Clarification from the agency

U.S.Citizens

The Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR) implements EPA’s resource conservation, recovery, and waste management goals under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and EPA’s chemical accident and oil spill prevention and preparedness activities under Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, section 311 of the Clean Water Act, the Oil Pollution Act, and section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act. ORCR builds a national waste management program implemented through EPA Regional Offices and State programs, promotes sustainability and safe materials management and fosters waste reduction and responsible management practices that will conserve natural resources, prevent future problems, and clean up problems from the past. The office implements the RCRA programs by developing and/or analyzing regulations, policies, data, etc., and by developing national policies. ORCR serves as the Office of Land and Emergency Management’s lead on issues related to homeland security dealing with identification, characterization, and disposal of wastes from natural disasters or other homeland security incidents and implements the remediation and disposal portions of the Toxic Substances Control Act related to polychlorinated biphenyls. The office implements chemical accident and oil spill prevention and preparedness programs by developing and/or analyzing regulations, policies, procedures, guidance, etc., and coordinating with federal, state, tribes, local agencies, academia, and other organizations for technical support and research on EPA’s chemical accident and oil spill prevention and preparedness programs. It serves as EPA’s liaison and point-of-contact to the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board and coordinates with international organizations and foreign countries on policy and technical issues.

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

• Overseeing the daily operations of ORCR, including administrative activities, financial and facility operations, human resources, etc., and ensuring compliance with all applicable Agency policy.
• Ensuring processes, policies and resources are in place to enable successful mission accomplishment including interpreting policy for subordinates, personnel officers and management officials, reviewing proposed plans and programs, and evaluating the progress of existing programs.
• Supporting the Director's initiatives by setting priorities, overseeing budget development, and developing and implementing strategies, policies, and plans for addressing current and future requirements.
• Representing and acting for the Director in meetings, conferences, and teleconferences with senior EPA leaders, other government offices and Congressional committees in order to discuss complex matters relating to policy, strategic planning, and other programmatic areas.
• Establishing and maintaining working relationships with internal and external stakeholders active in solid waste management and chemical accident and oil spill prevention and preparedness.
• Supervising a large staff of employees organized into units headed by subordinate managers and supervisors.

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.

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.

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.

You will be required to obtain and maintain a top-secret/sensitive compartmented information security clearance.

#LI-Onsite

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. Leadership competencies for each ECQ can be found in OPM's Guide to SES Qualifications.

B. Technical Qualification (TQ) - Mandatory for all applicants - Failure to address this factor within the required 2-page resume will result in your application being disqualified.

TQ 1 - Demonstrated experience leading a large, multi-disciplinary staff, including ability to manage policy discussions within the organization, develop regulations and guidance as appropriate, and ensure successful policy execution.

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 Qualification (TQ). 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.