Deputy Director Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. DE-12730120-25-AB Department National Transportation Safety Board
Salary $150,160.00 to $215,800.00 Grade 00 to 00
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 5/2/2025 Close Date 5/23/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The position is located in the Office of Railroad, Pipeline, and Hazardous Materials Investigations. This is a Senior Executive Service (SES) Career Reserved position responsible for providing executive-level management and oversight for investigating, analyzing, developing, and preparing detailed reports and proposed probable cause determinations of US railroad, pipeline and hazardous materials accidents, and making related safety recommendations. The incumbent serves as the Deputy Director.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

All qualified U.S. Citizens, Current and former members of the Senior Executive Service, and SES Candidate Development Program graduates.

Duties

The incumbent of this position serves as the Deputy Director, Office of Railroad, Pipeline, and Hazardous Materials Investigations (RPH) at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). As Deputy Director, the incumbent is responsible for supporting the RPH Director, to provide executive-level management and oversight of the Office, which investigates, analyzes, develops, and prepares detailed reports and proposed probable cause determinations of US railroad, pipeline and hazardous materials accidents, and makes related safety recommendations.Major duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Plans, manages, directs, and evaluates the work of the Office of RPH. Provides direction to professional engineers, accident investigators, and other technical and support staff to assure high quality accident investigations.
  • Manages the accident investigation process to ensure timely and appropriate response to report to the Board. Under delegated authority, initiates accident investigations to implement the NTSB Congressional mandate and NTSB priorities. Oversees accident report preparation. Ensures all factors of accidents have been identified, objectively examined, and documented. Determines probable cause(s) of each accident.
  • Develops a strategic and annual operating plan for the implementation of short-term and long-term objectives for the Office.
  • Coordinates programs with other Federal, state, and local government agencies, industry groups, and foreign governments, as appropriate. Initiates activities aimed at promoting the public image of the work of the NTSB. Meets with high-ranking officials to develop and negotiate the implementation of national and international goals and objectives, as appropriate.
  • Establishes and maintains liaison with international and domestic industry, safety groups, labor organizations, associations, Congress, Federal regulators, etc. Represents the NTSB and serves as a member of the U.S. delegation at international meetings on accident investigation issues.
  • Provides authoritative advice and expertise in the development of industry standards and regulations, technology, and new applications of existing technology. Provides Congressional testimony, as needed.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizen.
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Resume and supporting documents (see "How to Apply" section).
  • Suitability for Federal employment.
  • Financial Interest in transportation enterprises will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
  • Bargaining Unit Position: NO.
  • Direct Deposit is required.
  • Trial or probationary period may be required.
  • Security and Background Requirements.
  • Selectee will be required to complete and submit an Executive Personnel Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-278, prior to entering the position and annually thereafter.
  • Ethics pre-clearance/financial disclosure statement is required.
  • All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • The critical nature of the work of this position requires the incumbent to be available 24 hours per day, seven days a week.

Qualifications

To meet minimum qualifications requirements for this position you must show that you possess the five (5) Mandatory Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and the two (2) Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQ) shown below.

This recruitment follows the traditional method; narrative responses are required for applicants who are not members of the SES or who have completed an SES CDP program and have been certified by an OPM Qualifications Review Board (QRB).You must provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of executive level management capability and that is directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the ECQs and the MTQs listed below. A narrative response to each is required.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): Applicants who have not been certified by the Office of Personnel Management as a member of the Senior Executive Service must submit a written narrative response to the following ECQs. Your narrative must address each ECQ separately. Each ECQ narrative should not exceed 2 pages. Your accomplishments should be written in clear and concise manner. Failure to address these specific qualification requirements in a separate narrative statement will eliminate you from consideration. Applicants are encouraged to follow the Challenge, Context, Action and Results model outlined by OPM. Additional information on ECQs is available at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/executive-core-qualifications/. 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.

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 a workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. (Competencies: conflict management, 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).

MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (MTQs): You must also provide a separate narrative statement to address each of the following two (2) technical qualifications. The technical qualification narrative, not to exceed two (2) pages for each MTQ, must completely describe your experience in support of each of the qualifications shown below. Failure to address these specific qualification requirements in a separate narrative statement will eliminate you from consideration.

MTQ 1 - Demonstrated experience and knowledge leading within an organization that develops or applies safety principles and practices used in the transportation industry (e.g., engineering, operations, and regulations related to railroad, pipeline, or other modes of transportation, including the transportation of hazardous materials).

MTQ 2 - Demonstrated leadership experience and knowledge in the planning, execution, or oversight of accident investigations within the transportation industry.

Applicants should demonstrate in the resume and narrative statements that he/she has the described experience and can successfully perform the major portion of the work.

Education

There are no educational requirements for this position.

Additional information

NOTE: for Current and/or Former Political Appointees: Effective January 1, 2010, OPM must authorize any employment offers made to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES (political) employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

Salary: NTSB structures its SES positions into tiers to determine the minimum pay for each position. This is a Tier 2 position. The minimum pay for this position is $150,160 and the maximum is $215,800.

SES employees are also eligible to receive performance-based bonus and pay increases.

Visit http://www.opm.gov/ses/ for additional information and benefits for SES employees.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. A variety of work life amenities are offered such as alternate work schedules, ad-hoc/situational telework, flextime, fitness benefits and transit benefits.

Moving expenses associated with permanent change of station (PCS) are not authorized for this position.

If you left Federal Employment and received a buy out and you are selected for this position, you may be required to repay the full amount of the payment.

The National Transportation Safety Board provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the National Transportation Safety Board directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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.

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 application will be evaluated by a rating and ranking panel on the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience, and education. Highly qualified candidates may be interviewed and a reference check conducted.

The NTSB Executive Resources Board (ERB) will review results of the evaluation and make a written recommendation on the final selections to the appointing authority. Unless you have already been certified by the OPM Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past, or received certification by an OPM approved Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program, your ECQs must be certified by an OPM QRB before appointment may occur.

Required Documents

Please submit the required documents listed below. Applicants that fail to submit all required documents will lose consideration. At a minimum, your package must contain these three documents: your resume, the narratives of your five (5) Executive Core Qualifications and the narrative addressing two (2) NTSB Mandatory Technical Qualifications. Below are the details for each required document and please refer to more details under the Qualifications section of this job announcement.

  1. Resume - Your resume may be in any written format to describe your qualifications. Show scope and level of your experience, accomplishments and the impact of your work.
  2. Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) - Your narrative statement must address each of the five (5) ECQs separately. Provide two (2) examples for each ECQ that show evidence of the competencies required for the specified ECQ (Leading Change, Leading People, Results Driven, Business Acumen, and Building Coalition) described under the Qualifications of this vacancy announcement. Describe experience (paid and/or unpaid), education, training, awards, and/or self-development activities as related to each. It is highly recommended you follow the format provided at http://www.opm.gov/ses/references/GuidetoSESQuals_2012.pdf The ECQ narratives must not exceed 10 pages in total. As shown in the Qualifications section of this vacancy announcement, each example should clearly and thoroughly show the challenge, context, actions and results for each example.
  3. Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQ) - Your narrative for the two (2) MTQs must be addressed separately. MTQ narratives must not exceed 2 pages per qualification and completely describe your experience in support of each of the MTQs for this vacancy announcement. Failure to address these specific qualification requirements in a separate narrative statement will eliminate you from consideration.
Your resume and narratives should be clear and concise, and emphasize your level of responsibilities, the scope and complexity of the programs, activities, or services managed; program accomplishments; policy initiatives undertaken; level of contacts; the sensitivity and criticality of the issues addressed; and the results of actions taken. For your ECQs, select examples that best show evidence of the competencies for the ECQ you are addressing.
SES Candidate Development Program: If you are a graduate of an approved SES Candidate Development Program, you must include a copy of the OPM certification of eligibility and a narrative statement addressing only the Mandatory Technical Qualifications.

Current or former SES member: You must submit documentation of your SES status and a narrative statement addressing only the NTSB's Mandatory Technical Qualifications.
Additional Documentation:

4. NOTIFICATION OF PERSONNEL ACTION - If you are a current Federal employee, please submit a copy of a recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) that indicates current Federal status, grade, tenure, and type of service. Please remove your social security number and date of birth. If you are a current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-Career SES employee, please submit documentation of your appointment, including a copy of your SF-50.

5. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - Submit a copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal (from either the Federal or private sector). Please remove your social security number.

6. Cover letter is optional.

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted. Please do not submit any additional information not requested above.

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

  • To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package (see the required documents section).The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/23/2025.
  • To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process.
  • To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status, and click on the More Information link under the application status for this position.
NOTE: If you cannot apply online, please send an e-mail which includes the vacancy announcement number, position title and the reason you are not able to apply on-line to recruitment@ntsb.gov at least one (1) business day before the closing date.

Agency contact information

Human Resources Division
Address
Railroad Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Inv
490 L'Enfant Plaza East SW
Washington, DC 20594
US

Next steps

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be reviewed to determine if you meet the qualifications listed in the announcement


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


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