Serves as the Meatcutting Worker in a Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) location. The primary purpose of this position is to Assist full performance meatcutters by performing the simpler tasks when processing beef, pork, veal, and lamb into retail and ready-to-eat cuts for sale to patrons.
This is an open-continuous announcement with an established initial cut-off date 30 days after the open date of the announcement. Please see the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section for more information.?
Learn more about this agency
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.
This is a direct hire authority announcement. All qualified applicants are considered and Veterans' preference does not apply.
Position responsibilities include:
- Assist journeyman meat cutters by performing the simpler tasks when processing beef, pork, veal, and lamb into retail and ready to eat cuts for sale to patrons.
- Tray, wrap, weigh, and price cuts using automatic or manual wrapping machines.
- Ensure correct prices by referencing price lists.
- Replenish stock in display cases and rotates product to ensure wholesomeness.
- Use, clean, maintain, and sharpens a variety of hand tools and power equipment.
- Clean and sanitize work area to maintain required standards of cleanliness and sanitation
Read the entire job announcement. Focus on the following sections to understand whether or not you qualify for the position.
- Duties and Qualifications
- How to Apply (including a preview of the assessment questionnaire, if applicable)
- How You Will be Evaluated
Your resume must thoroughly describe how your skills and experiences align to the criteria defined in the Qualifications section of this announcement and it must support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. We do not assume you have the necessary experience to successfully perform in this job regardless of your employment history or academic career.
- Be a U.S. citizen or national. Applicants with a Permanent Resident Card are authorized to live and work in the U.S. but are not eligible for employment in positions requiring U.S. citizenship. If selected, proof of citizenship is required.
- Meet minimum age requirement. See Additional Information.
- Males born after 12-31-1959 must be registered with or exempt from Selective Service.
- Appointment is subject to successful verification of identity and employment eligibility through E-Verify. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, at https://www.e-verify.gov/.
- Appointment is subject to a favorable suitability or fitness outcome, as determined by a completed background investigation. New federal employees will be fingerprinted.
- Be able to obtain and maintain clearance eligibility based on the appropriate background investigation.
- May be subject to a probationary/trial period.
- Direct deposit of pay is required.
- Meet the physical requirements identified in the Qualifications section.
You must meet qualifications and requirements by the closing date. Per the OPM Qualification System for Trades and Labor Occupations, how you gained the skill and/or knowledge or the length of time you have spent in this line of work is not as important as what you can do and that you have the required ability or potential to successfully perform the duties of this position. Your resume should show your specific knowledge, skill, and abilities for this position in relation to each of the elements being measured.
Examples of related/qualifying experience:
- Working in the retail meat department traying, wrapping and weighing meat for sale to patrons.
- Cutting, trimming and boning meat.
- Using hand tools and operating powered meat cutting equipment.
You will receive credit for all relevant qualifying experience (paid and unpaid), including volunteer work done through National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).
Physical requirements: (1) Continuously walk, stand, bend, stoop, stretch, and reach. (2) Lift up to 50 pounds independently and occasionally over 50 pounds with assistance. You will attest to your ability to perform these physical requirements in the Questionnaire.
As part of the online application process, you will respond to a question designed to evaluate what you can do against what the work requires (job element method). This job has one critical element, called the screen-out element (SOE). The SOE addresses the critical knowledge, skill, and abilities essential to satisfactory job performance. Applicants who clearly fail to meet the lowest acceptable requirement in the SOE are rated ineligible and receive no further consideration. The job elements for this job are:
- Ability to do the Work of the Position Without More than Normal Supervision
Overtime: Occasional
Bargaining Unit Status: Covered
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Nonexempt
Obligated Position: No
Those retired under CSRS or FERS considered: No. DoD criteria not met.
Work environment: May be subject to temperature changes based on opening and closing doors, working on loading docks, outside, and in refrigerated rooms. May be exposed to hot or cold weather, damp conditions, or drafty conditions. There is a danger of minor cuts, scrapes, bruises or heat sealer burns.
Telework eligible: No
Remote work eligible: No
You may not use education to qualify for this position.
Executive Order 12564 requires a federal workplace to be free of illegal drugs and prohibits the use of illegal drugs both on and off duty by federal employees. As a reminder, marijuana is still classified as an illegal drug by the Federal government and is prohibited for use by Federal employees even if such use is legal in the state where the Federal employee resides and/or works. The Defense Commissary Agency is a Drug-Free Federal Workplace where the use of illegal drugs will not be tolerated and may result in penalties up to and including removal from Federal service
- Positions will be filled under the DoD Direct Hire Authority (DHA) for Domestic Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Facilities and the Major Range and Test Facilities Base (MRTFB).
- The salary range at the beginning of this announcement reflects Step 1 of the listed location with the lowest salary to the Step 5 of the listed location with the highest salary.
- Upon first appointment to a civilian position in the Federal government, you are entitled only to the lowest step (Step 1) of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this announcement does not suggest or convey an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. Refer to the Appropriated Fund Schedules page to find the salary range for a specific location.
- The minimum age requirement is generally 18 years. Employing those under 18 may be possible under certain circumstances. If under 18 years of age, ensure you provide documentation showing how you are eligible.
- Applicants with financial difficulty are not automatically removed from consideration.
- Selectees are required to complete an online onboarding process.
- Retired military service members cannot be appointed to a Department of Defense (DoD) civilian position within 180 days of their retirement date. 5 United States Code 3326.
The following may result in a rating of ineligible. Ineligible applicants receive no consideration.
- Submitting an incomplete application package may result in your not being considered for this position. Your resume must reflect that you are either Part-Time with the number of hours listed, Full Time, or 40 hours per week as your work schedule. If you fail to provide this information in your resume, your resume may be considered as incomplete.
- Submitting encrypted documents or uploading Adobe portfolio documents.
- Submitting any document that contains a photo or image of you.
- Including social media links, inappropriate material or content, classified or government sensitive information, or personal information such as age, gender, race, religion, or social security number on your resume.
- Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or questionnaire responses.
- Deliberately attempting to falsify your application information, such as copying portions of this announcement into your resume.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Open-Continuous Cut-off Information: An initial cut-off date of 30 days after the open date of the announcement will be used to evaluate candidates for the initial available vacancies. Any application received after the initial cut-off date will only be considered should additional vacancies be received after the initial cut-off date. If additional vacancies are received after the initial cut-off date, ALL applicants that have applied will be evaluated/re-evaluated and ranked as stated within the Evaluation statement in the announcement.?
Once the application process is complete, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the job requirements. This vacancy will be filled through a Direct Hire Authority. All applicants who meet the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration. We will evaluate your application for basic eligibility and to determine if your experience meets the basic qualification requirements described in the announcement. All applicants who meet the qualifications and other basic requirement are eligible for referral and selection consideration.
Selections are subject to restrictions of the DoD referral system for displaced employees.
Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.
Resume: IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement. The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position. Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? Page margins should be 0.5 inches, font styles must be legible, and consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text. The resume must not be more than 5MB and should be saved and uploaded as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages.
At a minimum, your resume MUST contain:
- Your name, address, phone, email address.
- Job Title. Series and grade (Federal Positions only).
- For each position held including employment beginning and ending dates (Month/Year).
- Your resume should reflect a description of duties performed and that you are either Part-Time with the number of hours per week listed, Full Time or 40 hours per week as your work schedule.
If selected, you must provide official transcripts before receiving a firm job offer. A photocopy of your degree/diploma is not acceptable.
Questionnaire: Preview at https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12815238
SF 50 Notification of Personnel Action. Current and former federal employees submit a copy of your most recent SF 50 showing your current position title, pay plan-series-grade, tenure and position occupied. To obtain a copy of your SF 50, all current Department of Defense (DoD) employees can access MyBiz, employees receiving HR servicing from DLA can access eOPF and former civilian employees can request a copy from the National Archives.
ICTAP eligibility.Submit (1) a copy of your agency specific ICTAP eligibility notice or a copy of your separation personnel action form
and (2) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal
and (3) a copy of your most recent SF 50 or agency notification of personnel action showing your current position, grade level, and duty location. Separation personnel actions do not include a certificate/notice of expected separation.
Military Spouse PreferenceSubmit (1) Marriage certificate
and (2) a copy of your spouse's active Military Orders
and (3) DD-214 - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (if Applicable) and (4) DD1300 - Report of Casualty (If applicable).
Priority Placement Program (PPP) DoD Retained Grade Preference (RGP) eligibility: 1. Submit a signed Retained Grade PPP Self-Certification Checklist DD3145-1 (whs.mil. 2. a copy of your Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) effecting the placement in retained grade status; or a copy of the notification letter you received regarding the RIF or classification downgrade.
Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible (PPP DoD MRNG): 1. Submit the completed Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self-Certification Checklist and copies of the appropriate documentation, such as the notification letter you received showing you are no longer eligible for military or NG membership through no fault of your own) and that you have completed at least 15 years of technician service and a minimum of 20 years of service creditable for non-regular retirement.
Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement (PPP DoD MR & NG): In order to receive this preference, you must choose the Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement eligibility and
submit a completed Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability PPP Self-Certification Checklist and copies of the appropriate documentation, such as the notification letter you received that states you are no longer eligible for Reserve membership due to a service-connected disability.
Future military retirees and/or Future military separatees: must include a copy of their terminal leave request, if applicable, AND a copy of retirement DD214 [if available]. If DD214 not available, submit a certification document* or a copy of your retirement letter.
- A written document from the armed forces certifying the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certificate is signed. The certification must be on letterhead signed by the adjutant, personnel officer, unit commander or higher headquarters and include your rank, dates of active duty service, type of discharge, character of service, and, if applicable, the date your terminal leave begins. This document is sometimes called a Statement of Service.
To receive consideration for the initial cut-off date of 30 days after the open date of announcement, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) of that established date. All applications received thereafter will be considered should additional vacancies be received after the initial cut-off date in which additional cut-off dates will be established.
Your complete application package must be received by 11:59 PM ET on 06/30/2026.
You are responsible for verifying your application package is complete, accurate, and submitted timely. As uploaded documents may take one or more hours to clear the virus scan, plan accordingly to ensure your application process is complete and your application package is submitted by the specified closing date and time.
To begin, click Apply to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your resume, required documents, and/or other supporting documents. You need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply or create an account before applying. You will be taken to an online application. Follow all prompts and complete the online application, verify you've included all required and supporting documentation, and submit your application. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application is found at the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To receive consideration, you must complete all steps of the application process.
You can verify your application status by logging into your USAJOBS account, selecting the Application Status link, and then selecting the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page displays your application status, the documents received and processed, and your questionnaire responses.
DeCA DE East Servicing Team
Phone
614-692-3911
Fax
215-516-6113
Email
Address
Defense Commissary Agency East
1300 E Avenue
Fort Lee, VA 22380
US
Notices post to your USAJOBS account and are emailed to you. You can expect to receive a notice when you complete the application process, when your qualifications status is determined (qualified or not qualified), and when your referral status is determined (referred or not). If you are referred but not selected, you can expect to receive a final notice approximately 180 days after the announcement closes.
If a vacancy for the location(s) you selected does not occur within 90 days after this announcement closes, you may not receive a qualifications status or referral status notice.
The hiring manager may choose to conduct interviews and may conduct telephone interviews to preclude travel hardships for applicants. Someone from the hiring agency (i.e., DeCA) will contact you if the hiring manager decides to interview you.
Should you receive a tentative job offer, be aware such offers are automatically withdrawn if you fail to (1) record an acceptance or declination by the response date provided in the offer notice and/or (2) meet any pre-employment requirements, including a scheduled appointment. If you receive a job offer, use a computer to submit your response rather than a mobile/cell phone.
Accepting applications
Posted 10/24/25 · Apply by 06/30/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 30, 2026
Location
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
Many vacancies
Fort Meade, MD
Many vacancies
Picatinny Arsenal, NJ
Many vacancies
Tobyhanna, PA
Many vacancies
No matching locations found.
Work site options
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$24.65 - $30.39 per hour
NTE 48-64 hours biweekly
Pay scale & grade
WG 5
Learn more about pay scale and grade
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Part-time - Schedules vary by location and include days, nights, weekends, and holidays
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
DECA-26-12815238-OC-DH
