training and experience to obtain the five (5) state licenses required for the II level.

Agricultural/Weights and Measures Inspector II is the journey level classification in the series. Under general supervision, incumbents independently perform inspections and investigations of agricultural and weights & measures laws and regulations. The incumbents are required to obtain at least five (5) licenses in agricultural or weights & measures inspection issued by the CDFA and has two (2) years of possession and maintenance of first CDFA license. At the discretion of the appointing authority and with full licensure in all eight (8) categories and four (4) years of increasingly responsibilities, incumbents may be eligible for promotion to the III level, in which staff may perform in all program activities and may train and act in a lead capacity.

Agricultural/Weights and Measures Inspector III is the fully experienced classification in the series. Incumbents have full licensure in all eight (8) categories issued by the CDFA and have four (4) years of enforcement experience. Under general direction, incumbents independently perform inspections and investigations of agricultural and weights & measures laws and regulations. Incumbents may also serve as program lead, provide direction or act as program coordinator. Incumbents may be assigned to any specialty area within the department. The Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector III is distinguished from the Supervising Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector by the latter's responsibility for programmatic oversight and supervision of staff.

NOTE: If appointed at the lower level, incumbent may be promoted to the higher level without further examination upon meeting the minimum requirements, demonstrating satisfactory performance, and in accordance with the business needs of the department.

APPROXIMATE ANNUAL SALARIES
Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector I: $60,278.40 - $78,808.40
Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector II: $68,413.50 - $89,120.46
Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector III: $75,348.00 - $98,053.83

EDUCATIONAL/BILINGUAL INCENTIVE: Incumbents may be eligible for an educational incentive of 5% based on completion of a Master's degree that is not required for the classification. Incumbents may also be eligible for bilingual incentive depending upon operational need and certification of skill.

Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector I/II/III are represented by Services Employees International Union (SEIU) and are eligible for overtime compensation.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
OPENING DATE: Tuesday, March 25, 2025
CLOSING DATE: Continuous and may close at any time; therefore, the schedule for the remainder of the process will depend upon when we receive a sufficient number of qualified applications to meet business needs.
REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS: Applications will be reviewed on a weekly basis beginning the week of April 07, 2025.

Examples Of Duties

Employees may perform some or all of the following duties depending on level, area of assignment, and licensure.

• Investigates fraud and consumer complaints through interviews, investigations, and records examination.
• Develops case files; prepares, analyzes, maintains and presents evidence; prepares correspondence and reports; and provides information for litigation.
• Verifies the accuracy of commercial devices such as gas pumps, taxi meters, propane meters, electric meters and commercial weighing devices.
• Enforces regulations related to pesticide use and storage, and worker health and safety; issues permits and monitors applications of pesticides; and registers agricultural pest control operators and advisors.
• Investigates complaints related to agricultural pesticides, certain pests, and violations of County, State, or Federal laws; and conducts a variety of inspections of agricultural products to ensure compliance with regulations, and/or to verify certificate requirements for export/import and pest cleanliness.
• Detects and prevents the introduction of detrimental pests through examination, surveys, trapping, sampling, and regulation of possible carriers; and controls and/or eradicates pest plants, insects, diseases, and nematodes in accordance with approved procedures.
• Inspects nurseries and evaluates nursery license applications to determine compliance with State requirements.
• Gathers and compiles evidence and prepares reports; collects, prepares, and submits official samples required for the enforcement or verification of various regulations; and obtains, compiles, and disseminates statistical data on agricultural commodities produced in the County.
• Operates sensitive field and lab equipment necessary for identification, sampling, and determining compliance with set standards.
• Safely handles hazardous materials such as herbicides, rodenticides, insecticides and other pesticides, as well as gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, and propane.
• Participates in education and outreach activities to the general public and the agricultural community regarding agricultural/weights & measures standards related issues; assists in the preparation and delivery of continuing education for permittees and pest control licenses holders; creates informational documents; makes oral presentations to the public, etc.
• Promotes legal compliance by conducting educational outreach to new businesses.
• Investigates and works with district attorneys to prosecute businesses engaged in violations of laws and regulations both locally and statewide.
• Performs other duties as required.

In addition to the duties listed above, the Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector III also:

• Leads and participates in inspection activities within area of assignment.
• Provides training and technical assistance to staff.

Typical Qualifications

These are entrance requirements to the examination process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE

Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector I:

• Possession of two (2) or more valid statewide specific category licenses as a County Agricultural Inspector/Biologist issued by the California Department of Food and Agriculture; OR,
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college with specialization in one or more appropriate disciplines in agricultural, biological, chemical, or physical sciences, mathematics, or statistics; OR,
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college in any discipline with a minimum of 30 semester units, or 45 quarter units, in one or any combination of the following disciplines: Agricultural Science, Biological Science, Chemical Science, Physical Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Commerce, Economics, Engineering, Law Enforcement, Marketing, Physics, and/or related field meeting the prerequisite for the licensing exams from the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector II:

• Possession of combined total of five (5) valid statewide specific category licenses as a County Agricultural Weights & Measures Inspector issued by the California Department of Food and Agriculture; AND,
• Two (2) years' of increasingly responsible experience as an Agriculture Biologist I, Weights & Measures Inspector I, or Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector I; OR,
• Two (2) years' experience performing duties equivalent to that of an Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector I with the County of Ventura.

Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector III:

• Possession of eight (8) valid statewide specific category licenses as a County Agricultural Weights & Measures Inspector issued by the California Department of Food and Agriculture; AND,
• Two (2) years' of increasingly responsible experience as an Agricultural Biologist II, Weights & Measures Inspector II, or Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector II; OR,
• Two (2) years' experience performing duties equivalent to that of an Agricultural/Weights & Measures Inspector II with the County of Ventura.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Possession of a valid California Class C Driver's License is required at the time of appointment. Driver's license must be kept valid throughout the term of employment. Incumbents must be able to travel throughout the county.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

• Physical Demands: While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to use hand to eye coordination; and handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand and/or walk for extended periods of time over varied terrain; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, or manual dexterity. Requires strength to lift and carry equipment and samples weighing up to 50 pounds and heavier weights with proper equipment.
• Working Conditions: Must be willing to work outdoors, in all weather conditions and with potential exposure to hazardous materials and conditions such as heat, dust, diesel, exhaust, electricity or chemical odors.

DESIRED

• A California Class B Commercial Driver's License is desired. Appointees to those positions requiring a Class B license will be subject to mandatory testing for drugs prior to beginning work.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES

Some (I/II) to extensive (III) knowledge of:

• Laws, codes, orders, regulations and practices governing agriculture and weights & measures programs and pesticide management;
• Principles of identification, preservation and presentation of evidence;
• Techniques of case management, record keeping and report preparation;
• Safety principles and equipment used for handling chemicals and responding to hazardous materials incidents;
• Basic use of current business applications and mobile communication devices;
• Correct English usage.

Some (I/II) to demonstrated (III) ability to:

• Interpret, apply, explain and enforce various state and federal agricultural and weights & measures laws, codes and regulations;
• Apply interviewing techniques to obtain needed information;
• Gather, assemble and analyze data and make sound recommendations regarding mitigation or enforcement matters;
• Prepare and maintain accurate, concise and effective records, reports, correspondence and other written materials; and using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation;
• Make accurate mathematic calculations;
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work;
• Safely handle hazardous materials such as herbicides, rodenticides, insecticides and other pesticides, as well as gasoline, diesel, and propane;
• Maintain situational awareness while confidently approaching unknown environments with changing circumstances.

Recruitment Process

FINAL FILING DATE: This is a continuous recruitment and may close at any time; therefore, apply as soon as possible if you are interested. Your application must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00pm on the closing date.

To apply on-line, please refer to our web site at www.ventura.org/jobs. A paper application can be obtained by calling (805) 654-5129. Our address is County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.

NOTE: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click here for additional information.

Note to Applicants: Sufficient information must be provided under the Education/Work Experience portion of the application and supplemental questionnaire to thoroughly and accurately demonstrate your qualifications to determine eligibility. A resume may be attached to supplement your responses in the above-referenced sections; however, it may not be submitted in lieu of the application.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE - qualifying
All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in the application being removed from further consideration. It is highly recommended that the supplemental questions within the application are completed with care and diligence. Responses such as "See Resume" or "Refer to Resume" are not acceptable and may disqualify an applicant from further evaluation.

APPLICATION EVALUATION - qualifying
All applications will be reviewed to determine whether the stated requirements are met. Applicants meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the examination process.

TRAINING & EXPERIENCE EVALUATION:
A Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by a candidate, including the written responses to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the candidate meets the stated requirements; rather, the T&E is one method for determining who are the better qualified among those who have shown that they meet the stated requirements. In a T&E, applications are either scored or rank ordered according to criteria that most closely meet the business needs of the department. Candidates are typically scored/ranked in relation to one another; consequently, when the pool of candidates is exceptionally strong, many qualified candidates may receive a score or rank which is moderate or even low resulting in them not being advanced in the process.

NOTE: The selection process will likely consist of an Oral Exam, which may be preceded or replaced with the score from a Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E), contingent upon the size and quality of the candidate pool. In a typical T&E, your training and experience are evaluated in relation to the background, experience and factors identified for successful job performance during a job analysis. For this reason, it is recommended that your application materials clearly show your relevant background and specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities. If the T&E replaces the oral exam, candidates must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.

ORAL EXAMINATION - 100%: A job-related oral examination may be conducted to evaluate and compare participating examinees' knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to those factors which job analysis has determined to be essential for successful performance of the job. Applicants must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.

If there are three (3) or fewer qualified applicants, an oral examination will not be conducted. Instead, a score of seventy percent (70%) will be assigned to each application, and each applicant will be placed on the eligible list.

ELIGIBLE LIST

Candidates successfully completing the examination process may be placed on the eligible list for a period of one (1) year.

The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-Term), Intermittent, and Extra-Help vacancies. There is currently one (1) Regular vacancy within the department of Agriculture/Weights & Measures.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A thorough pre-employment, post offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information, and driving record may be required for this position.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

For further information about this recruitment, please contact Esmeralda Oseguera via e-mail at Esmeralda.Oseguera@ventura.org or by telephone at (805) 477-7268.

YOUR BENEFITS AS A COUNTY OF VENTURA EMPLOYEE

Service Employees International Union (LOCAL 721)

(SEIU)

To learn more about Benefits, Retirement, and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), see links below.

• Benefits website or you may call (805) 654-2570.
• Retirement FAQ's
• Memorandum of Agreement

Union Codes: UPA, UPC, UPE, UPH, UPI, UPJ, UPT, UWS

Closing Date/Time: Continuous

Salary:

$60,278.40 - $98,053.83 Annually