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Chief of Staff

Department of Homeland Security
DHS Headquarters
Office of Health Security (OHS)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in the Office of Health Security (OHS). The Office of Health Security (OHS) oversees all medical, public health, and workforce health and safety activities of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). OHS strengthens the Nation's health security through leadership and partnership, a safer and healthier DHS workforce, and optimal care for those entrusted to us.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/08/2024 to 11/22/2024
Salary
$147,649 to - $221,900 per year
Pay scale & grade
ES 00
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Senior Executive
Promotion potential
00
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
ST-12605878-ES-25-SJ
Control number
818331100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

ALL Qualified Civil Service Employees: The "civil service" consists of all persons who occupy positions in the executive (includes excepted service), judicial, and legislative branches. Included are experts and consultants who occupy appointive positions, individuals in the Postal Service and the Postal Rate Commission. SES reinstatement eligibles outside the civil service and SESCDP graduates with noncompetitive eligibility may also apply for noncompetitive consideration for this position.

Duties

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The Chief of Staff provides management and administrative support across a range of functions, including technical, medical, and public health operations, finance/budget, human capital, security, facilities, logistics, property accountability, acquisition, privacy/civil rights complaints, continuity, and executive secretariat activities. Additionally, the Chief of Staff handles protocol matters that are central to accomplishing the Office of Health Security mission.

Specific responsibilities include:

  • Works with executive leadership and senior management to identify, analyze, develop, and implement highly scientific and technically complex policies and strategies on a diverse array of issues related to health security, as well as to ensure subordinate staff effectively execute mission support operations (both management and administrative) including personnel, acquisition, purchasing, facilities management, information technology, safety and physical, personnel, and information systems security; assist the senior executive leadership in overseeing the strategic development and execution of these policies and strategies.
  • Establishes a long-range process for analyzing and resolving complex medical, public health and workforce health and safety issues both internal to the Department and across the interagency; and identify policy issues and problems requiring executive leadership's attention (including items of concern and visibility for the Secretary, Deputy Secretary and White House senior leadership).
  • Reviews, evaluates and adjudicates (either clear on behalf of the senior executive leadership or refer for additional executive review) all clinical and technical documents by applying current health science knowledge and expertise including critical documents such as Congressional inquiries, DHS and interagency policy and diverse administrative taskers.
  • Sets public health objectives for the Office and translate priorities into actionable initiatives that have broad applicability and can apply strategic direction to far reaching public health issues across complex systems, with a specific focus on health security emergency management and DHS-led or supported unified response operations/missions.
  • Represents the Secretary, the senior executive leadership at meetings within the Department, other Federal agencies, the White House staff, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Congress, and private sector organizations.
  • Applies professional health security knowledge and experience in accomplishing special projects, representing OSH executive leadership, working with other officials, and in all other related activities.
  • Provides effective higher-level leadership/management of the Continuity of Operations (COOP), the Continuity of Government (COG), and other emergency preparedness and response activities under the authorities of the Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-5), the National Response Framework, National Continuity Implementation Plan, and the Stafford Act for OHS.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • You must submit to a pre-employment drug test.
  • You must be able to obtain/maintain a Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance.
  • You may be required to undergo periodic drug testing.
  • You will serve a one-year probationary period unless you previously completed the probationary period in the SES.
  • Selectee will be required to complete form OGE-278, Executive Personnel Financial Disclosure Form.

Qualifications

This is a Senior Executive Service Level (SES) position and the application process to recruit is the TRADITIONAL-BASED method. The applicant must demonstrate that they meet the below Basic Requirements for this series,address each Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) separately.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

Basic Requirement (0601 series). You must possess a bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the US Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. You must submit a copy of your college transcript OR a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify education. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. Official transcripts will be required if you are selected for the position.

AND

Basic Requirement for entry into the SES: 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.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs):
Unless you are currently serving under a Career Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment, eligible for reinstatement into the SES, or a SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) graduate, you must address the ECQs. Your narrative must address each ECQ separately and demonstrate the underlying competencies in the narrative. Examples should be clear, concise, and emphasize your level of responsibilities; the scope and complexity of the programs, activities, or services you managed; program accomplishments; policy initiatives undertaken; level of contacts; the sensitivity and criticality of the issues you addressed; and the results of your actions. You should use action oriented leadership words to describe your experience and accomplishments and quantify your experience wherever possible to demonstrate your accomplishments (e.g., number of employees supervised; size of budget managed; amount of money saved, etc.).

Applicants should use the Challenge, Context, Action and Results (CCAR) model below when responding to each ECQ:
  • CHALLENGE: Describe a specific problem or goal.
  • CONTEXT: Describe individuals and groups you worked with, and/or the environment in which you worked, to address a particular challenge (e.g., clients, members of Congress, shrinking budget, low morale).
  • ACTION: Describe the specific actions you took to address a challenge.
  • RESULT: Describe specific examples of measures/outcomes that had impact on the organization. These accomplishments demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of your leadership skills.
Your narrative response should not exceed 10 pages, be typed in 12 point font with one-inch margins. It is recommended that you include 2 recent (not older than 10 years) examples per ECQ and draft your ECQs in a Word document before uploading into the system to ensure these guidelines are met. Information that exceeds these guidelines will not be reviewed. Detailed information on each ECQ, the underlying and fundamental competencies, sample narratives and a tips sheet for writing effective ECQs are available in the "Guide To Senior Executive Service Qualifications" Senior Executive Service Executive Core Qualifications and Senior Executive Service Qualifications & Fundamental-Competencies.

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. Leadership Competencies: Creativity & Innovation, External Awareness, Flexibility, Resilience, Strategic Thinking, Vision.

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. Leadership Competencies: Conflict Management, Leveraging Diversity, Developing Others, Team Building.

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. Leadership Competencies: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Entrepreneurship, Problem Solving, Technical Credibility.

ECQ 4 - BUSINESS ACUMEN. This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. Leadership Competencies: Financial Management, Human Capital Management, Technology Management.

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. Leadership Competencies: Partnering, Political Savvy, Influencing/Negotiating.

NOTE: Those applicants currently serving under a career Senior Executive Service appointment, who are eligible for reinstatement into the Senior Executive Service, or who have successfully completed a Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program approved by OPM, need not submit a narrative statement covering each of the Executive Core Qualifications. However, those applicants must address the following Mandatory Technical Competencies.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION (TQ)s:

In addition to the Executive Core Qualifications, all candidates must show evidence of the following TQs below in order to meet basic qualifications for this position. Please label and include your name on each page. Please give examples and explain how often you used your skills, the complexity of the knowledge possessed, the level of people you interacted with, the sensitivity of the issues you handled managing a large public or private sector organization that administers complex, rules-based benefits or services, etc. It is recommended that you draft your TQ(s) in a word document and then upload into the system. You must address each TQ separately and you should not exceed 2 pages per TQ. You are required to respond to all TQs. If you fail to do so, you will be rated as 'ineligible.'

TQ 1. Demonstrated experience in managing complex, variable public health programs and delivering administrative support in areas such as finance and budgeting, human capital, security, facilities, logistics, property accountability, acquisitions, privacy and civil rights complaints, continuity, and executive secretariat functions for a major scientific office.

TQ 2. Demonstrated experience in providing technical leadership in applying scientific health security requirements during both steady-state and crisis response, including liaising, and engaging with senior officials, Congress, and the OMB on major programmatic and scientific policy issues.

DO NOT COMBINE THE TQ AND ECQ STATEMENTS. Failure to meet the basic qualification requirement and address all Mandatory Technical and Executive Core Qualification factors will result in your application being disqualified.

Education

This position has mandatory education requirements. You must meet the education requirement for the series listed. You must certify that you have qualifying education by including an unofficial transcript or a list of course work, including semester hours earned and grade received. Education will be verified upon appointment. If you are a current Federal employee in one of these occupational series, you may include a copy of a personnel action in lieu of a transcript.

You must submit a copy of your college transcript OR a list of college courses with credit hours, dates completed, and grades received to verify education. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. Official transcripts will be required if you are selected for the position.

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; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage.

Additional information

Veteran's Preference does not apply to the Senior Executive Service.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize any employment offers made to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Noncareer SES employees in the Executive Branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Noncareer SES employee, please indicate this in your resume. Serving in a Schedule A, Schedule C, or Noncareer SES appointment WILL NOT eliminate you from consideration.

Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expenses will not be paid.

Recruitment/Relocation/Retention Incentive may be authorized at Management's discretion.

Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation for Top Secret/ Sensitive Compartment Information clearance as a condition of placement in this Special Sensitive position. This review includes financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U. S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U. S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Pursuant to Executive Order 12654 and DHS policy, DHS is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, conducts random and other drug testing of its employees in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Headquarters personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing and all applicants tentatively selected for employment at DHS Headquarters are subject to drug testing resulting in a negative test result.

If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.

DHS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

A multi-step process is used to evaluate and refer applicants:

1. Minimum requirements: Your application must show that you meet all requirements including the education and/or experience required for this position. You may be rated "not qualified" if you do not possess the qualification requirements for the position. If your application is incomplete, you may be found "ineligible".

2. Rating and Ranking: A panel of subject matter experts will review your application and evaluate your qualifications for this position based on the information in your application. Your application will be rated, based on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of this position. Interviews will be at the discretion of the panel and/or selecting official.

3. Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application will be referred to a selecting official for consideration and possible interview. The DHS Executive Resources Board (ERB) will review results and make recommendations on final selections to the appointing authority where final interviews and reference checks may occur. Unless you have already been certified by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past, your ECQs must be certified by the QRB before appointment can occur.

Your supporting documents are an integral part of the process for determining your qualifications for the position. If your responses are not supported by your resume, you will be eliminated from consideration. After reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, if a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Incomplete or late applications will not receive further consideration.

The application process to recruit for this position is the TRADITIONAL-BASED method. You must address each ECQ separately and limit your statements to no more than two pages per ECQ, totaling no more than ten pages addressing all ECQs. Combine all ECQ responses into one document (i.e., all narratives in one PDF or Word document). Additionally, you must address each TQ separately, and you should not exceed two pages per TQ. You are required to respond to all TQs. If you fail to do so, you will be rated as 'ineligible.' DO NOT COMBINE THE TQ AND ECQ STATEMENTS.

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