Job Alert: The FDA to Hire 1300 By October

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is under great pressure to do a better job of investigating and regulating drugs, food, medical devices, cosmetics and other products.

FDA officials blame lax regulation, delays and other misses on a lack of staff and resources. They’ve set a goal to hire 1,300 biologists, medical officers, chemists, safety officers, pharmacologists and other experts by October.

Of the 1,300 positions, approximately 600 are new positions and 700 are backfills. According to FDA spokesman Christopher Kelly, 400 new positions will focus on drug review, while another 150 will be hired to investigate and inspect drugs, food and other related items.

But why the rush now?

Turns out that, in addition to the embarrassment caused by pet food and drug recalls and lax safety protocols, thirty percent of the FDA’s regular staffers are already eligible to retire, as are nearly half of FDA managers.

The FDA will hold job fairs nationwide to fill the following positions:

Biologists
Chemists
Medical officers
Consumer safety officers
Nurse consultants
Mathematical statisticians
Epidemiologists
Pharmacologists
Pharmacists
Veterinary medical officers
To find more FDA jobs, visit USAJobs.gov.

Most FDA jobs are in the Washington metropolitan area, but some will overseas and in other parts of the country. The FDA offers some pretty progressive work-life benefits–alternative work schedules, child care tuition reimbursement, transit subsidies and telecommuting.

FDA JOB FAIR SCHEDULE

DATE	LOCATION	EVENT
May 15-17, 2008	Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC	American College of Physicians
May 19-21, 2008	Aero Space Building, Washington, DC	National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criterion for Food
May 21, 2008, 12:20p-4:40p	Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, TX	Dallas 2008 Latinos for Hire Career Expo
May 27-29, 2008	Bonn, Germany	Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) and Working Group
June 1-5, 2008, 8:30a-4:30p	Northeastern University, Boston, MA	American Society of Microbiology
June 8-11, 2008	Washington State Convention & Trade Center, Seattle, WA	American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists
June 17-20, 2008	San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA	BIO International Convention
June 28-July 1, 2008	Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA	Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo
July 7-12, 2008	Hilton Washington, Washington, DC	LULAC (Nakamoto Group)
August 3-6, 2008	Hyatt Regency Columbus, Columbus, OH	International Association for Food Protection (IAFP)
August 3-7, 2008	Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO	American Statistical Association: Joint Statistical Meeting
August 11-15, 2008	Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA	Blacks in Government Conference
August 21, 2008	Trinity Center at Trinity College, Washington, DC	NSHP/LATPRO (Nakamoto Group)
September 14-16, 2008	Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel, Philadelphia, PA	American College of Clinical Pharmacology Annual Meeting