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Executive Director, Surface Policy

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Arlington, Virginia
Closing date
Jul 24, 2019
Duties

Summary

Securing Travel, Protecting People - At the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), we serve in a high-stakes environment to safeguard the American way of life. In cities across the country, we secure airports, seaports, railroads, highways, and public transit systems, thus protecting our transportation infrastructure and ensuring freedom of movement for people and commerce.
For additional information about our agency please: Click Here .
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Executive Director, Surface Policy, Policy, Plans and Engagement (PPE) is responsible for establishing and maintaining a network of surface transportation sector partners for the purposes of actively engaging mass transit and passenger rail, freight rail, highway and motor carrier and pipelines transportation systems to reduce counter-terrorism risk. The responsibilities of the position include the formulation of surface transportation-related security policy and industry government to ensure the effectiveness of the Federal stakeholder and industry operator networks in comprehensively addressing security issues and processes, and programs. These responsibilities have agency-and nation-wide impact and influence, which include providing innovative and expert leadership in the establishment and implementation of comprehensive surface transportation security policy and communication strategies through collaboration with Federal stakeholder and industry operator partners and in accordance with applicable policies, procedures, laws, and directives.

Duties include:
  • Directing the surface policy improvement process consisting of identifying the desired surface security outcomes on a nationally-significant, risk-priority basis; aligning the desired security outcomes with regulated entities; creating a set of defined outcomes and or standards that regulated entities meet/should meet; developing performance testing methodologies for desired outcomes, develops audits and or covert testing depending upon the type of regulation; establishes a risk-based, statistically valid performance baseline and drives performance improvement by implementing a variety of incentive mechanisms with regulated entities. Surface policy consists of standards, guidance, directives, programs and regulations and considers prevention, response and recovery.
  • Overseeing the development of grant policy document, grants guidance documents and proposal evaluation processes. Effectively influencing the approval of Transportation Security Grant funding to reduce the regional risk of terrorist attack. Ensuring a risk-based methodology is used to establish transportation grant funding priorities. Being mindful of current grant appropriations levels, recommends to the Administrator which investments to fund and at what level consistent with available grant appropriations. Overseeing the development of policy documents, grants guidance documents and proposal evaluation processes. Monitoring the progress of project funded by transportation security grants. Maintaining a capable, knowledgeable and well­-trained network of security grant professionals.
  • Providing expert security guidance to industry association partners and government sectors on surface security policy issues. Works closely with surface industry partners to coordinate national policy development. Provides expert transportation security information at industry-sponsored conferences/meetings.
  • Serving as the industry surface security policy expert for TSA. Understanding and appropriately interpreting transportation security regulations, and develops and facilitates the implementation of surface policies and regulations; maintains awareness and/or knowledge of the most current, impacting and proposed/enacted legislation in the area of surface security.
  • Administering the formulation and delivery of surface transportation security policies. Overseeing the formulation and delivery of transportation security policies, guidelines, agreements, and regulations incorporating industry input, as appropriate.


Travel Required

Occasional travel - Position requires occasional travel.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
02

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must possess U.S. Citizenship.
  • You must complete a favorable Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI).
  • You must pass Drug Screening, subject to random drug tests.
  • You must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance.
  • Disclosure of your financial information is required.


You must meet the qualification requirements of this position no later than the closing date of the job opportunity announcement.

Qualifications

As a basic requirement, applicants must demonstrate progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level managerial capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the Professional/Technical Qualifications and Executive Core Qualifications listed below. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the equivalent of the GS-15 grade level in the Federal service or its equivalent with state and local government, the private sector, or non-governmental organizations.

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show in your resume that you possess the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs) listed below. We recommend that your resume emphasize your level of responsibilities, the scope and complexity of programs managed, and your program accomplishments, including results of your actions.

The application process used to recruit for this position is RESUME-ONLY. Therefore, evidence of each ECQ and PTQ must be CLEARLY REFLECTED in your resume.

If you are a current or reinstatement eligible Career SES/TSES member or a graduate of an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and your ECQs have been previously certified by OPM's Qualifications Review Board, you are not required to address the ECQs. However, you MUST address all PTQs in your resume. Current and reinstatement eligible SES/TSES members please include with your application a copy of your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) documenting your career appointment to the SES/TSES. SES CDP graduates, please include a copy of your OPM certificate.

Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs):


1. Knowledge of surface transportation security standards and regulations.

2. Knowledge of national and regional plans affecting surface transportation security.

3. Knowledge of the relationships between Department of Homeland Security components and programs and private sector industry operators, associations and organizations and/or other governmental departments, bureaus, or equivalent organizations in monitoring, networking, and managing surface transportation.

Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs):

ECQ 1 - LEADING CHANGE. This core qualification 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. This core qualification 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. This core qualification 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. This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.

ECQ 5 - BUILDING COALITIONS. This core qualification 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.

FAILURE TO MEET OR FULLY ADDRESS EACH EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATION AND PROFESSIONAL/TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS IN THE RESUME WILL ELIMINATE A CANDIDATE FROM FURTHER CONSIDERATION.

CURRENT OR FORMER POLITICAL APPOINTEES: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

DRUG TESTING: You must pass a pre-employment drug test. In addition, you may be subject to random drug testing during employment.

SECURITY CLEARANCE: This position requires a TS/SCI (Top Secret/Secured Compartmentalized Information) clearance that must be completed prior to appointment. You will be subject to a 5-year periodic investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance.

MOBILITY: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created in the wake of 9/11 to strengthen the security of the nation's transportation systems while ensuring the freedom of movement for people and commerce. TSA employs a risk-based strategy to secure U.S. transportation systems, with nearly 50,000 Transportation Security Officers, each day at more than 450 airports nationwide. The agency continuously sets the standard for excellence in transportation security through its people, processes, technologies and use of intelligence to drive operations.

As a member of the TSES, you may be subject to frequent changes in posts of duty and positions. Mobility is a condition of employment, so you must be prepared to accept, without objection, the judgment of your superiors concerning reassignments for operational and/or career development purposes, or for other reasons determined to be in the best interest of the Transportation Security Administration.

Education

Additional information

  • The TSA, an excepted service agency, was established by Public Law 107-71, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA), on November 19, 2001. ATSA provides TSA with the authority to modify and develop its own human capital program, provided such modifications are consistent with 49 USC 40122.
  • This is an excepted service position. However, there is an interchange agreement with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and TSA that enables Career TSES members who have been approved by the Qualifications Review Board at OPM to qualify for Senior Executive Service (SES) positions without additional competition.
  • You will be required to serve a probationary period of one year unless you previously completed the probationary period in a SES/TSES position.
  • When you enter on duty, you will be required to complete a Public Financial Disclosure Report, OGE Form 278. You will need to provide this information annually.
  • Veteran's Preference does NOT apply to SES/TSES positions.
  • View common definitions of terms found in this announcement.


How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated on the quality and extent to which your resume shows that you possess the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs) and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) outlined in the "Qualifications" section of the Job Opportunity Announcement. Your resume may be evaluated by an SES/TSES rating and ranking panel, and afterwards, highly qualified candidates may undergo an interview and a reference check. The TSA Executive Resources Council (ERC) will review results and make recommendations on final selections to the appointing authority. Only the selectee will be required to write Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) narratives. Unless you have already been certified by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past, your ECQs must be certified by the QRB before appointment can occur.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

1. Your Resume, which incorporates both Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) responses.

2. Associated Questionnaire

3. Current SES/TSES members: You must provide a copy of the specific SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which documents conversion or appointment, without time limitation, to the SES/TSES (except current TSA employees).

4. Reinstatement Eligible SES/TSES members: You must provide a copy of the specific SF-50 which documents conversion or appointment, without time limitation, to your formal SES/TSES position as well as any Federal agency document which confirms your successful completion of an SES/TSES probationary period. (Note: a second SF-50 dated more than a year after SES/TSES conversion or appointment, which documents continued unlimited assignment to the same SES/TSES position, will suffice to document completion of the SES/TSES probationary period).

5. Graduates of an OPM approved Candidate Development Program (CDP) which resulted in certification by the OPM QRB: You must provide a copy of a QRB endorsed program graduation certificate.

6. If you are a current or reinstatement eligible Career SES/TSES member or a graduate of an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and your ECQs have been previously certified by OPM's Qualifications Review Board, you are not required to address the ECQs.

7. Non-SES/TSES members: You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (except current TSA employees).

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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