•  Contribute to enhancing Australia’s agriculture through regulation.
•  Multiple permanent and temporary positions available throughout Australia.
•  Attractive $$ - flexible arrangements available.

Who we are
The Veterinary and Export Meat Branch (VEMB) undertakes regulatory functions by providing inspection and certification for the export of meat, meat products and the import and export of live animals and reproductive material in order to meet importing country requirements and Australian legislative requirements.

The Export Meat Section delivers inspection and verification services at export registered meat establishments located in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Perth and at approximately 83 abattoirs and various other regional export facilities across the country. These services are aimed at achieving compliance with Australian export standards and overseas importing country market requirements. Staff are authorised export control officers responsible for administering appropriate export legislation and implementing ante mortem, post mortem and meat and meat product meat inspection services. The teams comprising of On-Plant Veterinary Officers (OPV’s), Food Safety Assessors (FSA’s), Food Safety Meat Assessors (FSMA’s) and a number of personnel within the Staff Resource Unit provide the services required at 83 regional export facilities and various other registered premises nationally.

The Jobs
OPV’s perform inspection of animals, meat and meat products and verify export registered abattoirs compliance with export meat requirements across Australia. They are responsible for ensuring processors meet their obligation to comply with relevant export legislation particularly as it applies to food safety, product integrity, animal welfare and the specific requirements of importing countries. OPV’s often manage a small team of departmental staff performing inspections at export abattoirs.

OPV activities include the following:

•  Ante-mortem inspection (including disposition – where they can identify if an animal is suitable for human consumption).
•  Monitoring animal welfare.
•  Supervision and verification of post-mortem inspection and, at times, performing inspection
•  Verification of processor hygiene and product integrity practices and ensuring non-compliance is managed appropriately by the processor.
•  Collecting samples for testing in order to verify microbiological and chemical residues relating to food safety.
•  Verifying the processor is meeting importing country requirements.

The OPVs role is critical to ensure the safety, sustainability and integrity of Australian meat exports. Applicants should note that as a Veterinary Officer in VEMB you may be required to undertake activities across export meat and live animal veterinary officer roles.

As a Live Animal Veterinarian you will:

•  perform quarantine and export duties across Australia, in strict compliance with export and biosecurity legislation, national standard operating procedures and work instructions
•  review export and import documentation, issue export permits and health certificates, undertake veterinary inspections and approve facilities for the export and import of live animals and animal reproductive material
•  provide technical advice and training to departmental staff, third-party accredited veterinarians, clients & stakeholders
•  maintain accurate computer based and manual records and prepare reports as required
•  contribute to the efficient operation of the Live Animal Section in VEMB.

What we are looking for
Knowledge and experience
•  Knowledge of, or an interest in, public health veterinary science.
•  Knowledge of, or the ability to quickly acquire knowledge of, the principles that underpin Australia’s biosecurity requirements.

Mandatory qualifications
To be considered for these positions you must have a veterinary degree from an Australian university or equivalent veterinary qualification recognised in Australia. You must be registered, or eligible for registration, with the relevant Australian state/territory veterinary board and you must maintain this registration whilst employed by the department.

Work locations
Currently, ongoing OPV positions are available at the following locations:

VIC – Northern Victoria Pool, Tallangatta
TAS – Tasmania Pool
NT - Batchelor
WA – Beaufort River, Tammin, Gingin
NSW – Bourke, Singleton, NSW Pool (Dubbo area), Cootamundra, Scone, Corowa, Goulburn
QLD – Mackay, Moranbah

Please note that future ongoing and non-ongoing vacancies (both regional and metropolitan) may become available throughout Australia and the merit pool established from this process may be used to fill these vacancies where the duties are of a similar nature. Non-ongoing (specified-term) contracts may be offered to new employees for an initial period of up to twelve months with the possibility of extension. Non ongoing (casual) contracts will be offered for periods of up to two years. Some of these non-ongoing positions may become ongoing in the next eighteen months. Should a position become ongoing then the merit pool, which is valid for a period of eighteen months from the date the vacancy was advertised in the Public Service Gazette, may be used to fill the vacancy on an ongoing basis.

Eligibility and other requirements
The successful applicants must:

•  hold and maintain a valid Australian motor vehicle drivers licence
•  note that you may be required to perform occasional out-of-hours and weekend work
•  wear an official uniform supplied by the department, including during field operations (as applicable), in accordance with the department’s uniform policy
•  wear appropriate protective personal equipment and clothing to comply with departmental Work Health & Safety policies and procedures
•  note that they will be required to undergo a pre-employment medical examination which will include Q-Fever tests and that Q-Fever immunisation will be required where immunity cannot be established.

For additional information, please read the Job Description below.

Candidate Information Package docx

Candidate Information Package pdf

Job Description

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