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Job Description:

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is currently recruiting for three Agriculture Services Laborer positions within the Agriculture Services Division. These positions will work primarily with the Shipping Point Inspection and Plant Health programs covering night and weekend shifts. These positions support the department’s mission to safeguard Oregon's agriculture, natural resources, working lands, economies, and communities through assistance, compliance, and market support. 

Oregon Department of Agriculture – Who we are:

At the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), employees work with a dynamic and supportive team of mission-focused individuals tasked with ensuring healthy natural resources, environment, and economy for Oregonians now and in the future through inspection and certification, regulation, and promotion of agriculture and food. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are embedded in the Department of Agriculture core values. Employees at all levels of the agency work together to foster fairness, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The department strives to be a model employer committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Learn more about what we do here

What you’ll be doing:

As an Agriculture Services Laborer, you will be part of the Agriculture Services Division, a group of programs that work together statewide to assist Oregon’s agriculture producers to successfully sell and ship products worldwide. The Shipping Point Inspection (SPI) Program provides a variety of services for the inspection, verification, and certification of Oregon commodities prior to their shipment into US and world commerce channels. These include impartial third-party inspection of product to determine grades of fruits, nuts, and vegetables and implementation of alternative inspection programs where ODA staff collaborate with customers to provide inspections. SPI program staff provide inspections and issue phytosanitary certificates to support export of Oregon agriculture commodities. The main goals of the Plant Health program are to protect Oregon’s agricultural industries, environment, and quality of life from damaging plant pathogens and parasites and to enhance the marketability of Oregon's agricultural and horticultural products. The programs within Plant Health are conducted statewide and affect all segments of Oregon’s agricultural and horticultural industries as well as natural resources in urban and rural environments.

In this position, you will provide shipping point inspections, phytosanitary inspections, official sampling and witnessing, and other services to assist customers in moving agricultural products. This position works in the Plant Health laboratory and performs inspections of commodities, including seed and nursery planting material. This position assists laboratory staff in preparing materials and samples for testing, prepares media, washes glassware, and other duties as assigned. This position assists with field work such as surveys, sample collection, commodity inspection, and field inspection of crops for plant pests and diseases to support quarantines and exports. As part of the smoke management program, this position conducts PiBALs and participates in observation of open field burning. As needed this position may support other Agriculture Services Division or agency programs.

The Agriculture Services Laborer is located at the North Valley Complex in Wilsonville, Oregon. This is a seasonal/part-time position which has a variable work schedule based on operational needs. Hours will fluctuate from week to week, including periods of full-time work, part-time work, or no scheduled hours. There is no guarantee of number of hours in any given week.

Click here to view a full description of this position.

What we’re looking for

·       Must be at least 18 years of age at time of hire.

·       Must have a valid driver’s license and an acceptable driving record.

·       Work availability for night and weekend shifts.

Key Skills or Desired Attributes

• General knowledge of agriculture, horticulture, plant pathology, agronomy, or related experience.
• Experience with inspection, laboratory testing, and/or plant disease identification.
• Basic knowledge of arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division).
• Ability to keep accurate written records of inspection activities and fee collections.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing with a variety of people to obtain or provide information.
•  Consistent adherence to established protocols, safety standards, and ethical conduct when representing the agency.

Projected Recruitment Timeline

·       Recruitment Closes: October 31, 2026

·       1st Round of Interviews: Week of November 1, 2026

·       2nd Round of Interviews: TBD

·       Anticipated Start Date: November 16, 2026.

*These dates are approximate and may change. *

How to apply:

• Resume and Cover Letter Required. Show us how you meet the qualifications and requested skills in your application. Applications without the requested documents attached will not move forward in the recruitment process.
• After you submit your application, please respond to the public records request authorization and gender identity questionnaire. This screen will come after you submit and will complete the process. If you are a current State of Oregon employee, the tasks will come to your Workday inbox.
• If you are a veteran or Oregon National Guard servicemember, you may receive preference. The task to upload your documents will be available after you submit your application. For privacy reasons, please do not attach your military service document(s) to your application or combine it with any other required document attachments.

• Current state employees – please apply through your employee Workday account.

What’s in it for you

The State of Oregon offers a competitive and affordable health and benefits package, including excellent medical, vision and dental coverage, paid holidays off, and personal business leave, as well as paid and accrued vacation leave and sick leave. In addition to standard medical benefits and employee leave, the state also provides additional optional benefits, such as basic life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, deferred compensation savings program, and flexible spending accounts for health care and childcare expenses. More information is available from the Public Employees Benefit Board.

Additional Information:

• Per the Pay Equity Law passed in 2017, a pay equity analysis will be conducted to determine what pay step the successful candidate will be offered.  The analysis will be based on the relevant experience, education, training, and certifications documented in the application materials.  On average, candidates new to state service will most likely be offered compensation in the lower to mid-level of the salary range.
  
  
• Please review the Classification and Compensation page for more details on the classification, or you may visit our website for information on the job offer process following pay equity. Prior to making a job offer, an internal pay equity assessment will be completed. The successful candidate’s professional experience and education will be compared to the state employee workforce performing work of a comparable character to determine appropriate placement in the salary range. Candidates new to state service typically receive a salary within the first half of the salary range.

NOTE: Please ensure you’ve provided a thorough and updated application as it pertains to the position for which you are applying. Your application materials will be used to determine salary based on a pay equity assessment.  For further information, please visit the Pay Equity Project homepage.

United States Employment Eligibility: The Oregon Department of Agriculture does not offer visa sponsorship. Within three days of hire, all applicants will be required to complete the US Department of Homeland Security's Form I-9, confirming authorization to work in the United States. The Oregon Employment Department is an E-Verify employer. If you are the successful candidate, you must present your I-9 acceptable documents (See page 3) for employment verification.

Questions/Need Help?

If you have questions about the recruitment or need an accommodation for the recruitment process, please email to: [email protected] or call 503-986-4584.