DEPUTY DIRECTOR Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. ST-12776774-25-TR Department Surface Transportation Board
Salary $167,603.00 to $195,200.00 Grade 15 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 8/14/2025 Close Date 8/29/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The position serves as the Deputy Director, GS-0301-15, in the Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA). OEA is responsible for ensuring the agency's compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and related environmental laws.

Merit promotion and/or non-competitive referral lists may be issued based on the needs of the agency.

Duties

The purpose of the Deputy Director position is to provide high-level expertise and advice regarding the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and related environmental laws to OEA and agency staff. This individual will also oversee the agency's environmental program when the Director is unavailable or the Director designates the Deputy Director to be in charge.

The major duties of this position are:

  • Ensure the agency's compliance with NEPA and related environmental laws and administer the agency's environmental regulations.
  • Ensure clarity, technical adequacy, and defensibility of all environmental analyses and documents prepared for Board proceedings subject to environmental review.
  • Prepare and edit environmental documents such as Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) and Environmental Assessments (EA) for rail constructions, abandonments, mergers, acquisitions, and other transportation actions.
  • Ensure public participation in the Board's NEPA review process by developing and implementing a public outreach program that includes local public meetings; site visits; and consultations with local, state, and local agencies and any affected parties.
  • Assist the Director in administrative tasks, such as budget preparation.
  • Manage a multidisciplinary staff, including third-party contractors.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Your most recent performance appraisal is required, as well as any incentive awards.
  • All qualification requirements must be met 08/29/2025.
  • You will not receive consideration if your package is missing any of the items outlined under the Performance Appraisal, Resume, and SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Probationary Period: A one-year probationary period may be required.
  • Supervisory Period: A one-year supervisory probationary period may be required.
  • Required to participate in the Direct Deposit program.
  • Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/
  • Background Suitability Investigation: Continued employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background investigation and the granting of a Federal suitability or security clearance. Please Note: If selected, you may be offered tentative employment until the background investigation has been fully adjudicated.
  • E-Verify: If you are selected for this position, the documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form 1-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System. The STB is an E-Verify Participant.
  • Employment is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background investigation and the granting of a Federal suitability clearance. If selected, you may be offered a tentative offer until the background investigation has been adjudicated.
  • Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must meet the Time-in-Grade Requirement, which is 52 weeks of Federal Service at the next lower grade.
  • Relocation expenses are not authorized.
  • You may be asked for a writing sample during the Interview process.

Qualifications

You must meet the "Specialized Experience" to qualify for this series as described below.

All applicants are required to submit a resume with your application. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience.

For qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months, years, and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list month/year to month/year (XX/XX-XX/XX) or month/year to present (XX/XX-present) and the number of hours worked per week for each period of employment/experience listed in your resume. Your responses to the questionnaire must be supported/demonstrated in your resume.

If a determination is not able to be made about the length of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration.

Your resume should not exceed 2 pages and must demonstrate the specialized experience related to the position for which you are applying. If your resume goes beyond two pages, we will only consider the first two pages for the required experience as outlined in the specialized experience. It must contain the following information:

  • Name, address, telephone number, email address;
  • Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade);
  • If qualifying based on related unpaid (e.g. volunteer service) experience, you must provide hours worked per week and beginning/ending dates (mm/dd/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy);
  • If other than full time you must provide hours worked per week.
  • PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination.
  • Should you submit multiple resumes, only the latest uploaded resume will be reviewed.

Specialized experience must meet 52 weeks equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-14.

A full year of work is considered 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on based on the time spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

GS-15:
To be deemed qualified for this position at the GS-15 grade level, you must demonstrate in your resume one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-14, in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) demonstrated by performing all of the following tasks:1. Managing environmental programs and staff. 2. Managing environmental review processes. 3. Providing technical guidance to personnel involved in complying with applicable statutes, including NEPA, and environmental regulations.

In addition, Merit promotion applicants must meet the time-in-grade requirement as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. Therefore, you must have 1 year at the GS-14 level (or the equivalent) is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-15 level.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Education

Education may not be used as a substitute for experience at this grade level.

Additional information

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. In addition, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) has work/life-balance flexibilities that may be right for you. We offer:

  • This position is eligible for telework.
  • Fitness Center: STB employees, at no cost, have access to the fitness center conveniently located in the building; and
  • A monthly transit subsidy for a portion of your commuting costs to help defray the commuting costs of employees who use mass transportation, including commuter bus, Metrorail or Metrobus, or commuter rail systems.
This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting your current position, grade level, and duty location) and be rated well-qualified by scoring 85 or better on the assessment. Please use this link to find out additional information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

If you are a veteran claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 (Member Copy 4) or an official statement (including Character of Service) from your command if currently on active duty. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the DD-214, you must also submit a Standard Form 15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) and the required supporting documents listed on that form. For more information on veterans' preferences please see Feds Hire Vets.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must 1) be a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions (you must submit a DD214-member copy 4).

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: The following links contain information on the eligibility requirements to be considered under a noncompetitive appointing authority:

Persons with Disabilities-Schedule A
Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans
Special Hiring Authority for Certain Military Spouses
Other Special Appointment Authorities

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.

Benefits

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.

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.

Once the application is received, a review of the resume and supporting documentation will be completed and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation.

Applicants will be evaluated on their resume and supporting documentation to ensure they meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your experience will be rated using an Assessment Questionnaire that is based on the following competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job:

  • Compliance
  • Manages and Organizes Information
  • Project Management
  • Written Communication


Candidates who are eligible under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are best qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best-qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided. Highly Qualified candidates may be referred if there is an insufficient pool of candidates in the Best Qualified group.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive and Special Hiring Authorities procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume, supporting documentation submitted, and their responses to the assessment questionnaire.

DUE WEIGHT: will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3).
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, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

You may preview the assessment questionnaire by clicking here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12776774

Required Documents

DO NOT submit NON-Pay Impacting Action SF-50s to include "Org Cost Center Change SF-50s, Award SF-50's and/or General Adjustment SF-50's, etc.. as they cannot be used to prove time-in-grade.

Please be advised, that the following documents are required and must be received before the announcement closes (Note: this applies to current federal and STB employees seeking consideration):

1. Cover Letter (optional)

2. Your resume should not exceed 2 pages and must demonstrate the specialized experience related to the position for which you are applying. If your resume goes beyond two pages, we will only consider the first two pages for the required experience as outlined in the specialized experience. It must contain the following information:

  • Name, address, telephone number, email address;
  • Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade);
  • If qualifying based on related unpaid (e.g. volunteer service) experience, you must provide hours worked per week and beginning/ending dates (mm/dd/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy);
  • If other than full time you must provide hours worked per week.
  • PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination.
  • Should you submit multiple resumes, only the latest uploaded resume will be reviewed.


3. Supporting documents verifying your eligibility or any preference eligibility, along with your application package.

4. Your most recent performance appraisal is required.

5. SF-50 documenting current or previous federal service employment, separate SF-50 documenting appropriate Time in Grade (if applicable). These documents may include, but are not limited to:

  • Veterans documentation: All veterans MUST submit a DD-214, MEMBER 4 copy. If you are currently on active duty, you must submit an official statement of service from your command or other official documentation that proves your military service was performed under honorable conditions.
  • Preference eligible documentation: If claiming a 10-point preference, you must also submit an SF-15 and any other proof that you are eligible for a 10-point preference if a job offer is extended to you, a final VA letter including percentage (please do not include a letter from VA noting specific private medical information);
  • ICTAP documentation: RIF separation notice along with last performance rating or appraisal.
  • Schedule A letter (if applicable)

Questionnaire: You are required to respond to questions.

Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application.

To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on08/29/2025 to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
Please create a login.gov account Sign in | Login.gov
Please use the same email address you use for USAJOBS (your primary or secondary email address).
- Create a new password
- Have a working phone number (mobile or landline) near you
- login.gov will send you a security code for two-step verification
- Finish setting up your login.gov account.

To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by return to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to "Update Application." This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account, all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an "Additional Application Information" page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated.

For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

You may preview the assessment questionnaire by clicking here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12776774

Agency contact information

Tara Rauch
Address
Surface Transportation Board
395 E Street SW
Washington, DC 20423
US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated. You will receive another notification about the status of your application.

Once referred, you may be asked to complete a structured interview, written demonstration, and/or fit interview. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position/agency during the probationary period.

We expect to make a job offer within 40 days after the closing date of the announcement. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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