Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens

This position is located in the Office of International Affairs (OIA), Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Director is responsible for providing the Assistant Administrator, Office of International and Tribal Affairs, with
policy and programmatic expertise on environmental and geopolitical matters of importance to the U.S. in priority countries and regions of the world. Under the Director’s leadership, OIA is responsible for maintaining current environmental, cultural, political, and economic information for
use in developing Agency programs and policies in countries and regions. This information includes extensive knowledge of specific government ministries, officials in power, the changing political landscape, non-governmental organizations, negotiating positions, activities, and policies. The
Director manages the design and implementation of international technical assistance programs, ensuring their effectiveness. The Office of International Affairs also implements the Agency's international capacity building initiatives.

Specific duties of this position may include, but are not limited to:

- Providing policy and programmatic expertise on environmental, ecological, human health, multimedia, and political issues that are of import to the priority countries and regions of the office;

- Initiating studies and providing continuing assessment of those studies and assistance provided by EPA to internal and external partners;

- Engaging with foreign and US government officials to advance US interests through the use of free trade agreements, economic growth, and environmental collaboration;

- Serving as the Agency's primary point of contact with internal and external partners in order to develop information, evaluate findings, devise recommendations, and prepare conclusionary reports;

- Leading and coordinating the Agency's involvement in free trade agreements;

- Managing the Agency's participation in the environmental programs of multilateral organizations around the world;

- Representing the Agency in conferences, meetings, and seminars with other government agencies, private industry, academia, and research organizations;

- Establishing and exercising technical and administrative direction and control over the Office through the establishment of operating policies, priorities, procedures, plans, and budgets;

- Ensuring that procurements, contracts, grants, and assistance are managed in accordance with Agency and office policies, regulatory requirements, and budgetary constraints;

 - Performing supervisory human resources functions for the office and subordinate employees.

Grow your career for the good of our planet

The environmental challenges we face today are urgent. At the Environmental Protection Agency, we need professionals like you to join our team dedicated to safe, clean, and healthy communities. Our agency is built upon a commitment to protect human health and the environment. The work we do here changes the world. That’s why there has never been a more crucial moment to be one of the scientists, engineers, community leaders, IT specialists, communicators, administrative professionals, technicians, problem solvers, and innovators united in our mission to protect our land, air, water, and people. Join us. Be EPA.

Discover how you can apply your skills to make an impact. Explore careers and learn more about EPA at epa.gov/careers.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
• Pre-employment drug testing is required and random testing thereafter.

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.

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.

REAL ID requirements became effective on 05/07/25. If you are selected for this position and plan to use your driver’s license or identification card during the onboarding process (i.e., for employment eligibility verification or to obtain your EPA identification card), the document must be a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s license or identification card that includes the REAL ID-compliant star marking, or must be an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL). You will receive information about alternative acceptable documents (e.g., passport) prior to onboarding. For more information about REAL ID, see Dept. of Homeland Security and REAL ID FAQs.

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 within the required 2-page resume will result in your application being disqualified, unless you are a noncompetitive eligible applicant. 

ECQ 1 - COMMITMENT TO THE RULE OF LAW AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDING. Involves demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.
ECQ 2 - DRIVING EFFICIENCY. Involves demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.
ECQ 3 - MERIT AND COMPETENCE. Involves demonstrated knowledge, ability, and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.
ECQ 4 - LEADING PEOPLE. Involves demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and hold individuals accountable.
ECQ 5 - ACHIEVING RESULTS. Involves demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

Your responses should be clear and concise and show a level of accomplishment and a degree of responsibility. 

B. Technical Qualifications (TQs) - Mandatory for all applicants - Failure to address these factors within the required 2-page resume will result in your application being disqualified.

TQ 1 - Demonstrated experience providing policy and programmatic expertise for international environmental and geopolitical matters, international organizations, and trade agreements, and advancing U.S. interests through international environmental collaboration.

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 the experience described in your resume with the required 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.