This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/790059700. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is sponsoring a Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program (SESCDP) which is targeted to begin in February 2025. We are anticipating a class size of 20-25 participants. The SES CDP prepares individuals who have demonstrated executive potential for senior leadership positions at the NRC.
Learn more about this agency05/06/2024 to 05/07/2024
$141,880 - $176,300 per year
GG 00
No
No
Occasional travel - Selected participants may be required to travel to participate in program activities, including four-month rotation assignments and up to four weeks for training.
No
Multiple Appointment Types - Appointment for this SESCDP is permanent or term.
Part-time - This is a 16-month part-time Senior Executive Service (SES) Candidate Development Program (CDP).
Excepted
00
Yes
Yes
NRC-MP-24-12404220
790059700
Current or former competitive service federal employees.
Current excepted service federal employees.
Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
Clarification from the Agency: All qualified individuals within the Federal Civil Service. Applications will be accepted from current NRC employees on a permanent or competitive Term appointment, other permanent Federal employees who have completed a 1-year probationary period, and reinstatement eligible. Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the Armed Forces under honorable conditions after three (3) years or more of continuous active service may apply.
Program Curriculum
Length of Program: This is approximately a 16-month, part-time program. Participants continue to occupy their regular positions except while they are attending training or seminars, or while on rotational assignments.
Orientation: After candidates are notified of their selection, an initial one-week mandatory orientation is held. Each participant is provided with program requirements, policies, and expectations for the program.
Individual Needs Assessment: Each participant completes a 360-assessment exercise prior to orientation, which is designed to determine those competencies which will be developed or reinforced during the program. Results of this assessment will be discussed individually with each participant during orientation.
Senior Adviser (Mentor): Through their experience, proven capabilities, and management perspective, SES senior advisers assist participants in further clarifying their developmental objectives and in identifying developmental assignments and activities. Initial meetings include a discussion on the candidate's developmental needs and assistance in identifying developmental assignments and activities. They meet with the candidate on a regular basis to provide coaching and monitoring of performance.
Executive Development Plan: An Executive Development Plan (EDP) is prepared by each participant, together with the immediate supervisor and the senior advisor (mentor). The EDP is used to identify, track, and document completion of competency-based needs of the participants. It is approved by the NRC Executive Resources Board (ERB), and is updated or revised, as needed, throughout the program.
Rotational Assignment: Significantly challenging rotational assignments totaling at least four (4) months of full-time service are required of all participants. One assignment must be at least 90 continuous days in a position other than, and substantially different from, the candidate's position of record. These assignments are designed to help prepare participants for the nature and scope of positions they are likely to assume in the SES.
Interagency Training: The program requires at least 80 hours of formal interagency training throughout the duration of the program that addresses the executive core qualifications and their application to SES positions Government-wide. The training experience includes interaction with a wide mix of senior managers and executives outside the candidate's organization or agency to foster a broader perspective. Note: Agencies sending candidate to the NRC SESCDP will need to provide funding for interagency training not to exceed $25,000.
Leadership Development Sessions: Candidates participate in bi-monthly one and one-half day leadership development sessions in Rockville, MD that consist of leadership development activities, relevant group discussions, individual, or group discussions with office directors, regional administrators, Commissioners, or other members of the senior executive services. Candidates present leadership topics or bring in a guest speaker. If possible, the candidates will visit another agency.
Group Project: Candidates are assigned a group project topic and an executive sponsor for each team. The candidates will work as a team to research and prepare a presentation for the completion ceremony.
Progress Review: Progress in meeting EDP requirements is closely monitored by the SES CDP Program Manager, senior advisor (mentor), and the ERB, and is evaluated periodically to assure timely completion of program activities.
Candidate Certification: After a candidate completes the program, the NRC's ERB determines if the candidate successfully completed all SES CDP requirements and demonstrated that he or she is prepared to serve as a member of the SES or if more development is needed. Once the ERB determines that a candidate has successfully completed the program, the candidate, in collaboration with the SES CDP Program Manager, prepares all required documentation required by OPM procedures. If the ERB determines that more development is needed, it provides the candidate with specific recommendations for additional training or development assignments necessary to successfully complete the SES CDP.
Cost: Travel and per diem costs to attend the program, participate in an NRC rotation assignment, and interagency training costs (not to exceed $25,000) associated with the program are paid by the candidate's home agency. Every effort will be made to accommodate regional and external participants when scheduling group training and program activities.
Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Basic Requirements as noted below.
Note: You must submit documentation to support your claim or you will be found ineligible.
Basic Requirement for the General Engineer, GS-0801 series:
You must meet one of the items listed below (A or B):
A. A bachelor's degree or higher degree in Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. Note: You must submit a copy of your college transcripts (official or unofficial) to document meeting this requirement.
B. You must possess a combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: 1) Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions; 2) Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico; 3) Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A; or 4) Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. Note: You must submit documentation, including transcripts to support your claim or you will be found ineligible.
Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.
Basic Requirement for the Physical Science, GS-1301 series:
You must meet one of the items listed below (A or B):
A. You must possess a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. Note: You must submit a copy of your college transcripts (official or unofficial) to document meeting this requirement.
B. You must possessa combination of education and experience: education equivalent to one of the majors shown in response A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Note: You must submit documentation, including transcripts to support your claim or you will be found ineligible.
Geographical Mobility or Availability
NRC strongly values and benefits from executives with broad agency experience and who are willing to serve where most needed. NRC executives may serve at NRC Headquarters (Rockville, MD) or NRC regional offices (Region I: King of Prussia, PA; Region II: Atlanta, GA; Region III: Lisle, IL; Region IV: Arlington, TX). Candidates' willingness to be geographically mobile upon graduation is not considered in rating candidates or identifying best qualified candidates.
Candidate Status
Candidates selected from within the NRC serving in career or career-type appointments retain their grade, pay, and status of their current position while completing the program and remain employees of their current organizations.
Candidates selected from outside of NRC who are currently serving in career or career-type appointments in other agencies may participate in the program while serving in their current agencies upon negotiation of a Memorandum of Understanding with the candidate's home agency. Alternatively, NRC may offer a career type General Grade Schedule (GG) 15 position to a career civil service candidate selected from another agency. Considerations in deciding between a Memorandum of Understanding and an offer of employment may include availability of full-time grade 15 work for which the candidate is well qualified, willingness or ability of the candidate's home agency to enter into a mutually acceptable agreement, budget, etc.
Candidates selected who are serving in other than career or career-type appointments (e.g., temporary appointments) are offered limited-term excepted service appointments (comparable to a Schedule B appointment) at Grade 15 level for the duration of their participation in the program, but not to exceed 3 years. Such appointments are made to full-time positions created for SES CDP developmental purposes and may not be used to fill regular positions on a continuing basis. The appointments do not confer civil service status. If an SES CDP participant serving on a limited-term excepted service appointment discontinues participation in the SES CDP for any reason, his or her employment with NRC terminates because it is authorized only for executive development positions established in conjunction with the SES CDP. Similarly, if the participant graduates from the SES CDP, but does not obtain an SES position before the appointment expires, his or her appointment with the NRC also terminates.
Career Transition Program: This program applies to Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed, or employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet eligibility criteria for CTAP or ICTAP; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. Well-Qualified includes those applicants whose knowledge, skills, and abilities clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. For information on eligibility criteria and required documentation, go to: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
NRC uses merit staffing procedures to evaluate and select participants for the SES CDP. Candidates will be separately considered in two categories: technical (engineering/scientific disciplines, nuclear security, etc.) and corporate support (general administration, financial management, human capital management, small business and civil rights, information technology management, etc.).
Phase I: Initial Review of Application Package
The Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer will conduct an initial review of applications for completeness, basic qualifications, and eligibility. Applications of qualified candidates will move on to Phase II.
Phase II: Executive Assessments
This position requires an online USA Hire assessment. The online assessment measures critical leadership competencies required to perform the job.
All minimally qualified eligible applicants will be referred to the USA Hire Executive Assessment. A minimum qualification review will be conducted, and then, applicants will be provided a link to the USA Hire Assessment. The expected timeframe for the link to the USA Hire Assessment to be sent is mid June 2024. The USA Hire Executive Assessment will measure the competencies underlying the five ECQs with the one exception of Technical Credibility. See https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/executive-core-qualifications/ for information on the competencies underlying the ECQs.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. All best qualified applicants will move on to Phase III.
Phase III: Preliminary Review and Evaluation
Panels consisting of NRC executives will evaluate candidates against the information provided in their resume, responses to the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), and Executive Assessment scores and responses to determine their level of knowledge, skill, and ability related to the job requirements. To ensure fairness and consistency, all applications will be evaluated against the same set of criteria. All best qualified applicants will move on to Phase IV.
Phase IV: Executive Resources Board Evaluation
The NRC's Executive Resources Board (ERB) will determine the cutoff for the highest qualified candidates who will move on to Phase V.
Phase V: Structured Interviews
The highest qualified candidates will undergo a structured interview conducted by NRC executives designed to measure specific leadership and interpersonal competencies of candidates by systematically inquiring about their behavior in past experiences and/or their proposed behavior in hypothetical situations. All candidates are asked the same questions in the same order and evaluated using a common rating scale. Applicants will be provided information about the structured interview process prior to the interview.
Structured interview appointments are scheduled to be conducted November 5 - 7, 2024, in Rockville, Maryland, in Rockville, Maryland. Candidates selected to participate must be available during that timeframe and must be available on their scheduled dates. The NRC will not pay any travel related costs to attend the structured interview.
The NRC's ERB will consider the results of the structured interviews in finalizing its selection recommendations.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
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.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. Your application for this vacancy must be received online via the USAJOBS application system BEFORE 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on 05/17/2024. If you fail to submit a complete online application, you will not be considered for this position.
You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and responses to the ECQs. ECQ responses must be in the space provided; responses stating 'see attached' WILL NOT be accepted. Breadth, recency, and length of experience in the field; training, awards, and commendations; past and current performance; and community or outside professional activities will be considered to determine your level of knowledge, skill or ability for this position.
The application process is as follows:
1. To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button. Then follow the prompts to login/register, submit all required supplemental documents, and complete the application process.
2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
4. After submitting an online application, on or around mid June 2024, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder.
5. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
6. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
7. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
8. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
9. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.
For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_Assessments.
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.
You must complete the online assessment questions. If your resume does not support the responses in your questionnaire, you may be rated "ineligible".
Reasonable Accommodation Requests
The NRC provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please notify the Disability Program Coordinator at (301) 287-0739. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Candidates who successfully complete the program and receive certification of their executive qualifications by an Office of Personnel Management Qualifications Review Board under the criterion of 5 U.S.C. 3393(c)(2)(B), will be eligible for noncompetitive appointment to the SES. Participation in the program does not guarantee placement in an SES position.
Applicants will receive an email confirming receipt of their application upon the closing date of the announcement. Applicants who submit an incomplete application or are found not qualified will be notified at the time of that determination. All qualified applicants will be notified whether or not they are selected for the program at the conclusion of the selection process.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/790059700. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proud to be ranked as one of the BEST Places to Work in the Federal Government. We've earned our top ratings by creating a work environment rich in opportunity, diversity, leadership training, teamwork, and work life balance. Help guide our nation into the next generation of nuclear safety and security! Begin a challenging career with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission where you can be part of a select group of professionals who protect people and the environment with the peaceful use of nuclear materials in medicine, industry and research. To find out more about the NRC, we invite you to visit us on the web at www.nrc.gov.