Clarification from the agency

All groups of individuals within the civil service - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/ses-desk-guide/ch-2-general-staffing-and-career-appointments/

• Formulates short and long-range strategic goals, based on industry best practices, President's Management Agenda, Federal Activities Inventory Reform Act, Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996, Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA), other applicable information technology statutes, and SBA's Strategic Plan.
• Develops action plans and conducts investment reviews based on cost/benefit analysis of current information architecture, software, equipment and information technology training needs to improve SBA's management information systems and directly support the strategic mission, nationally.
• Monitors and evaluates the performance of information systems based on applicable performance measures.
• Participates with the CIO in directing policy development which restructures the current system in order to efficiently and effectively coordinate the efforts of the agency, streamline existing reporting and decision-making process, as well as permit optimal oversight and direction of the information technology program.
• Participates in e-Government (eGov) initiatives, providing expert advice and guidance on providing business owners and prospective owners with access to needed information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through IT for service delivery.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National to qualify for this position
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Veterans Preference is not applicable in the Senior Executive Service
• Initial appointments are required to serve a one (1) year probationary period
• Application package must be received by closing date of this announcement
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a favorable background investigation
• OPM Candidate Development Program (CDP) graduates and current Career SES members need only to address the Professional/Technical qualifications and need not respond to the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs).
• All initial appointments to an SES position are contingent on approval from OPM's Qualifications Review Board unless the selectee has successfully participated in an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program.

Qualifications

As a basic requirement for entry into the SES, applicants must provide evidence of progressively responsible executive leadership and supervisory experience that is indicative of senior executive level management capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications listed below. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the GS-14/15 grade level in the federal service or its equivalent in the private sector.

As such, your resume should demonstrate that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully fulfill responsibilities inherent in most SES positions such as:

• Directing the work of an organizational unit;
• Ensuring the success of one or more specific major programs or projects;
• Monitoring progress toward strategic organizational goals, evaluating organizational performance and taking action to improve performance; and
• Supervising the work of employees; and exercising important policy-making, policy determining, or other executive functions.

Failure to meet the basic qualification requirement and address all Mandatory Technical and Executive Core Qualification factors will result in your application being disqualified.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): The ECQs were designed to assess executive experience and potential not technical expertise. They measure whether an individual has the broad executive skills needed to succeed in a variety of SES positions. To meet the minimum qualifications, applicants must possess all the necessary requirements for this position. You must show in your resume that you possess the five mandatory executive core qualifications.

NOTE: Current career SES members, former career SES members with reinstatement eligibility, and SES Candidate Development Program graduates who have been certified by OPM do NOT need to address the ECQs.

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. (Competencies: creativity and innovation, external awareness, flexibility, resilience, strategic thinking, vision)

2. Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organizations 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. (Competencies: conflict management, leveraging diversity, developing others, team building)

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. (Competencies: accountability, customer service, decisiveness, entrepreneurship, problem solving, technical credibility)

4. Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. (Competencies: financial management, human capital management, technology management)

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. (Competencies: partnering, political savvy, influencing/negotiating)

Fundamental Competencies: These competencies are the foundation for success in each of the Executive Core Qualifications; Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Continual Learning, Written Communication, Integrity/Honesty, Public Service Motivation. The Fundamental Competencies are crosscutting; and should be addressed over the course of each ECQ narratives. It is not necessary for you to address the Fundamental Competencies directly as long as the narrative, in its totality, shows mastery of these competencies on the whole.

Applicants are encouraged to follow the Challenge, Context, Action and Result (C-C-A-R) model outlined in the guide.

• Challenge - Describe a specific problem or goal.
• Context - Describe the individuals and groups you worked with, and/or the environment in which you worked, to address a particular challenge (e.g., clients, co-workers, members of Congress, shrinking budget, low morale).
• Action - Discuss the specific actions you took to address a challenge.
• Result - Give specific examples of measures/outcomes that had some impact on the organization. These accomplishments demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of your leadership skills.

Additional information about the SES and Executive Core Qualifications can be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) SES Website. You are strongly encouraged to review OPMs Guide to SES Qualifications for specific examples and guidance on writing effective ECQ narrative statements.

MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): All applicants must submit a written narrative response to the following TQs. You must address each TQ separately. Each TQ narratives must not exceed two pages. Please give examples and explain the complexity of the knowledge possessed and the sensitivity of the issued you handled.

• Substantive knowledge of program/project and technology business management principles, techniques, and practices to effectively manage the achievement of goals and objectives, ensuring conformance with legislative and other regulatory requirements for effective management and utilization of IT resources within a large, complex organization. Knowledge of end-to-end security requirements management for enterprise IT services and of information security directives and cybersecurity policies, procedures, and standards to assure application and delivery of IT services in a steady-state and operationally active environment. Familiarity with principles of service delivery and design to improve operational efficiency and customer experience.
• Experience with developing and managing administrative processes or procedures in a large or complex department, agency or program. Ability to coordinate effectively at the leadership level to advance agency priorities and deliver on the agency's mission. An outstanding ability to communicate complex ideas and information to a variety of audience and customers inside and outside of your organization, including at the senior political level.

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, experience, and education. Resumes will be evaluated by a rating and ranking panel, and highly qualified candidates may be invited to participate in a structured interview and undergo a reference check. The SBA Executive Resources Board (ERB) will review results and make recommendations on final selections to the approving authority.

Unless you have already been certified by a Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past, your ECQs must be certified by a QRB before appointment can occur.