Clarification from the agency

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.

• Provides leadership and guidance to FDA for all aspects of physical and personnel security, including the suitability and National Security Information Program.
• Provides strategic direction and oversight of the FDA's adoption of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), including all aspects of the development of plans, procedures and training programs in support of the Incident Command System.
• Assists in the development, management, and coordination of incident management policies and programs for FDA to ensure that an agency structure exists to respond rapidly and effectively to all hazards.
• Coordinates FDA emergency preparedness and response with federal, state, local, and global partners. Provides expert guidance, applying FDA laws to complex situations and recommending actions to control hazardous products.
• Advances the Commissioner’s priorities by strengthening emergency preparedness and response. Provides leadership and guidance to senior officials and oversees security operations, emergency management, and the FDA Emergency Operations Center.
• Manages the FDA’s suitability and security program per OPM rules (5 CFR Parts 731 and 732). Oversees security clearance levels for agency staff and contractors.
• Provides physical, documentary, and preventative security consultation to FDA components.
• Serves as the focal point in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency situations involving FDA-regulated products or in situations in which FDA-regulated products are needed to be utilized or deployed.
• Assists the Chief Operating Officer in the development and management of emergency and management policies and programs for FDA ensuring that a structure exists to respond rapidly to an emergency.
• Serves as FDA emergency coordinator with HHS ASPR and liaison to OSSI. Shares situational updates and ensures FDA emergency procedures align with national and HHS policies.
• Represents the Commissioner in international efforts, ensuring FDA readiness to work with global partners on emergencies involving regulated products and to share critical information.
• Manages the FDA EON Incident Management System, capturing near-real-time data on emergencies involving regulated products to support senior leaders in decision-making and response.

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.
• 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.
• Ethics Clearance and Financial Disclosure is required.
• Selected applicants may be subject to reasonable suspicion and post-accident drug testing. Employees not in testing-designated positions may volunteer for unannounced random testing by notifying the Drug-Free Workplace Program contact after hiring.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for the Office Director, Office of Security and Passport Operations position which falls under the 0089 occupational Series, you must meet the following requirements by 11:59 pm EST on 04/10/2026:

The candidate must meet the following qualifications for this Title 21 position:

1. Scientific, Technical, and/or Professional Fields
2. 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: You do not need to provide narrative response. These qualifications should be reflected in your 2-page resume.

1. Demonstrated expert knowledge of and experience in interpreting and applying laws, regulations, executive orders, and other policies related to emergency management, preparedness and response.

2. Demonstrated expertise and skill in planning, development, oversight, evaluation and documentation of security and emergency management programs.

3. Experience providing excellent customer service for large, regulatory, diverse and complex organizations; and consultation with various stakeholders and constituencies requiring management of strategic and competing objectives.

4. Demonstrated experience in a managerial capacity with responsibility for providing supervisory direction to a large and diverse organization responsible for promoting economy, efficiency and effectiveness in the administration of programs and operations on a national level and preventing and detecting fraud and abuse in such programs and operations.

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.

This position critical sensitive and requires the incumbent to have access to highly classified data, documents, sensitive compartmented information, facilities and/or materials related to national security, thus demanding the highest degree of public trust and requiring the incumbent to possess and maintain a Top-Secret Security Clearance and this is a drug-testing designated position.

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.