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National Program Director for Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Washington, D.C
Closing date
Oct 8, 2022
Duties

The National Program Director (NPD) for Sustainable and Healthy Communities (SHC) Research Program is located in the Immediate Office of the Office of Research and Development (ORD). The Office of Research and Development is the scientific research arm of the Agency, providing the data, tools, and information that form the sound scientific foundation the Agency relies on to fulfil its mission to protect the environment and safeguard public health. ORD operates in a matrix where research is planned by National Program Directors and the research is conducted in research centers. The National Program Directors and the Center Directors work in conjunction with the ORD leadership to design and implement ORD's research portfolio.

Specific duties include:
  • Serving as ORD's Lead NPD, exercising supervisory personnel management responsibilities across ORD's national programs which may include managing staff that supports the Air, Climate, and Energy research program, Chemical Safety for Sustainability research program, and the Safe and Sustainable Water Resource research program.
  • Leading the development of a coordinated sustainable and healthy communities research program and ensuring that ORD's research products and services effectively serve the needs of EPA Program Offices, Regions, and external stakeholders over the short, medium, and long term.
  • Developing a strategic research plan, known as the Strategic Research Action Plan.
  • Serving as the primary liaison between ORD and EPA's Office of Land and Emergency Management.
  • Working with other NPDs to ensure that EPA's Program Offices, Regions, and external stakeholders are consulted for their research needs.
  • Representing the SHC program to ORD's Board of Scientific Counselors.
  • Providing expert scientific leadership and direction for scientific and technical matters in the SHC research portfolio.
  • Serving as the primary interface between the SHC research program and ORD senior management.
  • Building coalitions to support scientific policy and sustainable and healthy research goals by serving as ORD's primary spokesperson for the SHC research program and representing the SHC research program throughout the Agency and broader Federal and external stakeholder communities.
  • Serving as ORD lead official for developing responses to Congressional, Office of Management and Budget, and other inquiries related to the SHC research program.
  • Planning and justifying the annual extramural and workforce resources associated with SHC.


Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen.
  • You must submit resume and required documents (see How to Apply section).
  • EPA and non-EPA applicants must submit transcripts/course listings.
  • Position has education requirements--see Qualifications/Education section.
  • You may be required to travel less than 25% of each month.


To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

If you are selected, you must complete a 1-year SES probationary period, if not previously completed.

The Ethics in Government Act, P.L. 95-521, requires the applicant selected for this position to submit a financial disclosure statement, OGE-278, prior to assuming the SES position, annually, and upon termination of employment.

This position is designated as High Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

#LI-Onsite

Qualifications

The work of this position is classified in the 0401, 0819, and 1301 series. Applicants must have experience managing, supervising, leading, and/or performing professional work related to biology, agriculture, natural resource management, or physical sciences; or professional engineering work related to environmental programs and projects.

All applicants must have one year of specialized experience at a level close to the work of this job that demonstrates the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform in this role. Typically this experience can be found in work within this field or a field that is closely related.

As a basic requirement for entry into the Senior Executive Service, applicants must also provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior level management capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications listed below.

A. Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) - Mandatory for competitive applicants - Failure to address these factors will result in your application being disqualified, unless you are a noncompetitive eligible applicant.

ECQ 1 - LEADING CHANGE. Involves 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. Involves 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. Involves 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. Involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.
ECQ 5 - BUILDING COALITIONS. Involves 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.

Your responses should be clear and concise and show a level of accomplishment and a degree of responsibility. Leadership competencies for each ECQ can be found at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/reference-materials/guidetosesquals_2012.pdf

B. Technical Qualifications (TQs) - Mandatory for all applicants - Failure to address these factors will result in your application being disqualified.

TQ 1 - Demonstrated experience working across functional and organizational lines, internally and externally, to develop and implement programs and policies related to sustainable and healthy community programs.

Education

You need a degree or combination of education and experience as described below to qualify for this position.

Biology:
You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in one of the following: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR a combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major, as listed.

Engineering:
All applicants must meet one of the following requirements to qualify for consideration for an engineering position:
  • Successful completion of a professional engineering degree at an accredited university or college

OR
  • Have a combination of college level education or training AND technical experience that has furnished you with (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their application to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:
  • Professional registration as an engineer.
  • Evidence of passing the Engineer-in-Training written test.
  • Successful documented completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences as described by OPM.
  • Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in engineering technology or in an appropriate professional field and at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

  • Please review the OPM page on specifics about required curriculum and for more information on qualifications, please visit GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf)

    Physical Science:
    You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in one of the following: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics; OR a combination of education and experience with education equivalent to one of the majors listed that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

    For information about accreditation requirements, visit EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures .

    Additional information

    EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures .

    Veterans' preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service.

    Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency's workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA .

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