SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER (TALENT MANAGEMENT)

USDA-FSIS; Urbandale (IA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Administrative Operations, Office of Human Resources in Urbandale, IA seeks a Senior Program Manager (GS-15) to forge strategic relationships with academia, military, government, and industry. You will lead cross‑sector modernization and shape enterprise talent acquisition to secure a robust public health workforce pipeline.

The role partners with internal districts and program areas to align human capital plans with agency missions, ensuring

Qualifications

• Specialized experience: one year of experience equivalent to GS-14 in the federal service, or its equivalent, in HR or workforce planning.
• Experience implementing federal personnel regulations and recruitment strategies across large organizations.
• Ability to align corporate or federal human capital plans with multi-year goals and priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-sector modernization and negotiate enterprise talent acquisition strategies to build a robust public health workforce pipeline.
• Partner with internal districts and program areas to cultivate strategic relationships with academia, military, government, member organizations and business community.
• Coordinate with senior leadership to advise on succession plans, talent pipelines, and risk-mitigation strategies to address retirements or skill gaps.

Job description

SummaryPosition is located in the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Administrative Operations, Office of Human Resources. Serving as a Senior Program Manager (GS-15), you will partner with internal districts and program areas to cultivate strategic relationships with academia, military, government, member organizations and the business community. You will lead cross-sector modernization and negotiate enterprise talent acquisition strategies to secure a robust public health workforce pipeline.

DutiesSummaryPosition is located in the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Administrative Operations, Office of Human Resources. Serving as a Senior Program Manager (GS-15), you will partner with internal districts and program areas to cultivate strategic relationships with academia, military, government, member organizations and the business community. You will lead cross-sector modernization and negotiate enterprise talent acquisition strategies to secure a robust public health workforce pipeline. RequirementsQualificationsApplicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. For the GS-15: Specialized experience: Your resume must show one year of experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade in the federal service, or its equivalent, obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks. ***Your experience must be described in as much detail, within your resume, as possible to show that you meet all the experience requirements. Failure to do so MAY result in not being qualified for the position. Aligning corporate or federal human capital plans with multi-year organizational goals, changing agency missions, or public health priorities. Partnering with senior leadership to provide sound recommendations on succession plans, talent pipelines, or risk‑mitigation frameworks to handle waves of retirements or critical skill shortages. Implementing corporate HR policies or federal personnel regulations (such as Title 5, Title 38, OPM mandates) across an entire organization or agency. Evaluating recruitment programs using qualitative feedback and quantitative data based upon workforce analytics and labor market intelligence to track, diagnose and correct systemic recruitment or retention issues. Managing recruitment/hiring for a large organizational footprint, including modeling or forecasting future headcount, budget, and skill requirements. Leading multidisciplinary teams to execute high‑volume surge hiring demands. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Discover a career with purpose at the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the public health regulatory agency dedicated to ensuring that the nation's supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, secure, and correctly labeled. By preventing foodborne illness, our diverse and frontline workforce directly impacts public health protection on a national and international scale every single day. This position sits within Administrative Operations, Office of Human Resources (OHR) at the National Food Safety Center in Urbandale, IA, where we oversee the enterprise lifecycle of talent management to champion operational excellence and secure a robust public health workforce. We are transforming how the federal government recruits and retains top talent. Our team challenges the status quo by merging data science, predictive analytics, and innovative marketing with human‑centric recruitment strategies. In OHR, we build vital connections. We bridge internal agency program areas and districts with elite academic institutions, universities, and private‑sector industries. Joining us means driving high‑visibility digital modernization, shaping agency‑wide workforce policy, and engineering innovative career paths that empower federal employees to thrive. Make an impact where public health meets organizational innovation. For more information on USDA and the Food Safety and Inspection Service, visit FSIS.