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Poultry Inspector Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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Poultry Inspector information

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$24.5K

$54.9K

$99K

How much do poultry inspector jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 8, 2026, the average yearly pay for poultry inspector in the United States is $54,939.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $38,500.00 and $63,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the typical daily responsibilities of a Poultry Inspector?

As a Poultry Inspector, your day-to-day work typically involves examining poultry products for signs of disease, contamination, or quality issues, reviewing processing procedures, and ensuring compliance with safety regulations. You may take samples for laboratory analysis, monitor sanitary conditions, and document findings in detailed inspection reports. Collaboration with plant workers, supervisors, and regulatory officials is common to address any concerns and support corrective actions. The role often requires a mix of time spent on the production floor and performing administrative tasks, making adaptability a valuable asset.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Poultry Inspector position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Poultry Inspector, you need a solid understanding of food safety, animal health regulations, and quality control, often supported by a degree or coursework in animal science or a related field. Familiarity with inspection tools, laboratory testing equipment, and standardized reporting systems is typically required, along with any relevant local or federal certification. Strong attention to detail, good communication, and the ability to work independently and as part of a team are key soft skills for this position. These skills ensure accurate inspections, regulatory compliance, and the safety and quality of poultry products.

What is a Poultry Inspector job?

A Poultry Inspector is responsible for ensuring that poultry products meet safety and quality standards before reaching consumers. They examine birds for signs of disease, check processing facilities for compliance with regulations, and enforce sanitation guidelines. Inspectors work for government agencies or private companies and must be knowledgeable about food safety laws. Their role helps protect public health by preventing contaminated or unsafe poultry products from entering the market.

More about Poultry Inspector jobs
What are the most commonly searched types of Poultry Inspector jobs? The most popular types of Poultry Inspector jobs are:
What states have the most Poultry Inspector jobs? States with the most job openings for Poultry Inspector jobs include:
Infographic showing various Poultry Inspector job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 85% Full Time, 8% Part Time, 6% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 97% Physical, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $54,939 per year, or $26.4 per hour.

$40K/yr

Other

PTO

Posted 15 days ago


Job description

$5,000 Sign on Bonus, Creditable Service for Annual Leave Accrual, Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, Accelerated Promotion Program, and Referral Bonus Awards are available.
Shifts and species will vary based on assignment. For add'l information call Dr. Sarah Davis at (320) 429-4900.
Employee may be detailed to any shift at any plant in the Des Moines District.Qualifications:Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.
Specialized experience:
Specialized experience is experience that provided you with knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities or other products for human consumption. Such experience may have been acquired in work such as consumer safety inspector or inspection aide, food inspector, public health inspector, quality inspection specialist, or similar position with responsibility for sampling, quality control and sanitation in a food manufacturing or production environment, or similar environment for other ingestible items.
See specific grade level specialized experience definitions below.
For the GS-05 Level: Applicants must have at least 52 weeks of qualifying experience that provided knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities and substances; such as: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or other food or beverages for human consumption, or other ingestible substances, such as pharmaceuticals. You are to show in your resume examples such as applying proper techniques for collecting samples and/or performing field tests and examinations (e.g. identifying abnormalities in the product or production environment and recommending corrective actions), developing written reports and/or reporting findings of results orally (e.g. documenting abnormalities in the product or production environment and communicating those findings to others), and/or skill in maintaining effective personal contacts with a variety of individuals (e.g. discussing findings with internal or external contacts regarding the food safety standards established in the production environment), or other similar work making determinations on products for human consumption or the production environment (e.g. ensuring conformance with established standards). Such experience may have been acquired working positions such as consumer safety inspector or inspection aid, food inspector, public health inspector, quality inspection specialist, or other related position.
For the GS-07 Level: In addition to the qualifications above, applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 level), and incumbents are expected to have performed standard and recurrent duties on an independent basis. Your resume should demonstrate at least 52 weeks of experience in independently carrying out routine, standard assignments on a regular and recurring basis that provided you with knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities and substances; such as: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or other food for human consumption, and other ingestible substances, such as pharmaceuticals.
For the GS-08 Level: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level). In addition to the qualifications above, experience must include working with the Federal Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products Inspection Acts in order to inspect meat, poultry and egg products; working with basic SSOP and HACCP principles and practices in order to verify plant HACCP and SSOP responsibilities; performing basic mathematics and elementary statistical concepts and methods to perform testing and sampling procedures; and experience in reaching and interpreting conclusions.
For the GS-09 Level: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-08 level). In addition to the qualifications above, incumbents are expected to have experience working at a more independent level than lower graded CSIs, which may include duties such as recommending refusal of exports and providing temporary coverage at locations outside of the official duty station.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Please view OPM's Qualifications Standards, Consumer Safety Inspector Series, GS-1862.
The duties of a Consumer Safety Inspector are performed in a hazardous working environment. For additional information, please click here. The below requirements are not an all-inclusive list. Failure to fully meet a functional requirement is not automatically disqualifying.Education:Education may be used to qualify in lieu of specialized experience as described below.
For the GS-05 level: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours/credits in any combination of coursework in the areas of: agricultural, biological, or physical sciences, food technology, epidemiology, home economics, pharmacy, engineering, or nutrition. Specialized government or military training may be creditable if it is related directly to this position.
OR
A combination of education and specialized experience. In this instance, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (with some related coursework, as described in number 2 above) is creditable towards meeting the requirements, along with specialized work experience. The combination must equal 100% of the requirement. For example, if you have 33% of the education requirement, then you will need 67% of the specialized experience requirement.
For the GS-07 Level: One full year of directly related graduate education is qualifying for GS-07.
OR
A combination of education and specialized experience. In this instance, only graduate education directly related to the work of the position is creditable towards meeting the requirements, along with specialized work experience. The combination must equal 100% of the requirement. For example, if you have 33% of the education requirement, then you will need 67% of the specialized experience requirement.
For the GS-09 Level: Two full years of directly related graduate education or a directly related master's degree is qualifying for GS-09.
OR
A combination of education and specialized experience. In this instance, only graduate education in excess of the first 18 semester hours directly related to the work of the position is creditable towards meeting the requirements, along with specialized work experience. The combination must equal 100% of the requirement. For example, if you have 33% of the education requirement, then you will need 67% of the specialized experience requirement.Employment Type: OTHER