USDA's Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture are hosting a Virtual Career Expo on April 28 in partnership with the University of Missouri.

“This is a unique time for our nation and USDA continues to build the ERS and NIFA workforce using innovative techniques,” said Deputy Under Secretary Scott Hutchins, who leads USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics mission area.

The two agencies relocated to Kansas City last year and many long-time employees didn't make the move. As of September 2019, three quarters of the ERS staff retired, quit or were terminated. About 70 of the 224 NIFA employees eligible to relocate accepted the relocation, according to the Washington Post. In total, USDA moved 568 jobs to Kansas City.

ERS and NIFA continue to fill open positions and current listings are on USAJobs. Vacancies include positions for economists, geographers, accountants, grant specialists, financial specialists, and communications specialists.

ERS anticipates trends and emerging issues in agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America and conducts high-quality, objective economic research to inform and enhance public and private decision making.

“ERS had a great response from the career expo last Fall,” said ERS Acting Administrator Marca Weinberg. “We met so many enthusiastic and talented professionals at the first event. We look forward to meeting with more applicants and continuing to virtually introduce ourselves to the Kansas City community as we seek talented individuals to join our team and help us produce and disseminate timely economic research to support USDA and the public.”

NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and extension to solve societal challenges. Through an integrated approach, NIFA ensures our scientific discoveries make their way into our communities, farms, and classrooms.

“Kansas City has proven itself to be a hospitable city and a fruitful recruiting ground for our Agency,” said NIFA Director Scott Angle. “NIFA has the feel of a startup company right now. We don’t just need people with agricultural science backgrounds. We need people with budget, finance, and accounting experience. We need people with grants management skills. We need communicators. We’re hiring from the entry level to the Senior Executive Service level.”

Representatives from ERS, NIFA, and the Office of Personnel and Management will conduct information sessions during the Virtual Expo about the agencies and available positions, how to apply for federal jobs and benefits of working for the federal government.

Interested applicants may register for the Career Expo and sign up for information sessions online. Sessions will be held virtually, beginning at 2 p.m. with the last session at 4 p.m. CDT. Breakout sessions will provide an opportunity for potential applicants to learn more about the agencies from current employees.