Deputy Director

Summary

The incumbent serves in the Senior Executive Service position as Deputy Director and a key advisor to the Director, Office of Research and Engineering, in the National Transportation Safety Board. The Office provides and directs specialized scientific and technological support for accident investigations and safety research studies in all transportation modes. The office has five divisions: Materials Laboratory, Vehicle Recorders, Vehicle Performance, Medical Investigations, and Safety Research.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

As a Deputy Director, ES-0340-00, you will assist the Director in providing executive level direction and oversight to a staff of professional employees engaged in a variety of research and engineering functions that support all accident investigation activities of the NTSB. Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Supervises, manages, and directs the work of multi-disciplinary employees in a variety of research and engineering functions across aeronautical, electrical, and mechanical engineering, biomechanics, human factors, and accident reconstruction for all transportation modes.
• Administers the office's scientific support for accident investigations in all transportation modes (i.e., highway, aviation, marine, railroad, pipeline and hazardous materials) through the operation of state-of-the-art laboratories, and provides data analysis related to material failures, vehicle performance and vehicle recorder readouts.
• Determines and plans for the adoption and implementation of emerging technologies and investigative techniques to collect and analyze all evidence that will determine underlying causes.
• Oversees safety research in all transportation modes and prepares comprehensive reports containing recommendations for corrective action for consideration by Board members.
• Represents the agency to private organizations, government agencies, international investigative boards on matters related to scientific and technical accident investigations and accident data analysis.
• Develops a strategic and annual operating plan for the implementation of short-term and long-term objectives for the Office of Research and Engineering.
• Oversees the Aviation Accident Database maintained by the NTSB as the official census of U.S. civil aviation accidents, and the development of statistical reviews, analyses and reports of accidents and incidents from this database.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizen.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Resume and supporting documents (see "How to Apply" section).
• Suitability and the ability to maintain a security clearance is required.
• Financial Interest in transportation enterprises will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
• Bargaining Unit Position: NO.
• Direct Deposit is required.
• Newly appointed SES members must serve a 1-year probationary period.
• Selectee will be required to complete and submit an Executive Personnel Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-278, prior to entering the position and annually thereafter.
• Ethics pre-clearance/financial disclosure statement is required.
• Security and Background Requirements.
• Veterans preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service.
• Two-Page Resume Limit: Resumes must not be more than two standard single-sided pages (or one page if submitting front and back, hard-copy).
• THIS POSITION IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REMOTE TELEWORK.
• This position is eligible for ad-hoc/situational telework as determined by the agency policy.
• The critical nature of the work of this position requires the incumbent to be available on a rotational basis 24 hours a day.

Qualifications

As a basic requirement for entry into the Senior Executive Service (SES), you must clearly articulate and describe within your two (2) page resume evidence within the past 10 years of progressively responsible supervisory, managerial, or professional experience which involved management of a program or organization of significant scope and complexity, normally obtained over several years by serving in positions at the GS-15 level or equivalent. Your resume must provide information regarding your professional experience and accomplishments that demonstrate your ability to perform the duties of this position and meet the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). Your resume must also clearly demonstrate your ability to meet the Mandatory Technical Qualification (MTQ). If you fail to do so, your application will be rated ineligible.

If you are currently serving under a career SES appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the SES (this means you were previously employed as a Career SES employee and you successfully completed a one-year probationary period) or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program and been certified by OPM, your resume must clearly state that you are a current career SES, eligible for reinstatement, or SES CDP certified and year of certification. You do not need to respond to the ECQs as a current or reinstatement eligible SES or an SES CDP graduate; however, you must respond to the MTQ. Please attach proof (e.g., SF-50, Certification by OPM's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB)) of your eligibility for noncompetitive appointment to the SES.

Please DO NOT submit separate documents addressing the five (5) ECQs or MTQ. Only your resume limited to two (2) pages will be accepted and considered. Any additional documents submitted will not be accepted.

FIVE EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQ):

ECQ 1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding. This core qualification requires a 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. The three competencies for ECQ 1 are defined as follows:

• Knowledge of the American System of Government: Demonstrates understanding and appreciation of the American system of government, including the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, separation of powers, federalism, and the historical development of the American Nation.
• Commitment to the Rule of Law : Upholds the principles of the American Founding, including equality under the law and democratic self-government. Ensures the law is applied fairly and consistently.
• Civic-Mindedness: Stays up to date on important developments in American government and aligns organizational objectives and practices with presidential and public interests. Demonstrates a commitment to serve the American people.

ECQ 2: Driving Efficiency. This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades. The three competencies for ECQ 2 are defined as follows:

• Fiscal Responsibility: Strategically manages, allocates and monitors financial resources. Aligns priorities and initiatives to justify budget proposals. Monitors expenditures, cuts unnecessary costs, and uses cost-benefit analysis to set priorities.
• Managing Resources: Manages resources efficiently and effectively based on current and projected organizational goals, skills, budget considerations, and staffing needs.
• Leveraging Technology: Explores emerging technology and potential applications. Incorporates technology to enhance efficiency and achieve results. Ensures access to and security of technology systems.

ECQ 3: Merit and Competence. This core qualification involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality. The three competencies for ECQ 3 are defined as follows:

• Technical Skill : Possesses the requisite technical knowledge and subject matter expertise to consistently produce timely, high-quality work. Is considered a strong contributor in his or her domain.
• Problem Solving : Engages in critical and data-driven thinking when diagnosing root causes and evaluating options. Identifies and promptly addresses the most pressing, high-priority problems.
• Agility and Resilience: Anticipates and adapts to change, new ideas, new information, and new conditions. Is committed to continuous improvement. Deals effectively with pressure and remains optimistic and persistent, even under adversity.

ECQ 4: Leading People. This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable. The three competencies for ECQ 4 are defined as follows:

• Accountability: Ensures that employees are appropriately recruited, selected, appraised, trained, and retained. Takes swift action to address performance- or conduct-based deficiencies in employees supervised. Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results.
• Developing Others: Recognizes and rewards outstanding achievement in others. Develops the ability of others to perform and contribute to the organization by providing opportunities to learn through formal and informal methods. Cultivates a dynamic environment in which employees are not afraid to make mistakes.
• Executive Judgement: Makes well-reasoned, timely, and effective decisions and considers short- and long-term implications. Communicates effectively with stakeholders across all organizational levels, sharing and guarding information where appropriate.

ECQ 5: Achieving Results. This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors. The three competencies for ECQ 5 are defined as follows:

• Operational Mindset: Effectively translates strategies into actionable steps and processes. Partners effectively with stakeholders to drive adoption and addresses blockers to ensure successful implementation.
• Innovation: Applies creativity to improving products and processes, challenges convention, takes measured risks, and considers ways to simplify and remove unnecessary requirements.
• Strategic Thinking : Formulates objectives and priorities and implements plans consistent with the long-term interests of the organization by evaluating conditions, resources, capabilities, constraints, and organizational goals and values.

MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION (MTQ): Demonstrated experience applying comprehensive research and engineering principles, including emerging technologies, and the ability to achieve results through the management of an interdisciplinary, highly technical team.

Additional information about the SES and ECQs can be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) SES Website: Executive Core Qualifications.

NOTE: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your resume must clearly show the specialized experience and competencies related to this position. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the education, specialized experience and/or competencies will result in an "Ineligible" rating.

Education

There are no educational requirements for this position.

Additional information

NOTE: for Current and/or Former Political Appointees: Effective January 1, 2010, OPM must authorize any employment offers we make to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES (political) employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that information in your resume.

Salary: NTSB structures its SES positions into tiers to determine the minimum pay for each position. This is a Tier 2 position. The minimum pay for this position is $151,661 and the maximum is $222,200.

SES employees are also eligible to receive performance-based bonus and pay increases.

Visit for additional information and benefits for SES employees.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. A variety of work life amenities are offered such as alternate work schedules, telework, flextime, fitness benefits and transit benefits.

Moving expenses associated with permanent change of station (PCS) are not authorized for this position.

If you left Federal Employment and received a buy out and you are selected for this position, you may be required to repay the full amount of the payment.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

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.

Help

Review our benefits