This position is designed as a SES, Career-Reserved. USDA structures its SES positions into position levels. This is a position level two with a salary range of $189,354 to $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

1. Serves as a principal advisor to the Administrator and delegated spokesman in matters concerning RBCS programs. 2. Provides leadership for RBCS and, in coordination with the Associate Deputy Administrator, is responsible for ensuring that programs are delivered timely and efficiently. 3. Shares fully with the Administrator and key officials’ responsibility for overall development, installation, and effective implementation of broad policies, plans, and objectives of RBCS programs operations. 4. Ensures programs target rural areas of greatest needs, in conjunction with administration and department goals, priorities, and objectives. 5. Develops and recommends basic policy and establishes administrative regulations relating to RBCS programs. 6. Gives technical direction and leadership to studies of present policies and program operations. Initiates new or revised policies, system, and operating practices. 7. Gives executive direction to the coordination of RBCS regulatory and operational releases and practices within the program area with related operation of other USDA agencies and Federal organizations. 8. Serves as the focal point in the development of reviews and studies to provide specialists with operating program information essential to the development of internal policy and program decisions. 9. Assures the review of legislation, executive orders, and other regulations to ascertain the implication of proposed provisions on operations, for developing and recommending program operations policy. 10. Establishes operations processes to accomplish changed legislation, regulations, etc. 11. Serves as senior advisor to the Administrator policy matters. 12. Shares fully with the Administrator and key staff officials in formulating, implementing, and effectively administering RBCS policies, plans, and objectives. 13. Advises and counsels the RBCS Administrator and shares fully in the responsibilities for advising and counseling other key officials on broad, complex matters. 14. Represents and speaks for the Administrator on policy matters and operating problems relating to programs. 15. Develops and maintains contacts, relationships, and liaison with Congress, key USDA officials, and representatives of other Government entities. 16. Oversees effective and efficient delivery of programs, ensuring that appropriated funds are allocated properly and within guidelines and priorities. 17. Ensures that all RBCS reporting requirements, including to the Administrator, the Under Secretary, Secretary, the President, and Congress, are met. 18. Keeps abreast of Agency programs requirements, relates requirements to available facilities, and initiates accomplishment through sound and technically appropriate RD, credit, and managerial principles and practices. 19. Provides expert managerial leadership to key field officials on an Agency-wide basis. 20. Schedules and conducts conferences, trainings, and meetings to further the achievement of Agency financial programs objectives.

Requirements

• Veterans Preference is not applicable in the Senior Executive Service.
• Initial appointments are required to serve a 1-year probationary period.
• Narrative Statements for the ECQs must not exceed 10 pages.
• Background Investigation required.

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 initiatives. This includes extensive knowledge of grant, loan, and loan guarantee programs, including those that provide technical assistance. 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]