Deputy Director, Office of Public Participation Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. FERC-ES-2024-0009 Department Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Salary $147,649.00 to $221,900.00 Grade ES to ES
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 6/10/2024 Close Date 7/1/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Job Description (Please follow all instructions carefully)

Summary

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is ranked within the top 5 mid-size agencies through the Partnership for Public Service’s Best Places to Work in the Federal Government Rankings! This Deputy Director, Office of Public Participation position is located in the Office of Public Participation. For more information visit: Office of Public Participation.

Duties

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or Commission, is an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of natural gas, oil, and electricity. The Commission also regulates natural gas and hydropower projects. As part of our goal, we are seeking highly skilled individuals to assist in carrying out the mission of this agency. Join the team and help solve the challenges of managing today's energy markets and set policy direction for the energy industry at large.

The Commission is looking for an experienced senior level executive to serve as the Deputy Director, Office of Public Participation. The Deputy Director, provides vision and leadership in the development and execution of outreach programs by actively engaging with the public to facilitate greater understanding of Commission processes and by broadly informing the public of opportunities for participation in matters before the Commission. The Deputy Director supports the Director who is the principal advisor to the Chairman and Commissioners charged with coordinating and providing assistance to the public with respect to authorities exercised by the Commission.

Additional responsibilities:

-- Assists Director with coordinating assistance available to persons intervening or participating or proposing to intervene or participate in proceedings before the Commission.
-- Assists Director in planning, directing and evaluating FERC's public participation programs which is subject to the program and policy guidelines of the Chairman and the Commission.
-- Assists Director in overseeing and participating in the formulation of OPP program and policy guidelines by virtue of their expertise.
-- Develops and recommends program strategy to Director for assigned programs to achieve goals and objectives established by the Commission.
-- Assists Director through managing and overseeing the intake of direct requests for assistance from persons seeking to intervene or participate in proceedings before the Commission and provides detailed informational guidance and support responsive to such requests.
-- In coordination with the Director, collaborates with other FERC Program Offices to recommend methods by which Commission proceedings can consistently provide opportunities for public participation and address equity concerns.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Must meet specialized experience.
  • One year probationary period may be required.
  • A background investigation is required.
  • Must meet mandatory technical and executive core qualifications.
  • You may be required to divest certain energy-related securities.
  • Generally, male applicants must be registered with the Selective Service.

If selected for this position, you will be required to:

  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
  • Have your Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choice.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. FERC also participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). For more information about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify.
  • Attend a mandatory ethics training. We are governed by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Standards of Conduct, the criminal conflict of interest statutes, and FERC’s supplemental ethics regulation, which specifically prohibits FERC employees from holding certain energy-related securities. To comply with these regulations and statutes, divestiture of these securities may be required after you begin employment. See 5 C.F.R. 2634-41; 18 U.S.C. 201-208; 5 C.F.R. 3401. If selected, you may also be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of appointment.
  • Receive authorization from OPM on any job offer you receive, if you are or were (within the last 5 years) a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch.

Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine. Any information regarding vaccination status will be maintained securely and confidentially.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must address the following Mandatory Technical Qualifications questions.

Mandatory Technical Qualifications:

1. Demonstrated experience coordinating assistance with stakeholders/members of the public, such as, landowners and communities affected by infrastructure development, environmental justice communities, tribal interests, tribal governments, and energy consumers and consumer advocates.

2. Demonstrated experience conducting outreach activities for energy laws or legislative actions, e.g., Federal Power Act (FPA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Energy Policy Act of 2005, Natural Gas Act.

3. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with all levels of Commission staff, as well as applicants, public officials, non-governmental organizations, and state and other federal agencies, to identify and resolve contentious issues.

4. Demonstrated experience developing strategic plan goals, coordinating with multiple programs to fulfill strategic organizational goals, monitoring progress toward strategic organizational goals and taking action to improve performance.

For this position, specialized experience is defined as: You must have specialized experience at a level close to the work of this job that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform. This level of experience must demonstrate progressively responsible experience in the leadership/executive and technical areas. 

Applicants for an initial SES career appointment must also clearly demonstrate that they possess the broad executive core qualifications needed to succeed in the SES. A summary of the key characteristics for the Executive Core Qualifications can be found at this link: http://opm.gov/ses/recruitment/ecq.asp

FERC has a certified SES Performance Appraisal System. The salary range for each SES position is determined by the level of responsibility and duties of the incumbent.

Education

There is no education requirement for this position.

Additional information

FERC is ranked as the #1 mid-size agency in both Teamwork and Effective Leadership in the Partnership for Public Service’s Best Places to Work rankings!  In addition, FERC is ranked as a top 5 agency in Work-Life Balance and is proud to offer telework and workplace flexibilities in accordance with agency policy.

The duty location of this position is Washington, DC. 

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.

Applicants will be evaluated on their resume, Mandatory Technical Qualifications and Executive Core Qualifications to determine the best qualified candidates. Applicants are required to submit a narrative statement for each Mandatory Technical Qualification (MTQ) and each Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) listed. You will be evaluated on the ECQs in addition to the MTQs. Only the MTQ responses in the text boxes provided will be evaluated to determine technical qualifications. When describing your technical qualifications, please give examples and explain how often you used your skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of people you interacted with, the sensitivity of the issues you handled, etc.

Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): In order to be considered for the position, applicants must submit a narrative statement separately addressing each of the five ECQs. Each statement should contain at least two examples describing experiences and accomplishments/results specific to that ECQ. As a guideline, 1-2 pages per ECQ is sufficient. Applicants for an initial SES career appointment must clearly demonstrate that they possess the broad executive core qualifications needed to succeed in the SES. A guide to assist with writing the ECQ narratives can be found at this link: http://opm.gov/ses/recruitment/ecq.asp

In order to properly review your qualifications, please ensure that your resume clearly indicates evidence that you qualify for the Senior Executive Service position and that you possess the Mandatory Technical Qualifications and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). Please give a complete and detailed answer for each qualification. Please keep in mind each ECQ and MTQ are unique qualifications. Therefore, duplicate responses are not sufficient in determining if you meet that specific qualification. Do not enter "Refer to Resume" to explain your answer. Applications directing the reader to search within the application or to "See Resume" are considered incomplete and WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Failure to submit a narrative statement or address any of the ECQs and/or MTQs is also considered incomplete and WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. As a result, you will be rated as "INCOMPLETE".

If you are currently serving under a career Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into SES, or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) approved by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and had your ECQs certified by OPM, then you only need to address each MTQ, and you do not need to submit an ECQ narrative. All other applicants are required to respond to all ECQs and MTQs, addressing each ECQ and MTQ separately. 


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

Please note that if you do not provide all required information by the closing date of the announcement, as specified in this announcement, you will not be considered for this position.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR ALL CANDIDATES:

1.) RESUME: We encourage you use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder to ensure all the essential information is included in your resume. If you decided to submit your own resume, you must ensure it contains the following information for each experience/position:

  • Position title
  • Name of employer
  • Beginning and ending dates of employment (Month/Day/Year format)
  • Hours worked per week
  • Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable)
  • Series and grade or equivalent (for federal positions)
  • If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying based on your education, you must list your education history, including the type of degree and your major of study.

2.) MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUESTIONS: Applicants are required to submit a narrative statement for each Mandatory Technical Qualification (MTQ) listed. Only the MTQ responses in the text boxes provided will be evaluated to determine technical qualifications. When describing your technical qualifications, please give examples and explain how often you used your skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of people you interacted with, the sensitivity of the issues you handled, etc.

3.) EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS: In order to be considered for the position, applicants are required submit a narrative statement separately addressing each of the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ). Each statement should contain at least two examples describing experiences and accomplishments/results specific to that ECQ. As a guideline, 1-2 pages per ECQ is sufficient. Applicants for an initial SES career appointment must clearly demonstrate that they possess the broad executive core qualifications needed to succeed in the SES

4.) TRANSCRIPTS (only required when the position has an education requirement, or you are qualifying for the position based on your education): You MUST submit copies of your college transcripts to verify your education. Unofficial copies are acceptable; however, if selected you will be required to provide official transcripts before your effective date.

5.) SF-50: Current and former Federal employees must submit their most recent SF-50. 

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

The FERC Careers site provides detailed instructions on how to apply to our vacancies.  For more information visit:  https://www.ferc.gov/careers/job-search/how-to-apply.asp.

Here are a few additional tips: 

  • When applying to a FERC vacancy announcement, please remember you must complete and submit your entire application (including your resume, vacancy questionnaire, and any applicable supporting documentation) no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Please note, it may take you longer to apply to some vacancy announcements than others. Starting your application late on the evening the vacancy closes is not recommended because you might not have enough time to ensure your application is successfully submitted and received.
  • When the specialized experience statement in the vacancy announcement requires experience presenting information to a large audience, your resume should include speeches or presentations you've given.
  • Make sure you verify that your resume clearly indicates possession of the competencies and specialized experience listed under the “Qualifications and Evaluations” and “How You Will Be Evaluated” sections of this announcement.
  • Remember to submit all required and supporting documentation listed under the
    “Required Documents” section of this announcement

Agency contact information

Rita Howsare
Phone
202-502-8965
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
Rita.Howsare@ferc.gov
Address
FERC
888 First Street, NE
Washington, District of Columbia 20426
United States
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once your complete application is received we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your ranking. The best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your application up to four times throughout the application process. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My Account" tab and clicking on "Application Status." We also recommend you opt to receive status change emails through USAJOBS by logging into "Notification Settings." Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate, or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.


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