This position is designed as a SES General. USDA structures its SES positions into position levels. This is a position level two with a salary range of $189,354 - $200,728 per year. Exceptions to the salary cap may be considered in certain circumstances. SES employees are also eligible to receive bonuses and performance-based awards. Visit http://www.opm.gov/ses/ for additional information and benefits for SES employees.

Duties

The incumbent provides leadership to ensure execution of policies and procedures by the Water and Waste Disposal programs and support functions and performs other activities as the Administrator or Deputy Administrator may prescribe. AAWEP is required by regulation under 7 CFR 1700.30 to develop and institute plans, procedures, and policies for the effective, efficient, and orderly management of Water and Environmental Programs responsibilities. Incumbent supervises a Deputy Assistant Administrator (GS-15), Director for Water Programs Division (GS-15), and Director for Engineering and Environmental Services (GS-15) personnel responsible for executing day to day program operations. The incumbent is also responsible for leading a total of approximately 40 national office employees as well as collaborating and supporting counterparts (community programs) in 47 Rural Development State Offices to effectively implement financing. As Assistant Administrator, WEP, the incumbent has full responsibility for the major decisions affecting the basic content and character of this program. As Assistant Administrator, incumbent also has full responsibility for assuring that proper relations are maintained with Water and Waste borrowers, borrowers' organizations. The incumbent is also responsible for program planning and evaluation activities. This includes long range planning in relation to prospective changes, evaluation of programs to determine if agency goals are met. As Assistant Administrator, the incumbent is responsible for determining organizational improvements needed in the areas of structure and coordination between subordinate units. The incumbent is also responsible for resolving differences between key subordinate officials; and taking other conclusive personnel actions involving supervisors and other key officials.

Requirements

• Initial appointments are required to serve a 1-year probationary period.
• Narrative statements for the ECQ's must not exceed 10 pgs.
• Background investigation required.
• Veterans' preference is not applicable in the Senior Executive Service.

Qualifications

YOU MUST UPLOAD YOUR RESPONSES TO THE EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs) AND TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs).As a basic requirement for entry into the SES, applicants must provide evidence of progressively responsible executive leadership and supervisory experience that is indicative of senior executive level management capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications listed below. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the GS-14/15 grade level in the federal service or its equivalent in the private sector. As such, your resume should demonstrate that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully fulfill responsibilities inherent in most SES positions such as: - Directing the work of an organizational unit - Ensuring the success of one or more specific major programs or projects; - Monitoring progress toward strategic organizational goals, evaluating organizational performance and taking action to improve performance; and - Supervising the work of employees; and exercising important policy-making, policy determining, or other executive functions. Failure to meet the basic qualification requirement and address all Mandatory Technical and Executive Core Qualification factors will result in your application being disqualified. EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): The ECQs were designed to assess executive experience and potential not technical expertise. They measure whether an individual has the broad executive skills needed to succeed in a variety of SES positions. All applicants must submit a written narrative to address the ECQs. Your narrative must address each ECQ separately and should contain at least two examples per ECQ describing your experiences and accomplishments/results. The narrative should be clear, concise, and emphasize your level of responsibilities, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments, policy Initiatives undertaken and the results of your actions. Applicants should not enter "Refer to Resume" to explain your answer. The narrative must not exceed 10 pages. NOTE: Current career SES members, former career SES members with reinstatement eligibility, and SES Candidate Development Program graduates who have been certified by OPM do NOT need to address the ECQs. 1. Leading Change: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment. (Competencies: creativity and innovation, external awareness, flexibility, resilience, strategic thinking, vision). 2. Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organizations vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. (Competencies: conflict management, leveraging diversity, developing others, team building). 3. Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. (Competencies: accountability, customer service, decisiveness, entrepreneurship, problem solving, technical credibility). 4. Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. (Competencies: financial management, human capital management, technology management). 5. Building Coalitions: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals. (Competencies: partnering, political savvy, influencing/negotiating) Fundamental Competencies: These competencies are the foundation for success in each of the Executive Core Qualifications: Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Continual Learning, Written Communication, Integrity/Honesty, Public Service Motivation. The Fundamental Competencies are crosscutting; and should be addressed over the course of each ECQ narratives. It is not necessary for you to address the Fundamental Competencies directly as long as the narrative, in its totality, shows mastery of these competencies on the whole. Applicants are encouraged to follow the Challenge, Context, Action and Result (C-C-A-R) model outlined in the guide. Challenge - Describe a specific problem or goal. Context - Describe the individuals and groups you worked with, and/or the environment in which you worked, to address a particular challenge (e.g., clients, co-workers, members of Congress, shrinking budget, low morale). Action - Discuss the specific actions you took to address a challenge. Result - Give specific examples of measures/outcomes that had some impact on the organization. These accomplishments demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of your leadership skills. Additional information about the SES and Executive Core Qualifications can be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) SES Website. You are strongly encouraged to review OPMs Guide to SES Qualifications for specific examples and guidance on writing effective ECQ narrative statements. MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): All applicants must submit a written narrative response to the following TQs. You must address each TQ separately. Each TQ narratives must not exceed two (2) pages. Please give examples and explain the complexity of the knowledge possessed and the sensitivity of the issued you handled. 1. The incumbent will have demonstrated executive experience in leading and implementing significant financial assistance programs and policy activities impacting the rural water and wastewater industry. This includes extensive knowledge of environmental policy and compliance. 2. The incumbent will have demonstrated executive experience in leading significant economic development programs impacting economic opportunity and wealth creation in rural America.

Education

You will be evaluated on the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience, and education (if applicable). Your application will be rated and ranked by an Executive Resources Board (ERB) Panel, using only the information submitted within the application package. Applicants who do not demonstrate in their application sufficient possession of the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQ) will be determined ineligible for further consideration. Unless you have already been certified by a Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past, your ECQs must be certified by a QRB after selection and before appointment can occur.

Contacts

• Address Rural Development 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 US
• Name: Michelle Williams
• Phone: 202-791-8477
• Email: [email protected]