Deputy Director for Programs, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics

Environmental Protection Agency•Washington, DC

8d•Onsite

About The Position

This Senior Executive Service (SES) position is in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. This is an office-centered position--you must physically report to one of the duty stations stated in this announcement on a regular basis (location TBD after candidate selected). Duties This position is located in the immediate office of the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). OPPT is responsible for implementation of those activities of the Agency as mandated by the Toxics Substances Control Act (TSCA): implementation of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the Pollution Prevention Act, the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act and other statutes. OPPT provides leadership on a wide variety of national industrial chemical and pollution prevention-related policy, communications and resources management matters coming before the Administrator. The Office implements decision-making processes and coordinates the development, clearance and submission of all policy and programmatic planning documents for the chemical safety program. The Deputy Director for Programs in OPPT provides day-to-day supervision and direction for all activities assigned as delegated by the Office Director, utilizing their scientific background and technical expertise.

Requirements

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
TQ 1 - Demonstrated experience initiating actions, effectively integrating complex information in support of regulatory programs, and solving complex problems and issues.
TQ 2 - Demonstrated experience providing leadership and direction for conducting risk assessment and/or developing risk management options as related to human health or the environment.
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.

Nice To Haves

Leadership competencies for each ECQ can be found in OPM's Guide to SES Qualifications.

Responsibilities

Managing efforts to enhance and implement the Agency's chemical management program by developing and implementing policies for new and existing chemicals, including national program chemicals.
Developing policy and providing scientific and technical support for Office programs, including TSCA reform efforts to strengthen EPA's chemical management program and interfacing with internal and external stakeholders.
Collaborating with the Office Director and Deputy Director for Management in planning and managing resources, both human and financial, and evaluating organization and functional assignments to determine how to improve operations.
Coordinating strategic planning and program evaluation, including participating in planning the development, assessment and coordination of activities related to chemical management and pollution prevention programs assigned to the Agency.
Supervising a large staff of employees organized into units headed by subordinate managers and supervisors.