Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Directorate of Standards and Guidance (DSG), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

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Responsibilities

The Directorate's mission is to develop and promulgate workplace standards, regulations, and guidance materials that address significant workplace risks and appropriately consider the effect of these rules on the economy, affected industries, paperwork burden, and small businesses, as required by applicable executive orders, the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, and the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act. The incumbent of this position serves as Director, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, operating under the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health and the Deputy Assistant Secretaries.

The Director, Directorate of Standards and Guidance provides leadership and direction in the planning, formulation, development, and execution of occupational safety and health standards policies, objectives, and programs. The Director oversees the systematic review and evaluation of relevant data and studies on occupational safety and health and maintains inter- and intra-agency liaisons essential to fulfilling related leadership responsibilities in the areas of policy and research. Specific responsibilities include:

The Director plans and coordinates the development and promulgation of occupational safety and health standards and related rulemaking and guidance materials to provide protection for the nation's workers from occupational hazards related to exposure to harmful substances and hazardous physical agents, including electrical, mechanical, and fire hazards; safety and health hazards in the maritime industry; ergonomic and physical hazards; carcinogenic, respiratory, and organ system hazards; and biologic, systemic and emerging health hazards. The Director also plans and develops non-regulatory approaches to supplement traditional rule-making, and coordinates related activities. The incumbent develops safety and health standards, policies, and programs while systematically evaluating program objectives and activities to ensure the development of safety and health standards and guidance materials that are feasible, cost effective, environmentally acceptable, and impose minimal paperwork burdens with appropriate consideration of the overall impact on small businesses.

The Director develops strategies and approaches to facilitate and encourage the implementation of safety and health programs (SHPs) in workplaces throughout the country. The Director develops educational materials, tools, and resources that encourage employers to use SHPs and creates partnerships to elicit participation and raise awareness of the benefits of SHPs. The incumbent also leads and coordinates the agency's Safe + Sound Campaign and supplementary activities while also evaluating offerings to achieve efficiencies, improve effectiveness, and meet expectations.

The Director develops long-range plans for accomplishing major program objectives assigned to the organization, considering such factors as legislative mandates, executive orders, OSHA's Operating Plan, program priorities of the Assistant Secretary, agency programming documents, and the constraints of available resources. The Director recommends to the Assistant Secretary major program initiatives or changes in program direction. The Director also determines allocation of financial and work force resources to various standards and guidance development projects, and sets target dates for major program milestones. The incumbent also takes actions to structure and staff the organization, to establish delegations of authority, to implement internal operating policies and procedures, and to establish organizational objectives. The Director also continually assesses the status of assigned standards and guidance projects and acts to provide for increased efficiency and effectiveness of operations to reduce costs and to improve coordination.

As one of OSHA's primary program officials, the Director serves as a key member of the Assistant Secretary's management staff to provide advice not only on the program assigned, but also on overall agency concerns related to proposed legislation, major changes in OSHA program policy, long-term planning, reorganizations, significant reprogramming requirements, the strategic plan for the agency, and similar matters. The incumbent participates in this capacity in decision-making deliberations that influence the future direction of OSHA programs. Occupational safety and health standards and guidance development is a highly dynamic and subject to intense scrutiny by the President, Congress, and the public, and gives rise to conflicting pressure and controversial issues involving federal and state government relationships and union management relations. As such, the incumbent must be aware of and personally participate in the advocacy of program policies and in the development of the agency's mandate in the context of current circumstances.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Maybe required.

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
00

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Subject to a security background investigation.
• Subject to financial disclosure requirements.
• Must complete 1 year SES probationary period, if not previously completed.
• U.S. Citizenship.

Candidates must have a broad background in the administrative or managerial aspects of safety engineering, safety management or industrial hygiene or a combination of directly related functions or comparable work, which has demonstrated abilities of the candidate to perform the duties of the position. Candidates must demonstrate managerial ability or potential to perform in a managerial capacity at a senior management level (normally equivalent to the GS-15 level in the Federal service).

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, all applicants must write a narrative in the spaces provided detailing accomplishments that would satisfy each of the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQ). You must address each ECQ and MTQ separately. If you fail to do so, your application will be rated ineligible.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): In writing your responses to the ECQs, your narrative must address each ECQ separately in the spaces provided. Each ECQ should contain at least two examples describing your experiences and accomplishments/results. Responses to ECQ's must not exceed 10 pages. It is recommended that applicants draft their ECQs in a Word document first, then cut and paste into the spaces provided following each ECQ to ensure length requirements. For additional guidance, applicants may visit the Office of Personnel Management's Guide to Senior Executive Qualifications . Applicants are encouraged to follow the Challenge, Context, Action, and Result model outlined in the guide.

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.

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.

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.

4. Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.

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.

MANDATORY TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS (MTQs): In writing your narrative responses to the MTQs, please give examples and explain how often you used your skills, the complexity of the knowledge possessed, the level of people you interacted with, the sensitivity of the issues you handled, etc. APPLICANTS SHOULD LIMIT THEIR RESPONSES TO ONE (1) SINGLESPACED PAGE PER EACH MTQ WITH THE FONT SIZE NO SMALLER THAN POINT 12. It is recommended that applicants draft their MTQs in a Word document first, then cut and paste into the spaces provided following each MTQ to ensure length requirements.

1. Ability to plan, direct, and coordinate the development of occupational safety and health standards and related rulemaking and guidance materials to provide protection for the nation's workers from occupational hazards and exposure to harmful substances and hazardous physical agents.

2. Ability to develop short and long-range plans for accomplishing major program objectives, considering such factors as legislative mandates, executive orders, constraints of available resources, and organizational operating plans.

3. Extensive knowledge and experience of the planning, implementation, and review of comprehensive occupational safety and health programs.

Education

Additional information

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees' differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION , ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION , FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

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 based on your experience and your responses to the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and the Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs). It is essential that your resume provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses in the self-assessment vacancy questions. If your responses are not adequately substantiated by your resume, your application will be rated ineligible.

Current/Former Career SES or SES Candidate Development graduates who have been certified by OPM must provide a narrative response to address each of the MTQ's, but need not address the ECQs. In order to successfully complete the online application process you must input the term, "noncompetitive eligible" in the text boxes for each of the ECQs. You must submit a Standard Form 50 that documents your SES Career appointment or a copy of your OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program certificate.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Confidential

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

All applicants must provide a resume and respond to the ECQs and/or MTQs requirements as specified in the "Qualifications" section. In addition, applicants should submit one or more of the following documents, if applicable:

1. SF-50 documentation of career SES appointment or other Federal appointment.
2. Certificate of completion of OPM certified SES candidate program.
3. Copy of most recent performance appraisal (optional).

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

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.