Program and Policy Analyst

Introduction

The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection ( DATCP ) works hard to protect and promote Wisconsin's agricultural industries and consumers. As an agency, we strive to serve the people of Wisconsin assuring: safe, wholesome food; consumer protection and fair business practices; animal and plant health; a clean environment; and strong agriculture and commerce. To successfully attain these goals, we recognize our success hinges on the high quality, dedicated staff we employ.

DATCP currently has an opening for a Program and Policy Analyst position within the Division of Agricultural Resource Management, Bureau of Plant Industry.

This position is located at the Prairie Oaks State Office Building situated on Madison's southeast side and a beautifully wooded and scenic hilltop venue. Our employees enjoy low-cost parking at the facility and are only minutes away from the Beltline Highway, Interstate 90 and Highway 51 for quick access to local restaurants, retail and service locations.

Remote Work Option: This position may have the ability to work remotely up to 6 days per 2-week pay period! An approved remote work agreement is required before an employee may work remotely. Approval of the employee's remote work agreement and work schedule will vary based on the operational needs of the Division. All DATCP employees who work remotely are required to live in Wisconsin.

Employee Benefits: This position offers the State of Wisconsin's excellent benefits package , which includes 3.5 weeks of paid time off to start, 9 paid holidays, accrued sick leave, multiple insurance options and an exceptional retirement plan! To help you understand what your benefit package would be worth, please check the Total Rewards Calculator here .

By working for Wisconsin State Government, you may also be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program . Please click the link for details.

Click here to see what working for the State of Wisconsin is all about!

This posting may be used to fill future similar vacancies.

Position Summary

This position provides program and policy analytical support to the Bureau's programs and coordinates implementation of the bureau's 5-year strategic plan. This position will maintain status and monitor progress of bureau strategic initiatives to attain the goals defined in the bureau strategic plan. Working with Team leads and bureau managers, the role will coordinate annual evaluation of strategic plan progress and set priorities for the year ahead. This position will support bureau leadership in evaluating program efficiencies for continuous improvement efforts and integration of solutions to strengthen programmatic impact on internal and external stakeholders. Programs to be evaluated include but are not limited to, nursery, export certification, apiary and various pest survey programs to support both the Plant Protection and Pest Survey and Control Sections related to plant pest program delivery.

This position will also coordinate the development of federal grant funding applications for the Plant Industry Bureau to ensure proper funding for programmatic success. This grant component focuses on applying programmatic and strategic plan needs to assist in identifying grant funding opportunities. The role will ensure compliance with federal application requirements, develop grant application and contract materials, and coordinate submittal of federal grant reports. This position will be responsible for the analysis of grant spending within the bureau's programs and provide regular reporting to bureau leadership. This position will analyze, identify, and recommend solutions to fiscal risk and spending trends related to the bureau's programs and grant spending.

This position serves as a bureau liaison to both internal agency stakeholders (Bureau of Finance) as well as a variety of external stakeholders (e.g., APHIS, DNR, etc) and must be able to maintain effective communication and networking skills to ensure required partnerships.

Full Position Description

Salary Information

The classification of this position is Program and Policy Analyst , which is in schedule-range 07-04 with a starting pay between $29.00 - $34.00 per hour based on qualifications.

This position is not represented by a collective bargaining unit. A 12-month probationary period is required. Pay for current state employees will be set in accordance with the State Compensation Plan at the time of hire.

Job Details

At DATCP, we strive to deliver efficient and effective programs and services to Wisconsin agriculture, consumers, and businesses. The Department has numerous on-the-job training (OJT) opportunities and transferable skills, unique to each Bureau and position.

These OJT opportunities and transferable skills include direct experience and practice through collaboration with co-workers/supervisor, peer mentoring, and job-specific training modules.

Conditions of Employment:

DATCP does not sponsor work visas. Any appointment made will be contingent on the selected applicant being able to provide documentation of eligibility to work in the United States.

A criminal background check will be performed on the selected applicant prior to an offer of employment.

Possession of a valid driver's license or the ability to provide one's own transportation for work purposes, is required.

Travel is required for approximately 5% of this position's duties for meetings and conferences.

Qualifications

Minimally qualified candidates will have each of the following:

• Experience with program or project management (coordinating, evaluating and/or managing programs, continuous improvement initiatives, etc.).
  
  
• Experience with fiscal management, and tracking expense activities related to budgets or grant funds.
  
  
• Experience with managing and processing grant funding opportunities (processing applications and/or cooperative agreements, tracking and generating reports).
  
  

In addition to the minimum qualifications above, highly qualified candidates will have one or more of the following:

• Experience with developing, coordinating, implementing, and evaluating strategic plans or initiatives.
  
  
• Experience leading workgroups through program, policy, and/or process changes related to natural resources, conservation or agriculture (facilitating discussions, receiving input, building consensus, developing recommendations and communications, etc.).
  
  
• Experience leading or coordinating the development of project or grant work plans and budgets and tracking the expenditures and budgets throughout the project lifecycle (creating, monitoring expenditures and reimbursement activities, and reporting).
  
  
• Experience utilizing PeopleSoft/STAR or similar fiscal management software for fiscal tracking, analysis and running queries for project or grant budgets.
  
  

How To Apply

If viewing this posting on an external site (such as indeed.com, etc.), please visit Wisc.Jobs and search for this Job ID: 20957 to complete your application for this posting.

DATCP is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities.

The State of Wisconsin offers a special program for qualified veterans with a 30% or greater service-connected disability. If you are a qualified veteran, please visit the Veterans Employment page for application instructions to be considered for the Veterans Non-Competitive Appointment program. For complete information on veterans hiring programs that may benefit you, please visit the Employment page on WDVA's website.

To be considered for this position, you will need to create an account (if you don't already have one) and apply online via the "Apply for Job" button listed on the top right of the job posting page. You will be required to upload a current resume and a letter of qualifications that clearly describes your qualifications and experience as they relate to the qualifications listed in this job posting. Review the applicant resources , including tips on how to write a resume and letter of qualifications.

Submitted application materials will be evaluated by one or more job experts. Candidates who are deemed eligible will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process, starting with those candidates who are deemed most qualified.

For general Wisc.Jobs user information and technical assistance, please check the Frequently Asked Questions . Please address questions regarding the application process to Varinderjit Kaur at View email address on click.appcast.io .

Deadline to Apply

The deadline to apply for this position is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, June 1 st , 2026.