Duties

The Executive Director, U.S. Botanic Garden:

• Oversees all administrative operations including strategic planning, personnel management, budget formulation and execution, asset management and safety.
• Exercises executive responsibility for the operation, maintenance and renovation of the physical facilities, including recommendations for short-term and long-term capital improvements. Leads master planning efforts to establish future directions and position the USBG as a model sustainable facility.
• Directs and oversees all communication activities for the USBG, including with the media, external leaders in public gardens, botany and plant science and Congress. Sets and oversees the strategic direction for public outreach, educational programming and exhibits. Ensures the USBG reaches diverse adult and youth audiences locally and nationally through a range of formats and through in-person and online tours and programming, both on and off-campus.
• Serves as a technical expert in botany, horticulture and plant conservation. Presents papers and lectures as a professional expert in the fields of botany, horticulture and public garden administration to national and international professional societies and organizations.
• Develops and oversees implementation of policies and guidelines for plant collections. Provides for plant rescue, in conjunction with the Animal Plant, Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the USDA, for plants traded in violation of international trade agreements for endangered species.
• Ensures the care, health and curation of a documented and diverse plant collection that serve the USBG's educational and conservation mission. Engages with the horticulture community to develop plant collections, test new varieties and support plant conservation through collection and in-situ preservation of threatened and endangered plants.
• Advances institutional priorities of conservation, sustainability and plant science through national and international partnerships, outreach activities and in-house internships, training opportunities and research. Makes the USBG facilities and collections available to the scientific community and advances the USBG-led plant science and conservation work.
• Interacts with AOC staff, senior staff, officials from other agencies and public. Demonstrates skill in developing and delivering oral and written presentations as well as making recommendations on management issues in concise and convincing language.
• Builds coalitions internally and with other organizations and stakeholders to achieve common goals. Consulted by congressional members, staffs and constituents on policies and programs regarding relevant professional problems, issues and practices. Represents the USBG to local, national and international professional groups and societies and other government agencies.
• Provides an inclusive and equitable workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.
• Complies with all safety and health practices, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and ensures employees wear required protective equipment.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

1. Filing of a Financial Disclosure Report.

2. Successful completion of a background investigation commensurate with the risk and sensitivity level of the position.

3. Successful completion of pre-employment and applicable random drug testing required.

4. Meets qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

Application Method:

Applicants must clearly show possession and demonstrated leadership experience, normally obtained over several years by serving in positions at the GS-15 level or equivalent, for each Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) and Professional Technical Qualification (PTQ) separately. Failure to address and meet any of the ECQs or the PTQ, via the vacancy questionnaire, will eliminate you from further consideration. Review the ECQ competencies guidance and sample resumes in OPM's Guide to Senior Executive Service Qualification .

Executive Core Qualifications:

ECQ 1 - Leading Change: The ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.

ECQ 2 - Leading People: The ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.

ECQ 3 - Results Driven: The ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems and calculating risks.

ECQ 4 - Business Acumen: The ability to manage human, financial and information resources strategically.

ECQ 5 - Building Coalitions: The ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments or international organizations to achieve common goals.

Professional Technical Qualifications:

PTQ 1 - Demonstrated experience establishing scientific research programs in areas such as plant conservation, horticulture, botany or agriculture and success leading communication efforts to increase public awareness of science, especially as it relates to plants.

Education

Applicants must meet the following Basic Requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual for Horticulture Series:

A. Degree: horticulture or a related discipline of basic plant science that included at least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, of which at least 16 semester hours were in horticultural subjects such as those dealing with the breeding, care, management, production, and post harvest handling of horticultural crops.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in horticulture or a related discipline of basic plant science that included course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Evaluation of Education: Courses in botany, plant physiology, plant taxonomy, plant pathology, genetics, agronomy, horticulture, and similar courses may be used to meet the 30-semester-hour requirement in basic plant sciences.

The 16-semester-hour requirement in horticulture includes course work in basic horticulture and course work related to any of the recognized subject-matter fields of horticulture, i.e., fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, nursery work, seed production, or course work in related areas of science, such as micro-biology, entomology, plant pathology, plant physiology, or genetics that is directly related to horticultural work.

Education must be from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Therefore, provide only the degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: You must show a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs have evaluated the education credentials and deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course-by-course listing if selected. For further information, click here .

Additional information

Veteran's preference does not apply to AOC's senior executive positions.

If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.

The AOC is a Drug Free Workplace. As part of the AOC's suitability assessment, a candidate tentatively selected for a position who is not currently an AOC employee is required to submit to screening for illegal drug use. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of employment. A candidate must test negative prior to being eligible for appointment into a position. The AOC will schedule, provide and cover the cost for the drug test.

The selectee for this position is subject to a criminal record check by the U.S. Capitol Police and satisfactory adjudication to become eligible for employment.

The AOC is an E-VERIFY Participant. E-VERIFY is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records, to confirm employment authorization in the United States. If selected, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the DHS Form I-9 is verified through the DHS "E-VERIFY" electronic system. For more information on E-Verify, please visit http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1185221678150.shtm

The AOC is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or disability.

The AOC provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The AOC makes decisions on granting reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis.

The AOC does not authorize moving or relocation expenses.

All application materials become the property of the AOC.