Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens

The Deputy Regional Administrator serves as the alter ego of the Regional Administrator, sharing fully with the Regional Administrator in the planning, supervision, programming, policy implementation, management, direction and control of all aspects of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 organizational management as well as all EPA activities and actions within the Region. In the absence of the Regional Administrator, the Deputy Regional Administrator performs the duties of that position. The Deputy Regional Administrator also serves as the Deputy Civil Rights Official in Region 6. 

The Deputy Regional Administrator in concert with the Regional Administrator performs the following duties:

• Providing technical and administrative control and direction of the environmental protection activities within the jurisdiction of the Region, including management of total resources within the guidelines provided by Headquarters.
• Ensuring EPA programs, policies, rulemaking processes, enforcement, compliance assurance activities, and operations consider the current and future impacts of climate change and how those impacts (activities) disproportionately affect overburdened and underserved communities. 
• Leading and overseeing the work of the division directors regarding all air, water, climate change and land program activities, requiring outreach, engagement, and environmental protection of communities and tribes potentially impacted by these activities; and coordinating with Headquarters groups as appropriate.
• Providing leadership, advice and consultation to State and local agencies, other Federal agencies and interagency groups and governmental and non-governmental organizations to achieve an integrated and effective approach to the protection of the environment and human health, resolving related problems and exercising approval authority for State standards and implementation plans.
• Cultivating relationships with Congressional, State, and local government officials and vulnerable stakeholders to develop solutions to complex multimedia issues, including but not limited to climate change and environmental justice.
• Ensuring the Region meaningfully engages with communities with environmental justice concerns, including with community-based environmental justice organizations, to provide regular opportunities for input regarding program development and implementation, including technical assistance and capacity building.
• Representing the Region in conferences and meetings with Agency officials and others in connection with the planning and development of program objectives and activities.
• Evaluating status and trends of environmental protection programs and accomplishments.
• Representing the Agency on committees for intra/interagency and international affairs concerning protection of the environment.
• Supervising a large staff of employees organized into units headed by subordinate managers and supervisors.
• Presenting, justifying, and interpreting program and management goals and objectives to top levels of authority within and outside the Agency.
• Overseeing the implementation of public awareness and information activities for the regional programs.
• Attending meetings with various groups and organizations, internal and external to the Agency, making presentations concerning the various aspects of Agency programs and activities within the Region, and promoting understanding and support for this work.

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.

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

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. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

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

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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 managing and directing a large, interdisciplinary, and diverse organization involving complex environmental policy, climate change, and environmental justice issues.

TQ 2 - Demonstrated experience cultivating relationships with stakeholders, including federal, state, local, or tribal governments, elected officials, non-governmental organizations, industrial entities, academia, media, and the general public on environmental protection program planning, decision making, technical assistance, and capacity building.

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 three member Rating Panel consisting of SES 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.