Summary

Section Chief, Staffing and Recruitment supervises a multidisciplinary team, leads workforce planning, recruitment, retention, and succession strategies for IHSC. Ensures compliance, analyzes staffing data, develops policies, and briefs leadership. Reports to Unit Chief, plans own work, and assignments are reviewed for effectiveness.

This position is only open to USPHS officers who are currently IHSC employees.
USPHS Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidates are not eligible for this position.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

Applicants must be a current USPHS Commissioned Corps Officer who works at IHSC. USPHS Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidates are not eligible for this position. Civilians are not eligible for this position.

Duties

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Duties include day to day management, assessment, development, implementation, and evaluation of assigned programs. Plan and provide oversight on workforce planning; formulate and execute short- and long-range plans for optimum utilization of personnel and their skill sets.
Ensure compliance with program regulations and best practices, maintain records per program policy, chair meetings, coordinate and/or managing programs within immediate organizational component, communicate and collaborate with and/or advising internal and external stakeholders, and carry out processes within the unit.
Provide leadership and strategic direction in developing and implementing initiatives that improve talent management and increase the efficiency of IHSC workforce processes.
Develop, update, and execute policies, procedures, guidelines, and standards for sound workforce planning, developing systems and processes to meet the overall needs of IHSC.
Supervise and manage a multidisciplinary team that provides data management, talent management, recruitment, retention and succession planning services and support.
Update and analyze staffing data, and other talent metrics to ensure IHSC workforce needs are met.
Develop and/or brief presentation to senior leadership (Assistant Director/SES, Chief of Staff and Deputy Assistant Directors) and Unit Chiefs on activities with nationwide impact.
Monitor program activities, ensuring policy consistency, program effectiveness, quality project management and responsiveness to the requirements identified by IHSC personnel policy.
Provide input and support development of strategic plans to ensure information and data architecture; promotes effective staffing model design and operation.
Align activities with the Agency's personnel process. Conduct market research regarding human resources on emerging solutions and identify opportunities to apply new solutions to improve the efficiency of IHSC programs.
Work collaboratively with IHSC divisions in developing and managing the ongoing collection and analysis of data for continuous development and refinement of workforce planning.
Promotes and stimulates thought on the innovative uses of technology and the exploration of new and promising technologies and methodologies to provide improved delivery of personnel services, to foster solutions that enhance organizational and enterprise performance.
Lead and coordinate GS civilian recruitment and staffing activities, including collaborating closely with ICE Human Resources to ensure compliance with federal hiring practices, facilitate onboarding, and support workforce needs across IHSC.
As applicable, serve as acting Chief of Administration.
Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
You must successfully pass a background investigation.
You must successfully pass a drug screen.
Males born after 12/31/59 must certify registration with Selective Service.
Requirements by Closing Date: Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
Service Remaining Requirement Agreement: Upon appointment to this position, officers will be required to serve a new 18-month commitment to IHSC .
ASSIGNMENT PAY AGREEMENT: You must not have a current Assignment Pay Agreement. However, if you have a current Assignment Pay Agreement, it must be fulfilled within 90 days of your application submission.
Applicants must be a current USPHS Commissioned Corps Officer who works at IHSC. USPHS Call to Active Duty (CAD) candidates are not eligible for this position. Civilians are not eligible for this position.
PHS officers must participate in IHSC TDY On-Call Schedule (ITOS.) ITOS is either an entire month or two 16-day periods a year where, depending on the needs of the agency, the officer is required to be available to serve.

Qualifications

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Sitting and/or standing for extended periods of time (6-8 Hours).
Performing repeated bending motion.
Average manual dexterity for computer operation.
Phone use for extended periods of time.

Education

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

Minimum a masters in a health care related field.
Minimum 2 years of supervisory or team lead experience.
Knowledge/experience with project or program management.
Knowledge/experience in regard to recruitment, staff development, succession planning.
Experience with personnel data, calculating staffing levels, retention rates and projected staffing needs.
Knowledge of medical, administrative, ethical, and legal requirements and standards related to healthcare delivery and the privacy of protected patient information.
Knowledge of program policies and guidelines, and operating procedures relating to personnel.
If the incumbent holds a clinical license, it is the responsibility of the incumbent to fulfill the obligation(s) of their licensing or certifying body. The incumbent may perform clinical duties of his-her profession in Federal health care facilities and such direction is documented via a memorandum of assignment and is filed in the eOPF. The agency may require incumbents to perform clinical activities with the scope of clinical license in times of critical needs within the agency. A licensed clinician will be required to participate in IHSC TDY On call Schedule (ITOS).
Knowledge of organizations and responsibilities of all levels of government operations for medical information communication.
Ability to provide input for responses to congressional inquiries and to effectively communicate.
Flexibility and ability to adapt to sudden changes in schedules and work-related requirements.
High degree of initiative, and follow-through on a wide range of sensitive, complex, and
program issues.

Additional information

This is a U.S. Public Health Service position within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC), Administration Division, Chief of Administration (CoA). This is a supervisory position.

Incumbent serves as Staffing and Recruitment Program Lead within CoA, supervises multiple staff including talent managers, program analysts, and recruitment specialists. The primary function of the section is to analyze, forecast, and plan workforce supply and demand, assessing gaps and determining target talent management interventions to ensure that IHSC has the right people - with the right skills in the right places at the right time - to fulfill its strategic objectives.

IHSC provides direct care daily to approximately 15,300 detainees housed at 20 designated facilities throughout the nation. The health care provided includes medical, dental and mental health care, and public health services. IHSC provides medical case management and oversight for an additional 22,600 detainees housed at approximately 112 non-IHSC staffed detention facilities daily across the country. In addition, IHSC oversees the financial authorization and payment for off-site specialty and emergency care services for detainees in ICE custody. The ICE detainee population is approximately 34,000 detainees on a daily basis, with an average length of stay of approximately 30 days, surpassing 400,000 detainees annually. IHSC provides medical support during ICE enforcement operations in the air, on the ground and at sea.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:
The incumbent reports to the Unit Chief. In alignment with the priorities of the unit, the incumbent plans and organizes his/her own work, determines the sequence of assignments, selects and develops methods, and seeks assistance from experts only rarely. Assignments are usually long-term, recurring, or broadly defined. Work is reviewed for feasibility, compatibility with other work, and effectiveness in meeting requirements or expected results.

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.

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.

We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. You may be selected for an interview at the hiring authority's discretion. You will be notified of selection or non-selection.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position.A complete application includes:

U. S. Public Health Service Officers

Cover Letter/Letter of Interest.
Degrees. (Place under "Diploma/GED")
Professional license. (If applicable)
Additional professional certificates. (If applicable)
Three professional references. (i.e., name, title and contact information)
Official USPHS Promotion CV - e.g., relevant experience, education, training. (Place under "USPHS Promotion CV")
- You may provide a civilian resume in addition to the USPHS Promotion CV to capture all relevant work experience.
*Three most recent Commissioned Officer Effectiveness Reports (COER). (Place under "Performance Appraisal")
A copy of your current Service Remaining Requirements Agreement.
Indicate if you have an Assignment Pay (AP) Agreement and the date of the end of your AP Agreement. If you do not, please submit a memo attesting to no AP in the Assignment Pay (AP) Agreement section in the documents section of application.

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 submit the required documentation outlined under the REQUIRED DOCUMENTS section below.

The complete initial Application must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 04/24/2026.

PLEASE NOTE: If your materials are not received by the closing date, your application will be evaluated solely on the information available and you may not receive full consideration or may not be considered eligible. Also, if you do not provide a valid email address, you may not be notified of the outcome of your application.

To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log into 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.

Note: 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.

Applications and supporting documentation will not be accepted by mail or email. If you need further assistance, contact the Human Resources Office representative listed on this announcement at least one day prior to the closing date for further instructions.

Agency contact information

IHSC Recruiting

Email: IHSCrecruiting@ice.dhs.gov

Address: ERO-DRO-IHSC Public Health Service
500 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20536
US

Next steps

Once you submit your application, we will assess your experience and training, identify the best-qualified applicants, and refer those applications to the hiring manager for further consideration and interviews. We will notify you by email after each of these steps has been completed. Your status will also be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process. To check your status, log on to your USAJOBS account, click on "Application Status," and then click "More Information." We expect to make a job offer within 60 days after the deadline for applications. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. View more information on applying for federal employment.

Section Chief Staffing and Recruitment (O-6 Billet) Supervisory - Internal Job in Location Negotiable After Selection