Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens

The Water Enforcement Division is a multi-disciplinary organization, staffed by attorneys, engineers, inspectors and scientists. The staff work with program offices to develop regulations, develop national policies and take enforcement actions, which include investigating possible violations; building the enforcement case; negotiating resolutions of those violations, including injunctive relief and penalties as appropriate; and commencing administrative and judicial actions.

The Director serves as an advisor to OECA's Assistant Administrator (AA), Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator (PDAA), Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA) and the Director of the Office of Civil Enforcement (OCE) on matters pertaining to the deterrence of noncompliance by the development and implementation of judicial and administrative enforcement activities under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), Clean Water Act (CWA), the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), and the Oil Pollution Act (OPA).

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

- Leading and managing the Water Enforcement Division, its personnel and its activities, consistent with OECA AA direction.

- Developing, reviewing and recommending adjustments to and for enforcement and compliance assurance policies of the national water enforcement program.

- Representing the Office of Civil Enforcement and OECA itself on or at committees, work groups, conferences, seminars, and meetings that are concerned or relevant to the formulation of national enforcement and compliance assurance policies and/or matters.

- Coordinating with the Office of General Counsel regarding defensive litigation that has enforcement implications.

- Determining if potential criminal investigation or prosecution may be warranted in cases under development and then advising both senior management and OECA's criminal office management.

- Providing legal enforcement counsel and guidance to the Office of Air and Radiation, Office of Land and Emergency Management, and other offices and officers in EPA regarding enforcement measures for a number of laws and policies, including, but not limited to: Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Act, Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, and the Oil Pollution Act.

- Establishing and implementing the policies, priorities, procedures, short and long range plans, objectives, goals, and resource allocations for the Division.

- Performing the full range of supervisory human resources functions for the Division.

Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen.

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 security clearance.

Pre-employment drug testing is required and random testing thereafter.

#LI-Onsite

Qualifications

The work of this position is classified in the General Attorney, 0905 series. Applicants must have a LL.B or J.D. degree from an accredited law school; must be admitted to practice before the highest court of a State, U. S. territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and must maintain active status as a member of the bar of one of these jurisdictions. The incumbent must have significant experience in providing legal advice and counsel at EPA; other federal, state, or local agencies; or in private practice.

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.

Applicants must also provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of the Technical Qualification (TQ) 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 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 leading and/or managing attorneys and technical staff in complex enforcement, and litigation matters involving federal environmental protection laws, regulations, and/or programs.

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.