Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens

The Office of Superfund and Emergency Management (OSEM) is responsible for managing the response to sites (private and Federal facility) across Superfund remediation and removal, emergency response and management, oil spill incident response and Federal facilities program areas. The Office develops and implements national strategies, programs, technical policies, community engagement, regulations and guidance to address risks posed by contaminated sites. OSEM implements and manages key provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Oil Pollution Act, and the Stafford Act, and ensures adherence to regulations outlined in the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Contingency Plan. OSEM manages the national expertise and assets of special teams such as the Environmental Response Team and the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Consequence Management Team. The Office supports the core mission of the Office of Land and Emergency Management by integrating new technologies and by advocating for improvements to site characterization and remediation.

As the Deputy Director for Policy, the incumbent serves as the alter ego of the Director and works with the Director, Deputy Director for Federal Facilities and Operations, and the Division Directors to provide strategic program planning and policy development and implementation. The incumbent also leads management and control of the Office and the national programs within the Office's scope.

Specific duties include, but are not limited to:

• Participating in the formulation, execution and implementation of overall programs and policies, including development of budgetary strategy and justification, and review and evaluation of program operations.
• Determining annual, multi-year or similar long-range plans and schedules for the cleanup of Superfund Sites throughout the ten Regions, assuring national implementation of programs including the Administration's priorities, goals and objectives.
• Establishing and maintaining professional relationships with professional and other active groups including national environmental groups, the Association of State, Territorial and Solid Waste Management Officials, and other internal and external stakeholders in order to communicate the Agency's programs and solicit recommendations and cooperation in implementation.
• Coordinating OLEM and regional activities to interpret the CERCLA statute, policy and guidance.
• Supervising a large staff of employees organized into units headed by subordinate managers and supervisors.
• Overseeing day-to-day operations of OSEM, including administrative activities, financial and facility operations, human resources, etc., and ensures compliance with all applicable Agency policies.

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Discover how you can apply your skills to make an impact. Explore careers and learn more about EPA at epa.gov/careers.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
• Pre-employment drug testing is required and random testing thereafter.

If you are selected, you must complete a 1-year SES probationary period, if not previously completed.

The Ethics in Government Act, P.L. 95-521, requires the applicant selected for this position to submit a financial disclosure statement, OGE-278, prior to assuming the SES position, annually, and upon termination of employment.

REAL ID requirements became effective on 05/07/25. If you are selected for this position and plan to use your driver’s license or identification card during the onboarding process (i.e., for employment eligibility verification or to obtain your EPA identification card), the document must be a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s license or identification card that includes the REAL ID-compliant star marking, or must be an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL). You will receive information about alternative acceptable documents (e.g., passport) prior to onboarding. For more information about REAL ID, see Dept. of Homeland Security and REAL ID FAQs.

This position is designated as High Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

You will be required to obtain and maintain a top-secret/sensitive compartmented information security clearance.

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Qualifications

The work of this position is classified in the Program Management, 0340 series where the qualifications include both general management skills and characteristics that are applicable to all SES positions and technical or program responsibilities specific to this position. Applicants must have substantive general experience which provides a good basic or general knowledge of the principles of organization, management and administration; and substantive specialized (operating administrative or managerial) experience in a type of work or a combination of functions directly related to this position.

All applicants must have one year of specialized experience at a level close to the work of this job that demonstrates the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform in this role. Typically this experience can be found in work within this field or a field that is closely related.

As a basic requirement for entry into the Senior Executive Service, applicants must also provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior level management capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications listed below.

A. Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) - Mandatory for competitive applicants - Failure to address these factors within the required 2-page resume will result in your application being disqualified, unless you are a noncompetitive eligible applicant. 

ECQ 1 - COMMITMENT TO THE RULE OF LAW AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDING. Involves demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.
ECQ 2 - DRIVING EFFICIENCY. Involves demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.
ECQ 3 - MERIT AND COMPETENCE. Involves demonstrated knowledge, ability, and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.
ECQ 4 - LEADING PEOPLE. Involves demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and hold individuals accountable.
ECQ 5 - ACHIEVING RESULTS. Involves demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

Your responses should be clear and concise and show a level of accomplishment and a degree of responsibility. Leadership competencies for each ECQ can be found in OPM's Guide to SES Qualifications.

B. Technical Qualification (TQ) - Mandatory for all applicants - Failure to address this factor within the required 2-page resume will result in your application being disqualified.

TQ 1 - Demonstrated experience managing complex and often controversial environmental policy issues of broad national importance, including experience with Superfund site remediation.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet basic qualification requirements, your application will be evaluated based on the experience described in your resume with the required Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Technical Qualification (TQ). It will then be forwarded to a three-member Rating Panel consisting of SES members for further review. The Rating Panel will decide which Best Qualified applicants will be issued to the Selecting Official by the Human Resources Office.

Documents to be submitted online:

NOTE: You should ensure your social security number, date of birth, and any other personal information are redacted.

-- Resume - Required for all applicants - State your experience related to this position as described in the Duties section and Qualifications section. In describing your experience, be clear and specific. We may not make assumptions regarding your experience. NOTE: Your resume may not exceed 2 pages. If your resume exceeds 2 pages, your application will be disqualified.

-- Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) - Required for competitive applicants

• Address your experience with the ECQs described in the Qualifications section within the limits of your 2-page resume.
• For more information on ECQs, see OPM's Guide to SES Qualifications.

-- Technical Qualification (TQ) - Required for all applicants

• Address your experience with the TQ described in the Qualifications section within the limits of your 2-page resume.

-- Proof of SES noncompetitive eligibility - Required for noncompetitive applicants - If you are currently serving under a Career SES appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the SES, or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program approved by OPM, submit one of the following:

• Certificate of completion from an OPM-approved SES Candidate Development Program (CDP). This applies only if your ECQs have been approved by an OPM Qualifications Review Board through the SES CDP.
• SF-50 showing your status as a:
• current Career SES appointee,
• former Career SES appointee with career SES reinstatement eligibility, or
• current or reinstatement eligible Career SES-equivalent executive who is/was employed in a Federal government agency that has an interchange agreement with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) allowing for movement between the agency’s SES-equivalent personnel system and the SES.

To learn more about submitting documentation, visit Uploading Documents to USAJOBS.

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