Food Inspector Salary Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Harvest Your Potential with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets! Join a team committed to cultivating a thriving food and agriculture industry that benefits everyone - from producers to consumers. At the Department, you'll find a dynamic environment where innovation, sustainability, and community engagement are paramount. Explore diverse opportunities, from environmental science to economic development, and discover your path to public service. Cultivate your professional and personal growth while making a tangible impact on a healthier, stronger New York. Plant the seeds for a rewarding career today!
Position Information:
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is seeking a Food Inspector 2 to work in Albany and lead the statewide food recall activities. Specific duties include but are not limited to: Monitoring the completion of recalls of adulterated or misbranded food products to ensure proper corrective action is taken. This includes communicating with partners in the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other state agencies to share information related to violative food items; Performing audit checks ensuring recalling firms have appropriately corrected violative issues and monitoring all activities associated with misbranded or adulterated items to determine the scope of a food safety violation including the traceback of foods to its source; Communicating with responsible establishments on required actions to correct violations related to misbranded or adulterated items and food labeling requirements and conferring with food establishments that frequently violate food safety and inspection laws and regulations; and Conducting periodic audits of sample reports as required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Manufactured Foods Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS) grant, and planning and implementing corrective actions and training for field staff as necessary. Additionally, this position may develop and approve retail food store operator continuing education courses on food safety for food handlers and audit courses to ensure all required elements are included and an appropriate course is delivered.
The Food Inspector 2 is a full-time position working 37.5 hours per week, Monday-Friday.
Salary:
The Food Inspector 2 is in the PEF Salary Grade (SG) 23. The starting salary of the PEF SG-23 is $86,681/year.
The candidate appointed to the Food Inspector 2, SG-23, will be eligible to participate in the New York State Performance Evaluation Program. Through this program, employees receive yearly performance evaluations. Performance advances are payable to PEF employees whose base annual salary is below the job rate for their current position and who were rated "Satisfactory" or its equivalent on their yearly performance evaluation. Performance advance payments are added to an employee's annual salary. Over time, yearly performance advances may lead to the SG-23 job rate salary of $109,650/ year!
Benefits:
This is a PEF-represented position offering a comprehensive and valuable benefits package. You'll benefit from cost-effective health insurance options, fully covered dental and vision care, participation in the secure New York State Pension Plan, and ample paid time off. Your first year includes 5 personal days, 13 vacation days, 13 sick days, and 13 paid holidays - providing excellent work-life balance. Explore additional advantages with programs such as the Deferred Compensation Plan, Flex Spending Account, and NY's 529 College Savings Program. For comprehensive details on these programs, please visit the New York State Office of Employee Relations website.
As a New York State employee, you could potentially qualify to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)! The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your direct student loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under an accepted repayment plan and while working full-time for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets or another eligible employer.
Minimum Qualifications:
Reassignment Qualifications: You must be a current Department of Agriculture and Markets employee and have one year of permanent, contingent-permanent, or 55 b/c service as a Food Inspector 2, G-23; if you have less than one year, you must be reachable on the current eligible list for this location if one exists.
Provisional Appointment: If there is no appropriate eligible list of at least three people willing to accept permanent appointment for this geographic location, the Department may nominate a qualified person for a provisional appointment under the provisions of Section 65 of the Civil Service Law.
Provisional Minimum Qualifications: One year of permanent, competitive service as a Food Inspector 1; AND Candidates must take the next scheduled Civil Service examination for this title, and your score must be reachable on the resulting eligible list before you can be permanently appointed. Candidates who do not pass the examination or achieve a reachable score may not be retained as a Food Inspector 2, SG-23.
Non-competitive Promotion: If there are three or fewer interested and qualified promotion candidates, the agency may at its discretion nominate a qualified employee for a non-competitive promotion under the provisions of Section 52.7 of the Civil Service Law.
Non-Competitive Promotion Minimum Qualifications: One year of permanent, competitive service as a Food Inspector 1.
Reinstatement Under Rule 5.4: Applicants may be appointed to this position permanently if they were previous permanent New York State employees who resigned their positions may be reinstated to their former positions, or to positions to which they were eligible for transfer or reassignment without further examination. Employees separated from their positions may be reinstated within one year of the date of their separation. Employees separated from their positions who have also been separated from state service for more than one year may be reinstated upon approval by the state Civil Service Commission.
Travel Requirements:
This position may require some travel. Appointees must either possess at the time of appointment and continuously thereafter a valid driver's license to operate a motor vehicle in New York State and have access to a motor vehicle when necessary or otherwise demonstrate their capacity to meet the regular transportation requirements in carrying out their field work responsibilities. Additionally, appointees may be required to travel out-of-state for overnight trips on occasion due to ongoing training commitments.
How to Apply:
Candidates that are eligible and interested in being considered for appointment to one of these opportunities must use the below application to applyby: August 14, 2026. Within this online application please upload your resume, transcript, and cover letter.
If you have any questions, please contact Amy Sacco in Human Resources at (518) 457-3216 or HarvestYourPotential@agriculture.ny.gov.
The Department is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity, and reasonable accommodations and/or modifications as necessary, for qualified persons with disabilities. If you are in need of a reasonable accommodation, please visit: https://agriculture.ny.gov/employment-information.