Director, American Indian Environmental Office

Director, American Indian Environmental Office; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking a Senior Executive Service leader for the Office of International and Tribal Affairs, American Indian Environmental Office by reporting on a regular basis to the duty station in Washington, DC.

The incumbent will provide strategic guidance, program oversight, and executive management across Indian affairs, environmental policy, and tribal partnerships, with accountability for budgets, resources, and stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• ECQ 1 - COMMITMENT TO THE RULE OF LAW AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDING.
• ECQ 2 - DRIVING EFFICIENCY.
• ECQ 3 - MERIT AND COMPETENCE.
• ECQ 4 - LEADING PEOPLE.
• ECQ 5 - ACHIEVING RESULTS.
• TQ 1 - Demonstrated experience advancing the protection of human health and the environment of federally recognized Tribes by supporting implementation of Federal environmental laws consistent with Federal Indian policy.

Responsibilities

• Providing advice, assistance, and leadership on Indian affairs, the Agency's Indian Policy, and Tribal Consultation to the Office of the Administrator, EPA program offices, and EPA Regional Offices.
• Planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating the needs, goals, objectives, policies, procedures, guidance, personnel allocation, short and long range budgets, and resources of the Office and its assigned programs.
• Coordinating with EPA Regional and Programmatic offices to promote appropriate and consistent communications regarding the Agency's and Office's programs, policies, and decisions.
• Providing direct support to the National Tribal Operations Council and National Tribal Caucus.
• Participating in and representing the Agency on seminars, meetings, conferences, panels, and committees with both internal and external partners that may include, but are not limited to: other Federal agencies, State and local governments, Tribes, industry, academia, and private organizations.
• Ensuring that extramural resources, both procurement (contracts) and assistance (grants, cooperative agreements and/or interagency agreements) are appropriately managed to maximize use of the Agency's resources.
• Providing guidance on the development and implementation of education and awareness training for EPA personnel on Federal responsibilities in Indian country, reservation lands, and tribal environment policies, concerns, cultures, and protocols.
• Performing the full range of supervisory human resources tasks and functions for the Office and its employees.

Job description

Summary

This Senior Executive Service (SES) position is in the Office of International and Tribal Affairs, American Indian Environmental Office. About the Office of International and Tribal Affairs. This is an office-centered position--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.

Duties

• Providing advice, assistance, and leadership on Indian affairs, the Agency's Indian Policy, and Tribal Consultation to the Office of the Administrator, EPA program offices, and EPA Regional Offices.
• Planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating the needs, goals, objectives, policies, procedures, guidance, personnel allocation, short and long range budgets, and resources of the Office and its assigned programs.
• Coordinating with EPA Regional and Programmatic offices to promote appropriate and consistent communications regarding the Agency's and Office's programs, policies, and decisions.
• Providing direct support to the National Tribal Operations Council and National Tribal Caucus.
• Participating in and representing the Agency on seminars, meetings, conferences, panels, and committees with both internal and external partners that may include, but are not limited to: other Federal agencies, State and local governments, Tribes, industry, academia, and private organizations.
• Ensuring that extramural resources, both procurement (contracts) and assistance (grants, cooperative agreements and/or interagency agreements) are appropriately managed to maximize use of the Agency's resources.
• Providing guidance on the development and implementation of education and awareness training for EPA personnel on Federal responsibilities in Indian country, reservation lands, and tribal environment policies, concerns, cultures, and protocols.
• Performing the full range of supervisory human resources tasks and functions for the Office and its employees.

Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen. 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.

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 Qualifications (TQs) - Mandatory for all applicants - Failure to address these factors within the required 2-page resume will result in your application being disqualified.

TQ 1 - Demonstrated experience advancing the protection of human health and the environment of federally recognized Tribes by supporting implementation of Federal environmental laws consistent with Federal Indian policy.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Veterans' preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service. EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: E-Verify. If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility. This position is designated as SES General. The PLUM Act of 2022 requires the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to host a public-facing website with information on "policy and supporting positions" for the sitting Administration and each subsequent Administration. Consistent with historical reporting in the Plum Book, information on this position will be reported on the PLUM reporting website, including agency, component, location of the position, employee name, title, appointment type, pay plan, grade or level of pay (if applicable), and tenure and expiration date (if applicable). It is not possible to decline being listed on the website if appointed to this position. 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 window Learn more about federal benefits.

Join EPA in protecting human health and the environment and enjoy many work life quality options! Working for the EPA offers you a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, 26 days of paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. To learn more about us, visit Life and Careers at EPA.

If you are selected for this position, situational telework may be approved by your supervisor if you meet eligibility requirements, as allowable by agency policy.

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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.