Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens

The Gulf Coast has been impacted by the loss of critical wetlands, erosion of barrier islands, imperiled fisheries, water quality degradation, and significant coastal land loss. In addition, the region has suffered natural and man-made disasters, including major hurricanes and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In response, the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act) established the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council), comprised of the heads of six federal agencies and the governors of the five affected Gulf states.  The Council’s purpose is to help restore the ecosystem and economy of the Gulf Coast Region through developing and overseeing the implementation of a comprehensive plan to support projects and programs for ecosystem restoration; approving state expenditure plans as part of the Oil Spill Restoration Impact Allocation; preparing an integrated financial plan and recommendations for coordinated budget requests for the trust fund; and submitting annual reports to Congress.

The incumbent serves as Executive Director for the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, reporting directly to the Council, and has full delegated line authority and responsibility for executive level management to provide leadership and overall direction to the Council staff. Responsibilities include:

• Planning, organizing, directing, coordinating and controlling operations to accomplish the goals and objectives of the RESTORE Act.
• Developing, promulgating, executing and overseeing policies, internal controls, procedures and program responsibilities for the successful execution of the RESTORE Act.
• Serving as the principal expert and spokesperson on Council matters and managing associated risks, using extensive coordination and collaboration with key federal, state, and external stakeholders, including members of the Council, the Office of Management and Budget, Congressional Officials, and the Government Accountability Office.
• Determining the nature and scope of programs, directing the implementation of these programs, reviewing and evaluating the adequacy and effectiveness of the programs, with accountability to the Council for the general level of services provided by such programs. 
• Serving as the supervisor and principal technical and administrative manager for all employees and activities of the Council.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You must submit resume and required documents (see How to Apply section).
• If you are selected, a pre-employment background check is required.
• You may be required to travel 1 to 5 days per month.
• Pre-employment drug testing is required and random testing thereafter.

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.

You will be required to obtain and maintain a secret security clearance.

 

 

Qualifications

The work of this position is classified in the Program Management, 0340 series where the qualifications include both general management skills and characteristics that are applicable to all SES positions and technical or program responsibilities specific to this position. Applicants must have substantive general experience which provides a good basic or general knowledge of the principles of organization, management and administration; and substantive specialized (operating administrative or managerial) experience in a type of work or a combination of functions directly related to this position.

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 interpreting and applying complex statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures related to the administration of ecosystem restoration (particularly associated with the Gulf of Mexico), environmental compliance, grants, and the RESTORE Act of 2012, to develop innovative solutions for achieving regulatory efficiencies.

TQ 2 - Demonstrated experience engaging and collaborating with senior level officials of U.S. federal agencies, state governments, individual businesses, industry sector representatives, private associations, travel and tourism professionals, and Members of Congress on matters associated with ecosystem restoration and the RESTORE Act of 2012.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet basic qualification requirements, your application will be evaluated based on your narrative statements addressing the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Technical Qualifications (TQs). It will then be forwarded to a Rating Panel consisting of SES or equivalent members for further review. The Rating Panel will decide which Best Qualified applicants will be issued to the Selecting Official by the Human Resources Office.