The position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Mission Support (MS), Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO).  The Chief information Officer (CIO) is the senior information technology (IT) and cyber security management official in FEMA and, as such, is responsible for formulation, development, execution, and oversight of FEMA’s IT and cyber management program reporting to the Deputy Associate Administrator for Mission Support.  The incumbent provides executive-level direction and oversight of FEMA’s comprehensive IT and cyber security programs and will work across FEMA’s components, regions, and field offices in implementing comprehensive programs where less than 100% of personnel work under the CIO’s direct chain of command.

The FEMA CIO is responsible for implementing the programs necessary to align FEMA’s IT and cyber security personnel, resources, and assets including systems and infrastructure that support FEMA missions and activities.  The FEMA CIO is the Authorizing Official (AO) for all FEMA systems and provides FEMA components with the IT and cyber security services required to help people before, during, and after disasters.  The CIO provides enterprise IT and cyber security services vital to carrying out FEMA’s mission for both disaster survivors and FEMA employees. This includes providing secure IT capabilities so that FEMA IT is always ready to support stakeholders and workforce.  To achieve this, the CIO focuses on protecting FEMA data and systems​, enhancing IT workforce capabilities and stakeholder IT experiences, and simplifying processes and improving transparency across the enterprise.

The incumbent serves as FEMA’s CIO and has FEMA-wide responsibility for the approval, management, and oversight of FEMA IT and cyber security resources.  These oversight responsibilities ensure agency compliance with relevant statutes, regulations, guidance, and directives including the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996; Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002; Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act of 2015; President’s Management Agenda; and other applicable statutes, regulations, executive orders, guidance, and directives from Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the National Institute for Standards and  Technology (NIST), DHS, and FEMA.

The incumbent plans and manages FEMA’s portfolio of IT investments and resources in coordination with the Information Technology Governance Board (ITGB) and Principals Executive Panel (PEP), working closely with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) and Office of the Chief Component Procurement Officer (OCCPO).  This includes, but is not limited to:

• Reviewing and approving the establishment, management, and reporting of IT investments through the Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) process.
• Establishing and maintaining an IT Acquisition Review (ITAR) process and designating ITAR coordinators to assist with the review and approval of acquisitions that contain IT within FEMA and to liaise with the DHS Headquarters ITAR team to support the DHS ITAR process.
• Designating a Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform (FITARA) point of contact to coordinate with the DHS CIO on FITARA implementation within FEMA.

The incumbent serves as principal advisor to the Administrator, Deputy Administrator, and Associate Administrator on all aspects of assigned programs.  Shares responsibility with other top-level FEMA officials for strategic planning to assure FEMA responds rapidly and effectively to legislative requirements and directives of the President and successfully accomplishes its mission in accordance with the Administrator’s goals and priorities, including leading innovation in, modernizing, and reducing the complexity of FEMA’s information systems and business processes.

Perform other duties as assigned.

EMERGENCY ASSIGNMENT: Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• File a Public Financial Disclosure (SF-278) within 30 days of appointment.
• If selected, a one-year SES Probationary period may be required.
• Must be able to obtain/maintain a Top Secret/SCI Clearance.
• This position is subject to random drug testing.

Qualifications

As a basic requirement for entry into the SES, applicants must provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level management capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under Technical Qualifications and Executive Core Qualifications listed below. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the GS-15 grade level in the federal service or its equivalent in the private sector.

Each applicant is required to submit a comprehensive narrative statement, which addresses BOTH the Mandatory Technical Qualifications and the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) outlined below. Applicants who do not submit a supplemental narrative statement that addresses these factors will be ineligible for further consideration. The narrative portion for the Technical Qualifications MUST NOT EXCEED 6 PAGES TOTAL. The supplemental narrative statement for the Executive Core Qualifications should address the necessary level of management skills, characteristics, qualities, specialized knowledge, and technical competence that would indicate successful performance in the SES. This evidence must include clear and concise examples that emphasize the applicant’s level of responsibilities, scope, and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments, policy initiatives, and level of contacts.  The narrative portion for the Executive Core Qualifications MUST NOT EXCEED 10 PAGES.  For guidance in preparing a narrative statement addressing the ECQs, applicants can access OPM’s website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/executive-core-qualifications/

The following categories of applicants may omit the mandatory Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), but MUST address the Technical Qualification factors:

• Applicants who are currently serving under a SES career appointment (must provide a copy of Standard Form 50--Notification of Personnel Action that documents career appointment to the SES).
• Applicants who are eligible for reinstatement to the SES (must provide a copy of Standard Form 50--Notification of Personnel Action that documents career appointment to the SES).
• Applicants who are graduates of OPM-approved SES Candidate Development Programs (must provide proof of OPM Qualifications Review Board certification).

All required application materials will be reviewed to determine if applicants meet the mandatory qualification requirements. Qualification and experience determinations will be based only on the information supplied by the applicant. The best-qualified candidates for this position will be distinguished from other applicants by an evaluation committee to determine the degree to which qualification requirements are met. Applicants should provide specific evidence of possession of the mandatory Technical and Executive Core Qualifications, as outlined under Qualifications Criteria, to assist the evaluation committee in determining the best- qualified candidates that will be considered for final selection. The Executive Core Qualifications of the selectee are subject to approval by the Office of Personnel Management Qualifications Review Board (QRB). Unless you have already been certified by an OPM QRB in the past, your ECQs must be certified by an OPM QRB before appointment can occur.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS – MANDATORY

1. Demonstrated experience leading comprehensive IT and cyber security programs.

2. Demonstrated experience in overseeing the management of a broad range of functional responsibilities including: Leadership of an IT program and direction to an IT workforce for successful delivery in support of an Agency’s mission. Software development through effective utilization of agile processes to facilitate rapid delivery of a minimum viable product.  Successfully leading the modernization of systems and business processes to create a more efficient process with an improved experience for the system users.  Overseeing and managing coordination and integration of policies, directives, procedures, and activities to ensure effective and efficient planning, finance and acquisitions, and enterprise risk management in support of an Agency’s IT needs and CIO’s business operations.  Overseeing the management, operations, and maintenance of an Agency’s information systems, networks, and IT services and critical IT and communications infrastructure.  Overseeing and managing the assessment of new technologies and the identification and analysis of emerging IT requirements to ensure support of stakeholder needs and compliance with policies, directives, and ​standards.  Overseeing and managing an Agency’s cyber security program and the protection of Agency networks, systems, and assets in compliance with Federal laws and regulations and departmental policy. 

3. Demonstrated experience collaboratively working across and integrating organizational lines in implementing comprehensive IT and cyber security programs where not 100% of personnel work under an IT and cyber security programs direct chain of command.

Applicants currently serving under a career Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment, eligible for reinstatement into SES, or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) approved by OPM are not required to address the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs); but a narrative statement for each of the Technical Qualifications (TQs) is recommended.

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.

[Mandatory Statement]: 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.

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 of your total accomplishments and experience.  Your application will be evaluated by an internal rating and ranking panel.  Highly qualified candidates may undergo an interview and a reference check.  Unless you have already been previously certified by a Qualifications Review Board (QRB), your Executive Core Qualifications must be certified by an OPM-sponsored QRB prior to appointment.