Position Information

NY HELPNo

AgencyAgriculture & Markets, Department of

TitleDirector of Animal Industry

Occupational CategoryAdministrative or General Management

Salary Grade668

Bargaining UnitM/C - Management / Confidential (Unrepresented)

Salary RangeFrom $125632 to $125632 Annually

Employment Type Full-Time

Appointment Type Permanent

Jurisdictional Class Non-competitive Class

Travel Percentage 10%

Schedule

Workweek Mon-Fri

Hours Per Week 37.5

Workday

From 8:30 AM

To 4:30 PM

Flextime allowed? No

Mandatory overtime? No

Compressed workweek allowed? No

Telecommuting allowed? No

Location

County Albany

Street Address 10B Airline Drive

City Albany

StateNY

Zip Code12235

Job Specifics

Minimum Qualifications Possession of a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree from a college/university accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association or equivalent; and a license to practice veterinary medicine in New York State; and seven years of general veterinary medicine experience dealing with diseases of livestock, including horses, cattle, swine, sheep, and poultry; at least four years of which must have included experience in a management position administering a major program of detection, prevention, control, and eradication of a variety of animal diseases.

Duties Description Department Summary:
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, through its various divisions and programs, promotes New York agriculture and its high-quality and diverse products, fosters agricultural environmental stewardship, and safeguards the State’s food supply, land and livestock to ensure the viability and growth of New York’s agriculture industries.
If you would like to work for a premier agency focused on enhancing the quality of life for the people of New York State by supporting production of agriculture; ensuring safe, nutritious and accessible food supply; providing economic opportunities for farm and rural residents, then the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is for you.
To learn more about our agency and our mission, please visit https://www.agriculture.ny.gov/

Division of Animal Industry Summary:
The Division of Animal Industry is responsible for surveillance for animal diseases of significance to agriculture; control and eradication of infectious and contagious diseases in New York State livestock and poultry; implementation of pre-harvest food safety measures at the farm level; public health; food safety and security; and animal care.
The highest priorities for this Division are protecting the health of New York’s animal populations, protecting the health of people who depend on those animals, and cooperating with other states and the US government to guard against diseases that threaten to interrupt interstate and international commerce in animals and animal products. The Division also has responsibilities for assuring the welfare of animals handled by pet dealers, dog control officers, and municipal dog shelters. The Division of Animal Industry has staff in Albany and inspectors and veterinarians located across the state who administer these programs.
To learn more about the Division of Animal Industry, please visit https://agriculture.ny.gov/animals

Job Summary:
Under the general direction of the Deputy Commissioner, the Director of Animal Industry will fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the chief animal health official in the State, as well as the traditional role of chief administrator for the Division. The incumbent will be expected to make all professional decisions in the areas of veterinary medicine and disease control and have the lead role in the creation of statewide policy, rules and regulations pertaining to animal health and welfare.
This position is located in Albany, New York but will have statewide oversight.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Disease Control:
• Advise the Department’s Commissioner of disease threats to domestic animals and the general status of the State’s animal health;
• Take a leadership role in deploying state and private veterinarians to coordinate emergency response, contain the pathogenic agent and plan emergency and surveillance activities with private organizations and multi-level governmental agencies;
• Coordinate diagnostic capabilities with Cornell Diagnostic Laboratory to correlate with existing disease situations and provide overall direction of disease control programs, including programs to control brucellosis, pseudorabies, rabies, Johne’s, bluetongue, bovine leukosis, foreign animal diseases, parasites, tuberculosis, psittacosis, Salmonella enteritidis;
• Integrate State disease control programs with neighboring states and federal government control programs to ensure the prevention of the spread of animal and food borne pathogens and address livestock groups concerning disease prevention, control and eradication, and represent New York State as the Chief Livestock Health Official at all animal health meetings nationwide;
• Direct the monitoring of the health of animals imported into the State and authorize orders for the condemnation, and provide indemnity for, destruction of diseased animal and oversee the restriction of movement of animals to prevent expansion of disease outbreak and the movement of animal by-products from diseased animals;
• Establish programs for veterinary accreditation and act as liaison to provide information to the New York State Veterinary Medical Society;
• Serve as a member of the United States Animal Health Association on key committees to include the epizootic attack committee, pseudorabies, Johne’s disease and tuberculosis committees; and maintain liaison with Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) and State Emergency Management Administration (SEMA) on matters pertaining to disaster preparedness and response and livestock carcass disposal.

Legislation:
• Review regulations and existing legislation to evaluate for scientific and programmatic consistency and merit and determine legislative needs related to animal/wildlife health, disease control, food safety, pet dealers, dog licensing, animal welfare, and environmental issues;
• Conduct and participate in regulatory hearings; provide regulatory proposals and explanations to all interested parties;
• Prepare legislative initiatives, consulting with affected consumer groups and producers to evaluate proposals;
• Represent the Department on legislative task forces convened to identify problems and solutions concerning animal health and welfare;
• Provide expert testimony to various State and local governmental councils or committees regarding Department programs established to detect infectious diseases, measures to prevent the spread of disease and the establishment of human surveillance and public health measures.

Enforcement Policy and Rulemaking:
• Assure that action concerning all statutory and regulatory violations is taken;
• Recommend policy, rule and regulation changes to the Commissioner and legislative bodies;
• Order quarantine to prevent disease spread;
• Direct municipal compliance pertaining to dog control provisions;
• Cite municipalities, pet dealers and breeders for noncompliance.

Additional duties include, but are not limited to:
• Oversee the Pet Population Control Program and the administration of the dog licensing, identification, control function and Pet Dealer/Breeder Licensing and Inspection programs within the Division;
• Prepare annual budget requests and estimates for new programs consistent with anticipated needs;
• Evaluate levels of expenditure throughout the year to detect shortfalls as they occur; establish and monitor federal cooperative expenditures.
• Develop manpower estimates based on anticipated workload; and provide justification for new positions, consulting with Commissioner’s office on personnel matters and actions;
• Advise the Governor concerning matters affecting livestock or human health, and act as Division spokesperson for news media activities.

Additional Comments Competitive salary starting at $125,632/year, depending on qualifications with excellent benefits.

Travel, overtime, and overnight travel may be required. Weekends and holidays may be required. Must be available for emergency response. Must be available to respond to after-hours emergencies.

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.

Contact Information

Name Amy Sacco

Telephone 518-457-3216

Fax 518-457-8852

Email Address recruitment@agriculture.ny.gov

Address

Street 10B Airline Drive

City Albany

State NY

Zip Code 12235

 

Notes on ApplyingCandidates that are eligible and interested in being considered for appointment to this position must complete our online employment application and upload their cover letter and resume to the system. Our online employment application can be found at https://fs30.formsite.com/zMiW7u/rxkb6lyjhs/index.html

The deadline to apply is December 7, 2020.

If you have any questions, please contact Amy Sacco in Human Resources at (518) 457-3216 or recruitment@agriculture.ny.gov.

Pursuant to Executive Order 161, no State entity, as defined by the Executive Order, is permitted to ask, or mandate, in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation. If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations at (518) 474-6988 or via email at info@goer.ny.gov.