Phytosanitary and Seed Program Coordinator

IntroductionThe Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) works hard to protect and promote Wisconsin’s agricultural industries and consumers. As an agency, we strive to serve the people of Wisconsin assuring: safe, wholesome food; consumer protection and fair business practices; animal and plant health; a clean environment; and strong agriculture and commerce. To successfully attain these goals, we recognize our success hinges on the diverse, high quality, dedicated staff we employ.DATCP currently has an opening for a Phytosanitary and Seed Program Coordinator position within the Division of Agricultural Resource Management, Bureau of Plant Industry.This position is located at the Prairie Oaks State Office Building situated on Madison’s southeast side and a beautifully wooded and scenic hilltop venue. Our employees enjoy low-cost parking at the facility and are only minutes away from the Beltline Highway, Interstate 90 and Highway 51 for quick access to local restaurants, retail and service locations.This position may be assigned a fleet vehicle for work-related travel. Routine travel within assigned territory include Grant, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Richland, Sauk and Vernon counties and throughout the state for assigned work and emergency response is required.Remote Work Option: This position may have the ability to work remotely up to 6 days per 2-week pay period! An approved remote work agreement is required before an employee may work remotely. Approval of the employee’s remote work agreement and work schedule will vary based on the operational needs of the Division. All DATCP employees who work remotely are required to live in Wisconsin.Employee Benefits: This position offers the State of Wisconsin’s excellent benefits package, which includes 19.5 days of paid time off to start, 9 paid holidays, accrued sick leave, multiple insurance options and an exceptional retirement plan! To help you understand what your benefit package would be worth, please check the Total Rewards Calculator here.By working for Wisconsin State Government, you may also be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Please click the link for details.Click here to see what working for the State of Wisconsin is all about!This posting may be used to fill future similar vacancies.Position SummaryResponsibilitiesThis position serves as the Bureau’s technical expert, with statewide responsibilities in programs related to the plant sciences emphasizing the implementation of the export certification and seed labeler programs. The position is responsible for technical program direction and coordination of day-to-day work for assigned areas; the position also provides support to management in assessing program rule or policy modifications. It functions under general supervision working independently with a great deal of autonomy and discretion. This position works closely with the Plant Protection Section Manager, Northern Unit Supervisor, Regulatory Specialists, and Seed Field Inspection Program Coordinator. Principal duties of the position are to: serve as the expert who coordinates and implements the export certification and seed labeler programs; process phytosanitary applications, issue phytosanitary certificates, and to coordinate and perform field inspections of regulated plant commodities for export certification; to conduct inspections of nurseries, Christmas tree farms, firewood, logs, lumber, seeds, and other agricultural crops and commodities for plant health certification; to manage program area compliance activities, implementing and enforcing plant pest regulations and plant protection laws, particularly pest quarantine, nursery and seed laws; to identify and assess insect pests, diseases and weeds on a wide range of agricultural products and crops; and to provide timely and objective regulatory outreach to the state's plant industry community via one-on-one or group trainings and presentations, tradeshow exhibits, phone conversations, personal communications, social media, webpages, radio, TV and print media.Duties also include evaluation of export certification and seed labeler program functions, including assessment of workload, administrative rules, procedures, and fees. This position will also be required to collect regulatory samples for laboratory analysis and provide input on associated with regulated plant pests. This position further serves as a department representative on committees and with external organizations, serving as technical expert and resource. Information discussed and obtained from meetings is utilized to make recommendations to management staff on program direction.Full Position DescriptionSalary InformationThe classification of this position is Plant Pest and Disease Specialist - Advanced, which is in schedule-range 15-03 with starting pay between $35.00 to $38.00 per hour ($72,800 to $79,040 annually) based on qualifications.This position is not represented by a collective bargaining unit. A 12-month probationary period is required. Pay for current state employees will be set in accordance with the State Compensation Plan at the time of hire.Job DetailsAt DATCP, we strive to deliver efficient and effective programs and services to Wisconsin agriculture, consumers, and businesses. The Department has numerous on-the-job training (OJT) opportunities, unique to each Bureau.These OJT opportunities include direct experience and practice through collaboration with co-workers/supervisor, peer mentoring, and job-specific training modules. This position may attend nationwide trainings and webinars related to auditing, systems approach to nursery certifications, compliance & plant pest and diseases. This position will also have safety trainings opportunities including CPR, First Aid, Active Shooter & Defensive Driving. This position will also receive Authorized Certification Official training from APHIS in order to issue phytosanitary certificates and manage the export certification program and they will also receive manuals and online trainings from the American Association of Seed Control Officials.Conditions Of EmploymentDATCP does not sponsor work visas. Any appointment made will be contingent on the selected applicant being able to provide documentation of eligibility to work in the United States.A criminal background check will be performed on the selected applicant prior to an offer of employment.Possession of a valid driver's license or the ability to provide one’s own transportation for work purposes, is required.A valid driver’s license and the eligibility to drive a State of Wisconsin Fleet Vehicle* is required.In order to be authorized to drive a State vehicle the candidate must meet the requirements of the State of Wisconsin Fleet Vehicle Policy, which are:Must have a valid driver’s license;Must have a minimum of two years of licensed driving experience;Must be 18 years of age.Additionally, your driving record MUST NOT reflect any of the following conditions:Three or more moving violations and/or at-fault accidents in the past two years;Operating While Intoxicated (OWI)/Driving Under the Influence (DUI) citation within the past 12 months;Suspension or revocation of driver’s license.Travel is required for approximately 50% of this position’s duties with occasional overnight stays.Ability to walk in rough terrain and work outdoors in potentially inclement and adverse weather conditions, including heat, humidity, rain, wind and cold.Ability to obtain and maintain USDA Authorized Certification Official (ACO) status related to Phytosanitary certificates within 15 months of hire.QualificationsMinimally qualified candidates will have each of the following:Education (associate’s, BS, MS, or PhD), training or equivalent experience in a natural science field (i.e., in biology or environmental conservation, entomology, plant pathology, horticulture, botany or similar field).Experience conducting plant or pest field surveys, inspections, or pest crop scouting (or similar coursework, such as integrated pest management, forest insect and disease management). Environmental regulatory experience (i.e., interpreting, following or enforcing quarantines, invasive species laws) or other federal, state, or local statutes (i.e., noxious weed laws, organic certification, pesticide laws, endangered or threatened species, etc.)In addition to the minimum qualifications above, highly qualified candidates will have one or more of the following:Experience designing, coordinating and analyzing data sets for field surveys across a broad geographic area (e.g., statewide) coordinating with or managing a team of inspectors.Experience providing plant pest regulatory outreach or serving as a liaison to plant industry stakeholders (e.g., forest products or agricultural or seed industry groups or individuals).Currently holds or has previously held the USDA Authorized Certification Official (ACO) status related to Phytosanitary certificates.How To ApplyIf viewing this posting on an external site (such as indeed.com, etc.), please visit Wisc.Jobs and search for this Job ID 20802 to complete your application for this posting.DATCP is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities.The State of Wisconsin offers a special program for qualified veterans with a 30% or greater service-connected disability. If you are a qualified veteran, please visit the Veterans Employment page for application instructions to be considered for the Veterans Non-Competitive Appointment program. For complete information on veterans hiring programs that may benefit you, please visit the Employment page on WDVA's website.To be considered for this position, you will need to create an account (if you don’t already have one) and apply online via the “Apply for Job” button listed on the top right of the job posting page. You will be required to upload a current resume and a letter of qualifications that clearly describes your qualifications and experience as they relate to the qualifications listed in this job posting. Review the applicant resources, including tips on how to write a resume and letter of qualifications.Submitted application materials will be evaluated by one or more job experts. Candidates who are deemed eligible will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process, starting with those candidates who are deemed most qualified.For general Wisc.Jobs user information and technical assistance, please check the Frequently Asked Questions. Please address questions regarding the application process to Varinderjit Kaur at varinderjit.kaur1@wisconsin.gov.Deadline to ApplyThe deadline to apply for this position is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 11th, 2026.