Duties

Summary

Securing Travel, Protecting People - At the Transportation Security Administration, 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 .

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Responsibilities

The Executive Director, Screening Systems, Acquisition Program Management (APM) serves as a principal advisor on matters regarding designated acquisition program (by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Transportation Security Administration (TSA), certification requirements of program management staff, and ensures that security technologies and processes delivered to end users meet the overall mission, vision, goals, and objectives of TSA and DHS. The Executive Director is a key management official responsible for leading TSA acquisition programs throughout the acquisition lifecycle needed to meet TSA and DHS mission requirements. Additionally, the Executive Director serves as executive acquisition career manager, responsible for implementing DHS acquisition workforce guidance as well as unique TSA acquisition career field environments.

High level duties include:

• Acquisition responsibility and management accountability for all major programs and those non-major programs integrally related and critical to the performance of assigned major programs.
• Responsible for current program assignments, multiple department oversight and non-oversight programs.
• Exercising centralized program authority, assuring that individual programs are being managed in consonance with current program management and acquisition management policies, procedures, and approved baselines.
• Managing acquisition programs, develops effective acquisition strategies that include determining and applying flexibilities that ensure TSA interests are fully represented and integrates the expertise of employees and contractors developing new acquisition programs and initiatives.
• Applying knowledge of transportation security program areas, policies and procedures that acquisition programs must support.
• Providing a strategic look across the Program Management Offices (PMO) in the directorate to ensure priorities are aligned with executive goals. Acting with the authority of the APM and reviews acquisition activity across the PMOs. Provides a high level of strategic services to the APM and PMOs.
• Serving as an authoritative guide for planning federal government acquisition programs to include but not limited to creating program management plans, acquisition program baselines, work breakdown structures, integrated master schedules, risk management plans, requirements traceability matrixes, test and evaluation master plans, integrated logistics support plans, and life cycle cost estimates and in leading development of coherent acquisition program documentation that accurately represents the program strategy, risks inherent with the acquisition and time and costs associated with broad acquisition programs that impact TSA-wide strategic goals and objectives. Allocates and defends program and project manager resources.
• Collaborating with APM, PMOs and staff to develop and implement effective acquisition strategies to meet operational needs. Working with other executives and program representatives to identify best acquisition options, industry engagement and address/resolve various complex issues that arise in relation to product quality, operability, maintenance, scheduling impacts, return on investment, etc.
• Providing leadership and strategic direction in addressing and resolving complex acquisition issues. Assessing impact of the issue taking into account legal requirements, impact on operations, political implications, and options available.
• Managing budget formulation and builds processes each year and ensures the effective execution of annual budgets approved by Congress and allocated through appropriated programs.

**** It is anticipated that all TSA Headquarters personnel within the Washington, DC metropolitan area will begin relocating to Springfield, Virginia beginning Fall 2020. If you are selected for a Headquarters position currently located in this region, your duty location will change due to the TSA Headquarters Consolidation Plan. *****

Travel Required

25% or less - Travel may be required up to 25 percent of the time with little advance notice.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
02

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must possess U.S. Citizenship.
• You must complete a favorable Tier 5 Background Investigation (T5).
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance.
• You must pass Drug Screening, subject to random drug tests.
• 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. Please refer to the Office of Personnel Management's website, https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/reference-materials/guidetosesquals_2012.pdf for additional information about ECQs.

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 the acquisition lifecycle framework and Federal laws, regulations, and directives.

2. Demonstrated success leading or managing acquisition program(s) and developing a procurement based workforce.

3. Demonstrated success creating program management plans (i.e., acquisition program baselines, work breakdown structures, integrated master schedules, risk management plans, requirements traceability matrixes, test and evaluation master plans, integrated logistics support plans, and life cycle cost estimates), to execute an acquisition program.

4. Demonstrated experience collaborating with leaders, industry, and stakeholders in the development of performance baselines and execution of program strategies.

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/Sensitive Compartmented 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.
• 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.

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Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

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

Associated Questionnaire.

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).

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).

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.

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.

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

NOTE: An award SF-50 (i.e. cash or time off award) does not indicate grade, pay band or level and will not be accepted.

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.