Summary
The Director of the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe) oversees the application of scientific and technological innovations to address national transportation emerging technologies and challenges across all modes of transportation and provides strategic direction to Volpe's goals, objectives, programs, and technical and institutional resources to support USDOT’s strategic goals and help the transportation community navigate its most challenging problems.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Open to U.S. Citizens.
Duties
Volpe’s Director must be an experienced manager, who understands how Volpe can help USDOT achieve its goals with strong Senior Executive level interpersonal skills, able to forge strong working relationships. The Director needs strong leadership and management skills and the ability to implement processes, systems, and procedures that are consistent with USDOT practices so that Volpe can meet USDOT’s needs while exercising sound management practices and achieving cost recovery of its operational activities. The Director ensures Volpe' s operations are designed to instill transparency, public trust and open communication to customers and Volpe’s staff. A key responsibility is staff communication, professional development, focus on increasing the diversity of Volpe’s work force, and employee retention.
Volpe’s Director should be a visionary leader who integrates an understanding of meeting USDOT’s transportation challenges while effectively managing the functions and operations of Volpe' s unique fee for service model. The Director is the spokesperson for the Center, representing Volpe’s significant research and advanced technology capabilities to its many customers and partners, promoting the application of scientific and technological innovations to solve national transportation problems.
The Director is responsible for forging and maintaining relationships with Senior Executives at USDOT and other federal agencies, state, local and tribal governments, universities, industry, and foreign entities involved in transportation issues.
The Ideal candidate for this position would preferably, but not required, have a science or technology degree with a strong focus in research and innovation.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen.
- Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
- Provide all required documents by closing date.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Complete a one-year SES probationary period (unless already completed).
- FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: Complete a Public Financial Disclosure report, OGE-278. You will need to provide the information annually.
- TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: This position may be eligible for occasional and/or regularly scheduled telework. The number of telework days approved will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing agency telework policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position.
- SECURITY CLEARANCE: A Top Secret clearance is required to be obtained & maintained.
- DRUG TESTING: Pre-appointment and Random Drug testing are required.
Qualifications
As a basic requirement for entry into the Senior Executive Service (SES), you must clearly articulate and describe within your five (5) page resume evidence of progressively responsible supervisory, managerial, or professional experience which involved management of a program or organization of significant scope and complexity. Your resume must provide information regarding your professional experience and accomplishments that demonstrate your ability to perform the duties of this position and meet the mandatory Technical Qualification(s) and Managerial Executive Core Qualifications listed below.
TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Below are the descriptions of the mandatory technical qualifications for this position. Your five (5) page resume must provide information regarding your professional experience and accomplishments that demonstrate you meet these technical qualifications.
TQ 1: Demonstrated executive level experience envisioning, planning, developing, implementing and evaluating a program delivery culture at a transportation systems center.
TQ 2: Demonstrated executive level experience leading, managing and directing professional, scientific, and technical members in the successful accomplishment of diverse research, policy, and technology and development programs across all technical disciplines.
TQ 3: Demonstrated strategic-level leadership in research, development, integration, and acquisitions that results in innovative solutions for fee for service sponsors. This includes leadership assessing regional, national and global trends; and the ability to work collaboratively across organizational lines and interact with external stakeholders to communicate technical results to a broad range of constituents.
Your five (5) page resume must provide information regarding your professional experience and accomplishments that demonstrate you meet the 5 ECQs.
ECQ 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. Leadership Competencies: Creativity and Innovation, External Awareness, Flexibility, Resilience, Strategic Thinking, Vision
ECQ 2 - LEADING PEOPLE: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. Leadership Competencies: Conflict Management, Leveraging Diversity, Developing Others, Team Building
ECQ 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. Leadership Competencies: Accountability, Customer, Decisiveness, Entrepreneurship, Problem Solving, Technical Credibility
ECQ 4 - BUSINESS ACUMEN: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. Leadership Competencies: Financial Management, Human Capital Management, Technology Management
ECQ 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. Leadership Competencies: Partnering, Political Savvy, Influencing/Negotiating
FUNDAMENTAL COMPETENCIES: The following competencies are the foundation for success in each of the Executive Core Qualifications: Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Written Communication, Integrity/Honesty, Continual Learning, and Public Service Motivation.
Additional information about the SES and Executive Core Qualifications can be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) SES Website.
You are strongly encouraged to review OPMs Guide to SES Qualifications for specific examples and guidance on writing effective ECQ narrative statements and executive resumes.
Benefits
Our benefits package offers:
Annual Leave (paid vacation), Sick Leave, and Holidays - You will earn 26 days of annual leave and 13 days of sick leave per year. In addition, the Federal Government observes 11 regular paid holidays each year.
Health Benefits - Employees and family members are eligible for health benefits at reasonable rates with no required medical examinations or restrictions because of age or physical condition. Flexible Spending Account (FSA) - You may choose to participate in the FSA Program. This program allows you to set aside money, on a pre-tax basis, for certain kinds of out of pocket medical expenses or dependent care costs of a child or parent
Life Insurance - You may participate in the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance program. The program offers employees an opportunity to acquire life insurance protection at group rates with a government contribution toward the cost of basic insurance.
For more details on the various health and life insurance benefits offered to most Federal Employees click here
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
A Senior Executive Service (SES) reviewing panel will evaluate your application based on the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience, and education. Applicants determined to be highly qualified may undergo multiple interviews. The best qualified applicant will be asked to submit a written 10-page narrative statement addressing each of the ECQ areas (Leading Change, Leading People, Results Driven, Business Acumen, Building Coalitions). If selected, your written narrative statement addressing the ECQs must be certified by an OPM Qualifications Review Board (QRB), unless you are a current SES executive or have successfully participated in an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program. You must receive certification before you can be appointed to the position.
All applications must be completed and submitted electronically no later than midnight ET of the closing date. Final reviews will be performed after the announcement closing, and timely notice of the status of your application will be emailed to you. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and selecting Application Status.
You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Required Documents
The following documents must be provided by the closing date:
RESUME - You must submit a resume which should not exceed five (5) pages. Any information submitted in excess of five (5) pages WILL NOT be considered. The resume must provide evidence (such as related professional experience and accomplishments) that demonstrate you possess the technical qualifications and the 5 ECQs. Include name on each page. No photos allowed.
SF-50 - Current & former federal employees should submit an SF-50 which shows your eligibility status. We recommend submitting your current SF-50 or most recent SF-50. DO NOT submit an award SF-50 as these often do not verify eligibility. Current Career Senior Executives and individuals with SES reinstatement eligibility must submit a copy of an SF-50 which shows career SES status.
CANDIDATE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM CERTIFICATE - individuals who have successfully completed an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved SES Candidate Development Program, submit a copy of your OPM certificate.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the announcement will result in your removal from consideration for this position.
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 application process used to recruit for this position is RESUME ONLY. Your five (5) page resume must provide information regarding your professional experience and accomplishments that demonstrate you meet the 5 ECQs and all the Technical Qualifications (TQs).
Your resume must not exceed 5 pages; all other pages WILL NOT be considered.
Application packages must be received online no later than 11:59pm Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
If submitting a cover letter, it can only be one page in length; all other pages WILL NOT be considered.
To begin, click the Apply Online button on the job announcement posting.
Create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.
- Upload your five (5) page resume and supporting documents.
If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office during regular business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, at Transjobs@dot.gov.
Next steps
If you have opted to receive account status updates via USAJobs, you will receive online confirmation that your application package has been received. All applicants will receive a notification email of the final outcome regarding the hiring decision.
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