Summary
You will serve as the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Liaison with the Bureau of Reclamation. This position acts as the Liaison between the Commissioner's Office and the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, facilitating communication and coordination among staff and activities in the Washington, D.C. office. The position connects the Commissioner, Directors, Senior Leaders, and Senior Management to ensure alignment across leadership.
This job is open to
Internal to an agency
Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
Land and base management
Current or former employees of a base management agency.
Clarification from the agency
This is a Merit Promotion announcement for career and career conditional Department of Interior employees, Career Transition eligibles (CTAP), Current or former time-limited employees eligible under Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) and those who are eligible under the hiring paths listed above. Refer to Required Documents section for more information.
Duties
At the full performance level (GS-14) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:
- Serves as the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science (ASWS) Liaison reporting to the Chief of Staff, providing strategic guidance, independent analysis, and authoritative recommendations to senior leadership on complex technical, administrative, and policy issues affecting Office programs and long-term objectives.
- Leads high-level coordination and liaison activities with the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation Washington Office, and other senior officials to align policy positions, resolve issues, and ensure consistent communication across organizational levels.
- Conducts advanced program, legislative, and policy analysis, evaluating emerging and high-visibility issues; assessing risks, impacts, and tradeoffs; and developing well-supported options for Washington-level decision-making.
- Reviews and synthesize proposed legislation, executive orders, regulatory actions, and policy initiatives, collaborating with Management and technical staff to formulate Office positions and prepare authoritative responses, analyses, and briefing materials.
- Represents the Office in engagements with congressional offices, Tribal governments, Federal and non-Federal partners, and public interest groups, clearly communicating program activities, policy positions, and technical matters.
- Oversees the development and clearance of controlled correspondence and official communications, ensuring accuracy, policy compliance, and timely response to inquiries from Congress, the Administration, and external stakeholders.
- Provides leadership and expert guidance on cross-functional initiatives and special projects, exercise independent judgment to address high-priority issues, evaluate risks and opportunities, and advise Management on strategic considerations.
- Participates in Reclamation-wide and interagency committees and working groups, ensuring the Office's priorities and perspectives are appropriately represented and integrated into broader departmental and interagency efforts.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
- Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
- You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
Qualifications
Qualifications:
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, the HR Office must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - this information must be clearly supported in the resume.
GS-14: In order to qualify for the GS-14 grade level, your resume must reflect one year of specialized experience equivalent in complexity and difficulty to the GS-13 grade level.
Specialized Experience for GS-14: Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
1. Providing policy and analytical support on complex, high-visibility issues; evaluating legislative, regulatory, and program matters to develop strategic recommendations; and advising leadership on organizational impacts and decision options.
2. Coordinating with departmental leaders, regional offices, and interagency partners; preparing authoritative briefing materials and official correspondence; and representing an organization in meetings with congressional offices, Tribal governments, and/or external stakeholders.
3. Leading cross-functional initiatives, assessing risks and opportunities, and ensuring organizational perspectives are accurately communicated and integrated into broader departmental or interagency efforts.
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 08/18/2026 - unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Time-In-Grade: Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.
Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Education
This position does not allow substituting education for experience.
Additional information
Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.
All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.
You will be on a Temporary Duty Extended assignment to the Bureau of Reclamation, Commissioner's Office, Washington, D.C., not-to-exceed two years. Assignment may be extended at management's discretion for an additional year, for a total of three years. During the temporary assignment the incumbent will remain duty stationed at his/her present location but will report organizationally to the Chief of Staff in Washington D.C.
Additional Reduced Per Diem Rate Information: The rate of 65% is reviewed annually and subject to change at any time during the temporary assignment. No relocation expenses will be paid while on this assignment either to or from Washington D.C., in accordance with the Temporary Duty Travel Policy which is available from Reclamation's Human Resources Office. Reclamation may reimburse costs associated with limited return travel to the official duty station for the selectee's health and well-being. Transportation costs incurred during authorized return travel are considered taxable. The frequency and duration of return travel will be determined by the supervisor and documented prior to the beginning of this assignment.
Promotion Potential: If selected for a temporary promotion to the GS-14, the selectee will subsequently be assigned into a permanent GS-13 position within their Region upon completion of the assignment. At management's discretion, temporary promotion to the GS-14 may be made permanent if such a position is available and the individual is otherwise eligible. While this temporary promotion opportunity MAY lead to a permanent GS-14 promotion without further competition, this does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to do so.
Reassignment: If the selectee held the GS-14 immediately preceding this temporary assignment, the incumbent will retain the GS-14, and upon completion of the assignment will be placed in a permanent GS-14 position within your Region.
Salary: The salary listed on the announcement is based on Washington, D.C. locality pay. Upon selection, salary will be adjusted to match the appropriate locality pay table. Locality pay tables can be found for reference here.
Due Weight: Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, you must submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment(s) required for this position. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.
Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.
In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of a structured resume review. This assessment measures the critical competencies listed below that are required to successfully perform the job.
- Strategic Thinking - Formulates effective strategies consistent with the business and competitive strategy of the organization in a global economy. Examines policy issues and strategic planning with a long-term perspective. Determines objectives and sets priorities; anticipates potential threats or opportunities.
- Decision Making - Makes sound, well informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.
- Leadership - Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.
- Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, considering the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial).
- Stakeholder Management - Knowledge of the concepts, practices, and techniques used to identify, engage, influence, and monitor relationships with individuals and groups connected to a work effort; including those actively involved, those who exert influence over the process and its results, and those who have a vested interest in the outcome (positive or negative).
All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration or your score may be lowered. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.
Required Documents
The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) -08/18/2026-unless otherwise stated.
- Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates in month-year format (include month/day/year format if needed for 52 weeks of experience), and indicate hours worked per week (or full-time). Your resume must clearly show how long you have held each grade/rank. Resumes must not exceed 2 single-sided pages and resumes longer than 2 pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed. Your 2-page resume must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements. Resume Builder: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include
- Complete All Required Assessments.
- Performance Appraisals and Awards: All applicants must submit their most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record and signed by a supervisor. If the performance appraisal is not dated within the last 18 months OR no performance appraisal is available, you must submit a statement as to why it is not available (including if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level).
- Eligibility Documentation:
- Current and former Federal employees must submit latest SF-50 (i.e. Promotion, Separation, Within Grade Increase (WGI)) showing tenure 1 or 2 in block 24, grade, and if applicable, an additional SF-50 showing the highest grade or promotion potential held. Time in grade will be determined by reviewing your resume and required SF-50s. If your SF-50 showing highest permanent grade held has an effective date within the past year, your resume must clearly show that you held that grade for one year. Do not submit award SF-50s.
- Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA): If you are applying under LMWFA, you must submit ALL Appointment AND Termination SF-50s for EACH appointment verifying the Position Occupied code 1-Competitive Service (block 34); AND Documentation of satisfactory performance for each period of temporary employment claimed, such as, performance evaluations, memorandum of record, whereas the supervisor(s) documented an acceptable performance level for a specified rating/employment period.
- CTAP/ICTAP eligiblesMUST submit proof of eligibility including a copy of the agency notice, most recent performance rating, and most recent SF-50 showing your position, grade level, and duty location. For more information visit: Career Transition Programs (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL).
Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the 08/18/2026 to receive consideration. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation.
The application process is as follows:
- Click the Apply Online button.
- Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. To PREVIEW the application questionnaire, select the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12973292
- Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click
Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To view the announcement status or your application status, visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.
Next steps
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account as we will not be responding to inquiries about the status of applications as long as the system has been updated.
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.
You can find your path with the Department of Interior at https://careers.doi.gov/.
Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration. We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses, through reference and/or background checks, and/or verification of your education. If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the Human Resources Office posting this announcement.