Clarification from the agency

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The Oceans, Wetlands and Communities Division (OWCD), in the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds (OWOW), is responsible for the national management of programs to protect, restore, enhance, and maintain the nation’s wetlands, streams, urban waters, marine waters, estuarine waters, and other special aquatic resource sites.  The Division works collaboratively across the Agency and with other federal agencies, state, tribal, and local governments to ensure the control and regulation of sludge, dredge, fill, marine debris, and vessel discharges.  In addition, the Division partners with these and other organizations to support place-based projects, training, and capacity-building strategies to advance improvements to the environment and health conditions in underserved and other communities.

This position serves as the principal advisor to the OWOW Director, as well as the Assistant Administrator for Water, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water, and Deputy Assistant Administrators for Water on Agency aquatic resource protection and restoration programs. Specific responsibilities of this position include:

• Directing the development of policies, plans, and programs, both immediate and long-range, in order to achieve the Division's objectives.
• Managing program functions of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) to ensure effectiveness of an overall national program strategy and operating guidance for implementing the Agency's responsibilities under Section 404 and to develop measures for evaluating performance of staff engaged in Section 404 activities.
• Developing necessary regulations, guidance, and procedures for issuing CWA Section 403 discharge criteria, and ocean dumping permits as well as site evaluations, designations, and management for disposal of dredged and non-dredged materials and for incineration at sea.
• Directing the development of the necessary regulations, guidance, and procedures for implementing the CWA Section 401 water quality certification program.
• Developing long-range plans, policies, goals, and targets for national policy issues concerning implementation or revision of the CWA and the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (MPRSA) for aquatic resource management and the control of pollution and their associated regulations and initiatives.
• Advancing state, partnership, and grant programs for ocean, coastal, and freshwater restoration, including National Estuary Program, Urban Waters, and National Wetlands Program Development Grants, as well as supporting technical, science, and data efforts related to relevant aquatic resource protection and restoration programs.
• Establishing and maintaining working relationships with Agency communications and public affairs offices, other federal agencies, tribal and state organizations, trade and industry groups, professional organizations, environmental groups, the press, and others furthering Agency efforts in administering cohesive aquatic resource protection and restoration programs.
• Managing the Division's human capital and financial resources. 

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.

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. 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.

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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 individually 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 individually will result in your application being disqualified.

TQ 1 - Demonstrated experience leading multiple program activities while demonstrating the ability to develop and implement organizational vision, mission, goals, and change and effectively manage a complex organization or a multi-disciplinary scientific or technical organization.

TQ 2 - Demonstrated experience communicating effectively with high-level officials in Congress, Federal agencies, and State, tribal or local governments, public interest groups, representatives of industry, and other public and private institutions and/or the general public (any combination) on complex, politically sensitive policy issues to articulate emerging regulatory initiatives and improve water quality.

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.