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Director, Assessment and Cleanup Division

Environmental Protection Agency

Summary

This Senior Executive Service (SES) position is in the Office of Land and Emergency Management, Office of Superfund and Emergency Management, Assessment and Cleanup Division. About OLEM.

This is an office-centered position--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/02/2026 to 04/15/2026
Salary
$197,201 - $228,000 per year
Pay scale & grade
ES 00
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—If you are selected for this position, you may be eligible for episodic and situational telework. NOTE: If you are an EPA employee who currently works at a remote work location (i.e., full-time telework), your approval for remote work does not transfer to this position.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be required 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
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
EPA-SES-2026-0017
Control number
863353500

Duties

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The Assessment and Cleanup Division (ACD) is responsible for supporting EPA Regions on all aspects of the Superfund pipeline, including site assessment, time-critical and non-time-critical removal, National Priorities List rulemaking, selection, design and implementation of response actions, five-year reviews, community involvement, site reuse and post construction activities at private and federal facility sites. ACD develops national policy and guidance for EPA Regions and external partners to support implementation of the Superfund program. Additionally, the Division develops site strategies, performs optimization reviews and conducts project management oversight, including attention to site-specific schedules and resource needs. ACD coordinates with States, tribes, and other internal and external stakeholders on a national level to promote partnerships and ensure regulatory compliance.

Specific duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Developing and directing a national program to protect natural resources and public health and welfare from threats posed by releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants.
  • Establishing and implementing Division operating policies, priorities and procedures, including long- and short-range plans, budgetary considerations, and reviewing and evaluating progress of divisional activities.
  • Establishing and maintaining working relationships with internal and external stakeholders interested in emergency response and hazardous substance control.
  • Supervising a large staff of employees organized into units headed by subordinate managers and supervisors.
  • Ensuring that extramural resources, both procurement (contracts) and assistance (grants, cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements) are appropriately managed to maximize use of the Agency's resources.

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.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen.
  • You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.

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.

#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 managing complex and often controversial environmental policy and implementation issues of broad national importance, including experience implementing superfund site remediation programs.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.

Veterans’ preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service.

EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: E-Verify.

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.

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.


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Environmental Protection Agency

Agency contact information

Taylor Heise
Phone
919-541-2859
Email
heise.taylor@epa.gov
Address
Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. EPA
Mail Drop: C639-02
109 T.W. Alexander Drive, P.O. Box 12055
RTP, North Carolina 27711
United States

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