Assistant Director Office of Conservation Investment

Summary

The Department of the Interior is seeking highly qualified candidates for the Senior Executive Service (SES) position of Assistant Director Office of Conservation Investment (OCI) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service located in Washington D.C.

The Department classifies SES positions by category to establish minimum pay levels. This position is designated as Category 4 with a minimum annual salary of $186207 .

Veterans preference does not apply to positions in the Senior Executive Service (SES).

Duties

The Assistant Director Office of Conservation Investment (OCI) performs the following key responsibilities :

• Provides executive leadership and strategic direction for nationally significant conservation grant and financial assistance programs that support fish and wildlife conservation habitat restoration Tribal stewardship recreational access and public opportunities for hunting fishing boating wildlife viewing and conservation education.
• Assesses program and project feasibility and establishes national goals priorities performance expectations and implementation strategies to advance OCIs mission and ensure effective program delivery.
• Exercises executive management and oversight of an annual conservation investment portfolio of approximately $1.3 billion and leads a geographically dispersed national organization responsible for administering complex financial assistance programs.
• Provides executive leadership for OCIs audit readiness enterprise risk management statutory and environmental compliance and internal control activities ensuring accountability and stewardship of public resources.
• Evaluates proposed Departmental policies consolidated fiscal processes and management initiatives to assess their operational financial and programmatic effects on OCI programs and statutory responsibilities.
• Serves as a principal executive representative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on matters involving national conservation investment and financial assistance programs engaging with Departmental leadership Federal agencies States Tribes conservation partners and other stakeholders to advance national conservation priorities.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination. You must be able to obtain/maintain a Tier 4 background investigation. This a Public Trust Non-Sensitive High-Risk position.
• Public Financial Disclosure (OGE-278 filing within 30 days is required)
• Males must meet Selective Service Registration Act requirements. To verify registration visit .
• Selections are subject to Department approval. Initial appointments to the SES must have to undergo an ECQ based structured interview with Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
• Initial appointments into the Senior Executive Service require a one-year probationary period.
• Individuals selected for an SES position are subject to reassignment
• Agencies must request OPM approval to appoint current or former (within 5 years) Executive Branch political appointees to permanent competitive service non-political excepted service or career SES position.

Qualifications

Basic requirement
Applicants must meet one of the following basic requirements:

A. Degree: Biological sciences agriculture natural resource management or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR

B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major or at least 30 semester hours in courses as shown in A above plus appropriate experience or additional education; OR

C. Experience: Four years of experience that demonstrated that the applicant acquired knowledge and understanding of one or more of the biological sciences agriculture natural resource management or related disciplines equivalent to that which would have been acquired through completion of a 4-year course of study as described in A above.

In addition to the basic requirement applicants must meet the following:

Minimum Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications you must submit a two-page resume (max) that shows you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and two Technical Qualifications (TQs). To be considered only the first 2 pages of your resume will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

Technical Qualifications (TQs) are designed to assess an applicants experience relevant to the specific position requirements. Your resume should clearly demonstrate your experience and accomplishments related to the two TQs below:

TQ 1- Conservation Financial Assistance Statutory Compliance and Risk Management:
Demonstrated experience providing senior-level leadership and oversight of complex Federal conservation or financial assistance programs including application of governing statutes and requirements such as the Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669) Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777) Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act and applicable environmental compliance requirements (NEPA NHPA and ESA). Experience must include managing program risk address audit findings and corrective actions and ensuring accountability internal controls and integrity in the administration of Federal financial assistance.

TQ 2- Enterprise Grants Fiscal and Portfolio Management: Demonstrated experience leading and integrating large-scale grants fiscal and program operations involving substantial financial and human resources geographically dispersed organizations and multiple organizational components. Experience must include coordinating enterprise financial assistance and fiscal processes with senior-level stakeholders; balancing centralized management requirements with program-specific statutory responsibilities; and providing oversight of significant program portfolios budgets workforce resources and organizational performance.

Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). Your two-page resume should also show that you possess the Executive Core Quali fi cations listed below. Your resume should clearly demonstrate your experience and accomplishments related to the ECQs. By statute the Office of Personnel Management prescribes Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) for the appointment of career SES members. The ECQs were designed to assess executive experience and not technical expertise.

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.
Sub-Competencies: Knowledge of the American System of Government Commitment to the Rule of Law Civic-Mindedness

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.
Sub-Competencies: Fiscal Responsibility Managing Resources Leveraging Technology

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.
Sub-Competencies : Technical Skill Problem Solving Agility and Resilience.

ECQ 4: Leading People: This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organizations 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 to hold individuals accountable.
Sub-Competencies: Accountability Developing Others Executive Judgement

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.
Sub-Competencies : Operational Mindset Innovation Strategic Thinking

In addition to meeting the basic requirement and demonstrating the required ECQs and TQs candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal Government supporting the principles of the American republic and upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Candidates will not be hired based on race sex color religion or national origin.

Already SES Certified

If you currently hold a career Senior Executive Service appointment are eligible for reinstatement to the SES or have completed an OPM-approved Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program (SES CDP) you need only submit a two-page resume and documentation demonstrating your SES status.

Current or former career SES members must provide the applicable personnel action documenting career SES service. SES CDP graduates must submit a two-page resume and a copy of their SES CDP certification.

Education

PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades credit hours earned major(s) grade point average or class ranking institution name and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institutions registrar dean or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however if you are selected for the position you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

FOREIGN EDUCATION : If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications U.S. Department of Education

Additional information

Individuals selected for Senior Executive Service positions may be subject to reassignment across geographical organizational and functional lines. The Department of the Interior structures its SES positions into categories to determine the minimum pay for each position. Pay is set based on consideration of the selectees current salary and other factors. 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 employees in the executive branch.

lf 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 to the Human Resources Office.

• Pay and Performance: Annual pay adjustments and performance recognition as applicable are based on performance in the Senior Executive Service (SES).
• Recruitment Incentive: A recruitment incentive may be authorized for a newly appointed employee in accordance with applicable regulations. Federal employees transferring to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) from another Federal agency who do not meet the eligibility requirements under 5 CFR 575.102 are not eligible for a recruitment incentive.
• Relocation Incentive: A relocation incentive may be authorized for an eligible Federal employee who at the direction of FWS and based on agency need must relocate to a different geographic area at least 50 miles from the location of the employees current position of record.

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.

Required Experience:

Director