This position is being filled under a stream-lined hiring authority, Title 21 of the United States Code (21 US Code 379d-3a) as amended by the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016, section 3072 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, Section 3624. The candidate selected for this position will serve under a career or career-conditional appointment and be paid under the provisions of this authority. This position is being recruited based on the Title 21 Pay Table 4, BandH.
Summary
This position is being filled under a stream-lined hiring authority, Title 21 of the United States Code (21 US Code 379d-3a) as amended by the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016, section 3072 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, Section 3624. The candidate selected for this position will serve under a career or career-conditional appointment and be paid under the provisions of this authority. This position is being recruited based on the Title 21 Pay Table 4, BandH.
You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. Foreign nationals or legal permanent residents are not eligible for consideration. This is a 21st Century Cures Act authority announcement. Traditional federal rules regarding rating, ranking, and veterans' preference do not apply.
As the Deputy Center Director, participates fully with the Center Director in planning, managing, organizing, and directing all operations, programs segments, functions, and activities of the Center.
Represents the Center Director and serves as the Acting Center Director in his or her absence.
Serves to organize and coordinate matters brought to the attention of the Office of the Center Director and acts as an advisor to the Center Director on issues requiring decisions based upon comprehensive reviews of the issues.
Acts as a principal policy advisor to the Center Director on issues that require the most careful analysis concerning strategic initiatives and regulatory policy programs for CBER.
Establishes and maintains effective Center-wide governance and clearance mechanisms for advancing policymaking within the CBER and in collaboration with other FDA Centers and Offices.
Participates with the Office Directors in monitoring policy development and policy implementation activities of interest to the Center Director. Evaluates Center-wide ongoing biological product policies.
Develops, prepares, and presents authoritative memoranda, briefings, position papers and other materials concerning substantive questions, issues, findings, conclusions and proposed solutions and suggested courses of action.
Collaborates with the Center Director and Agency leaders to develop policy on pre-market product access and approvals, labeling, exclusivity and incentives, and emerging biological technologies and tools, including for cross-Center coordination.
Directs special studies and workgroups on major issues, reviewing and evaluating Center programs and consulting with Agency officials to address problems with regional, national, and international impact, and recommending actions to resolve them.
Provides authoritative guidance to leadership on short- and long-term activities to maximize CBER’s public health impact; reviews and analyzes program reports, proposals, memoranda, and other materials affecting Center operations.
Shares responsibility with the Center Director to identify opportunities, develop strategies, and cross-Center projects. Oversees improvements in governance, hiring, and strategic planning while building strong coalitions.
Leads the Center’s strategic engagement on legislative issues, representing the Center with Congress and stakeholders, guiding positions on legislation, and developing implementation plans following enactment of new laws.
Ethics Clearance Requirements
This position requires financial disclosure reporting and will be subject to FDA's prohibited financial interest regulation. If you are hired, you may be required to divest of certain financial interests. You are advised to seek additional information on this requirement from the hiring official before accepting any job offers. For more information, please visit the FDA Ethics web page: https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/jobs-and-training-fda/ethics.
Qualifications
In order to qualify for the Deputy Center Director position which falls under the 0601 occupational Series, you must meet the following requirements by 11:59 pm EST on 03/25/2026:
The candidate must meet the following qualifications for this Title 21 position:
Scientific, Technical, and/or Professional Fields
Qualified and Outstanding Candidates
a. Qualified applies to all candidates for Cures appointments. The FDA OTS will use the technical qualifications defined below as a baseline for comparing experience levels and other candidate attributes for relevant positions
b, Outstanding candidates can be defined by existing outstanding work experience, outstanding performance rating, or both.
Technical Qualifications:Candidates do not need to provide narrative responses. However, the technical qualifications must be reflected within the candidate's two-page resume.
Executive Level experience directing a large organization.
Experience establishing organizational policy, including the implementation of new legislative authorities or other significant mandates.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both internally and externally to a large number of staff located in different geographic areas.
Demonstrated ability and experience coordinating complex work and priorities and building coalitions with partners in other organization.
Extensive experience and knowledge of the FDA's regulatory and review process; strong leadership and significant executive management experience.
Demonstrated knowledge and experience in the regulation and development of biological products, including the evaluation of safety, effectiveness, and product quality.
Desired Qualifications:
Knowledge of Federal laws and regulations and DHHS and FDA policies and procedures.
Talent for leading cultural and organizational change management efforts.
Knowledge and awareness of the Director's interests and objectives in all matters involving the application of regulatory and policy judgement.
Experience interacting with the media and with entities that perform oversight activities, such as Congress or the General Accountability Office or a Board of Directors.
An advanced degree in law, science or management from an accredited college or university.
Supervisory Responsibilities
The incumbent is delegated full authority to achieve group goals and objectives through the effective management of available resources. Performance and accomplishments are assessed primarily through work performance indicators, staff discussion, planning sessions, review of individual project outputs, and annual program review.
Leads in a proactive, customer-responsive manner consistent with Agency vision and values, effectively communicating program issues to external audiences. Ensures financial and managerial accountability by acting with prudence when executing fiduciary responsibilities. Demonstrates high integrity and adheres to the highest ethical standards of public service. Uses effective business practices including balanced measures of results, values, and invests in each employee; emphasizes empowerment and two-way communication. Takes a leadership role in advocating for and advancing the priorities of the Agency. Serves as a role model for leadership by encouraging teamwork and a collaborative approach. Timely notifies Agency officials of all significant actions and developments, including but not limited to those related to regulatory matters, legislative matters, budget matters, reports, initiatives, and events and ensures subordinate managers do the same.
Provides reasonable accommodations needed to best utilize qualified people with disabilities.
This position is designated as an SES Equivalent position and is covered under the FDA Title 21 Executive Performance Management System and identified as a public filing position for ethics purposes.
Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Officers interested in applying for this position to serve in Title 21 must resign their commission if selected.
NOTE: Applicants must submit all relevant transcripts that demonstrate you possess the required education to meet the Basic Qualifications.
Conditions of Employment:
U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.
The candidate selected for this position will serve under a career or career-conditional appointment within the competitive service.
Direct Deposit: You will be required to have all federal salary payments electronically deposited into a bank account with a financial institution of your choice.
FDA participates in e-Verify: All new hires must complete the I-9 form; this information will be processed through e-Verify to determine your employment eligibility. If a discrepancy arises, you must take affirmative steps to resolve the matter.
Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with the Selective Service. Please go to http://www.sss.gov for more information.
Background Investigation Requirement: All employees must pass a security investigation. Failing to pass the background check may be grounds for removal or legal action. If hired, you may be subject to additional investigations at a later time.
Certification of Accuracy: All information concerning eligibility and qualification is subject to investigation and verification. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection, or appropriate legal action.
All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and be subject to random, reasonable suspicion, and post-accident drug testing upon hiring.
Appointment to the position will be contingent upon a negative applicant drug test result.
Probationary periods are required for new employees appointed to competitive service positions for the first time; or reinstated employees who return after a break in service of 30-days or more and who have not completed a probationary period.
Pre-employment physical required: No
Drug testing required: Yes
License required: No
Mobility agreement required: No
Immunization required: No
Bargaining Unit: No
Telework eligible position: Telework is at the discretion of the supervisor.
Ethics preclearance/OGE-278, required: Please be advised that this position is subject to FDA's prohibited financial interest regulation and may require the incumbent of this position to divest of certain financial interests. Applicants are advised to seek additional information on this requirement from the hiring official before accepting this position. For more information please visit the FDA Ethics web page: https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/jobs-and-training-fda/ethics.
Financial disclosure statement, required: This position requires financial disclosure reporting and will be subject to FDA's prohibited financial interest regulation. If you are hired, you may be required to divest of certain financial interests. You are advised to seek additional information on this requirement from the hiring official before accepting any job offers.
Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
Education Requirement: 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.
Pay careful attention to the Qualifications and Education sections to identify vacancies where a transcript is required. Even if you hold a similar position or are a current employee, you are not exempt from transcript requirements.
TRANSCRIPTS (REQUIRED): Positions which are scientific or technical in nature often have very specific educational requirements. You must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. For information on where to submit transcripts, please see section under How To Apply.
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.
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities, see the Foreign Education section below for additional requirements.
Electronic Transcript Caution: If you have obtained your transcripts electronically, the file might contain security measures that could prevent our application system from reading the file. Therefore, you should consider asking the institution to provide the file in a non-secured electronic format. Alternatively, you could scan or take a photo of the printed copy of the transcript. If your uploaded transcript cannot be read by our system, you may receive consideration and credit for the information we can access.
Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation.
To be acceptable, the foreign credential evaluation must include/describe at a minimum, the following information: (1) The type of education received by the applicant; (2) The level of education in relation to the U.S. education system, and state that its comparability recommendations follow the general guidelines of the International Evaluation Standards Council; (3) The content of the applicant's educational program earned abroad, and the standard obtained; (4) The status of the awarding foreign school's recognition and legitimacy in its home country's education system; and (5) Any other information of interest such as what the evaluation service did to obtain this information, the qualifications of the evaluator, and any indications as to other problems such as forgery.
Note: Some positions require the completion of specific courses or a specified number of credit hours. Therefore, the foreign credential evaluation should provide information similar to that of an official transcript, to include a list of the courses taken, quarter and/or semester hours awarded, the cumulative grade point average (GPA), honors received, if any, date degree awarded.
Applicants can request an evaluation from a member organization of one of the two national associations of credential evaluation services listed below:
Incentives may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon funds availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require you to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a period of up to 3 years. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Incentives include the following: moving expenses, recruitment or relocation incentive; student loan repayment, superior qualifications appointment, creditable service for annual leave for prior non-federal work experience or prior uniformed military service, etc.
If you are serving, or have served in the last 5 years (from 03/25/2026) as an Executive Branch political, Schedule C, or Non-career SES appointee, HHS/FDA may be required to obtain approval by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prior to beginning employment. You can find out if you have held one of these appointment types by looking at your Standard Form 50s in your Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), in Section 5 where the legal authorities are listed. If you have served or are currently serving, you must provide a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, documenting this appointment. In addition, you will be required to respond to the question in the assessment and certify your responses to the questionnaire. See Political Appointee FAQ - OPM for more.
Applicants selected for this position will be subject to reasonable suspicion and post-accident drug testing upon hiring. To demonstrate commitment to the HHS goal of a drug-free workplace and to set an example for other Federal employees, employees not in a testing designated position may volunteer for unannounced random testing by notifying their Drug-free Federal Workplace Program Point of Contact upon hiring.
All requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement (03/25/2026); only education and experience gained by this date will be considered. You must continue to meet all requirements throughout the entire hiring process.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
This is a Title 21 announcement. Traditional rating and ranking of applications, and veterans' preference does not apply to this vacancy. You will be evaluated against the basic qualifications and if found qualified, you will be referred to the Hiring Manager for consideration.
If you are referred to the hiring manager for consideration, you may be further evaluated based on an interview; review of requested work samples, writing samples, most recent performance evaluation(s), or professional references; or results of an oral presentation or work-related test. Failure to comply with any of the additional assessment requirements will result in removal from further consideration.
Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Resume: At a minimum, your resume should list the position title, employer name, start and end dates (including month and year), salary (or grade and step), hours worked per week, and a list of duties performed or accomplishments, for EACH position listed. A CV (curriculum vitae) may not contain enough information to meet these resume requirements.
Your two (2) page RESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
Transcripts: This position has an education requirement. Official or unofficial transcripts are required. See the Qualifications and Education Requirements section of this announcement.
Additional Documents (if applicable):
Cover Letter
Other supporting documentation not listed above
Resume
SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
Transcript
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement by 11:59 pm on the closing date, may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are optional and will not be scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration. You will be asked to certify that your responses are written in your own words and that you did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) tool (such as ChatGPT or Copilot).
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
To apply for positions with the Food & Drug Administration, you must have a https://secure.login.gov/ account, and be signed in to that account, before you click "Apply Online". See the USAJOBS Help Site article "How does the application process work?" for more on this process. Additionally, you must provide a resume and any required supporting documentation listed on the announcement, and you must complete all assessment questionnaires BEFORE 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement, 03/25/2026. We recommend that you start the application process early enough that you can complete and submit your application before this deadline.
Please note that you cannot submit documentation or make changes to your application after the close date.
If you would like to learn how to use USAJOBS including: accessing and managing your account, adding saved documents, building a resume, or starting an application; we recommend you visit the USAJOBS How To site, and read up on any topic that you need help with. This site is located at: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Additionally, if you need technical assistance with USAJOBS (such as account issues) please visit the main USAJOBS Contact us at: USAJOBS - Contact us FDA's Applicant Help Desk is not able to support USAJOBS-related issues.
The Food & Drug Administration uses a system called Application Manager (USA Staffing) to post jobs and accept applications. If you are not familiar with Application Manager or you encounter any difficulty with the site, we recommend that you visit the Applicant HELP Site at:
https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us
. This help site contains step-by-step instructions for completing the application process, submitting documentation, and completing questionnaires, and should be very helpful to you!
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. The FDA will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities who are not able to apply online. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the Applicant Help Desk. Decisions on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
If after reviewing the USAJOBS and Application Manager help sites, you're not able to find the answer to your question or concern, or if you wish to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the FDA Applicant Help Desk at 866-807-3742, or e-mail ERIC@fda.hhs.gov.
The Applicant Help Desk is staffed between the hours of 7am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except for government holidays. If you contact the Applicant Help Desk, please provide the following Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 12906421 so that we may assist you faster.
Resume: At a minimum, your resume should list the position title, employer name, start and end dates (including month and year), salary (or grade and step), hours worked per week, and a list of duties performed or accomplishments, for EACH position listed. A CV (curriculum vitae) may not contain enough information to meet these resume requirements.
Your two (2) page RESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
Transcripts: This position has an education requirement. Official or unofficial transcripts are required. See the Qualifications and Education Requirements section of this announcement.
Additional Documents (if applicable):
Cover Letter
Other supporting documentation not listed above
Resume
SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
Transcript
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement by 11:59 pm on the closing date, may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are optional and will not be scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration. You will be asked to certify that your responses are written in your own words and that you did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) tool (such as ChatGPT or Copilot).
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
To apply for positions with the Food & Drug Administration, you must have a https://secure.login.gov/ account, and be signed in to that account, before you click "Apply Online". See the USAJOBS Help Site article "How does the application process work?" for more on this process. Additionally, you must provide a resume and any required supporting documentation listed on the announcement, and you must complete all assessment questionnaires BEFORE 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement, 03/25/2026. We recommend that you start the application process early enough that you can complete and submit your application before this deadline.
Please note that you cannot submit documentation or make changes to your application after the close date.
If you would like to learn how to use USAJOBS including: accessing and managing your account, adding saved documents, building a resume, or starting an application; we recommend you visit the USAJOBS How To site, and read up on any topic that you need help with. This site is located at: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Additionally, if you need technical assistance with USAJOBS (such as account issues) please visit the main USAJOBS Contact us at: USAJOBS - Contact us FDA's Applicant Help Desk is not able to support USAJOBS-related issues.
The Food & Drug Administration uses a system called Application Manager (USA Staffing) to post jobs and accept applications. If you are not familiar with Application Manager or you encounter any difficulty with the site, we recommend that you visit the Applicant HELP Site at:
https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us
. This help site contains step-by-step instructions for completing the application process, submitting documentation, and completing questionnaires, and should be very helpful to you!
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. The FDA will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities who are not able to apply online. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the Applicant Help Desk. Decisions on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
If after reviewing the USAJOBS and Application Manager help sites, you're not able to find the answer to your question or concern, or if you wish to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the FDA Applicant Help Desk at 866-807-3742, or e-mail ERIC@fda.hhs.gov.
The Applicant Help Desk is staffed between the hours of 7am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except for government holidays. If you contact the Applicant Help Desk, please provide the following Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 12906421 so that we may assist you faster.
