Director, Office of Hearings and Appeals

The Department of the Interior is currently seeking qualified candidates for the Senior Executive Service (SES) position of Director, Office of Hearings and Appeals located in Washington, DC or Albuquerque, NM. The Department structures its SES positions into categories to determine the minimum pay for each position. This is a category 3 position. The minimum pay for this position is $197,200. Veterans preference does not apply to the SES.

Duties

The incumbent carries out the following specific responsibilities:
1. The Director exercises program management and administrative responsibilities with respect to the hearings and appeals functions of the Department in accordance with existing policies, regulations, and procedures. These responsibilities include strategic planning, budget formulation and execution, performance management, human capital management, and information resources management.

2. The Director exercises program management capabilities in setting budget execution and formulation goals; maintains strong relationships with the Department's Budget Office; and works collaboratively with that office to secure approval for necessary budget increases or approaches to address potential budget shortfalls.

3. The Director establishes relationships and works collaboratively with Human Resources to execute workforce planning priorities for OHA generally. When necessary, the Director coordinates between Human Resources and Budget to implement specific workforce initiatives such as the hiring of detailees, law clerks, or other temporary or detailed staff to bridge budgetary gaps while addressing and prioritizing the workload of the various OHA units.

4. The Director serves as an ex officio member of the Appeals Boards of the Office and may participate in their decisions. The Director may assume jurisdiction of any case pending before any Appeals Board of the Office, review a decision of any Appeals Board, or direct reconsideration of a decision by any Appeals Board.

5. The Director exercises jurisdiction over the Administrative Law Judges in the Office's Hearings Divisions for administrative purposes only, including strategic planning, setting of annual adjudication goals, and budgetary decisions. The Director may not direct or participate in decisions of the Administrative Law Judges.

If your resume does not include these basic qualifications, you will not be determined qualified for this position.

We recommend that your resume includes examples that are clear, concise, and emphasize their level of responsibilities, the scope and complexity of the programs, activities, or services managed; program accomplishments; policy initiatives undertaken; level of contacts; the sensitivity and criticality of the issues addressed; and the results of actions taken.

Salary

• $197,200 - $228,000/year

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship.
• You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination.
• Newly appointed SES members must serve a 1-year probationary period.
• Public Financial Disclosure OGE-278 filing within 30 days is required.
• This position may require pre and post-employment drug screening.
• Selections are subject to Department approval. Initial appointments to the SES must have to undergo an ECQ based structured interview with Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
• Males must meet Selective Service Registration Act requirements. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.
• Agencies must request OPM approval to appoint current or former (within 5 years) Executive Branch political appointees to permanent competitive service, non-political excepted service, or career SES position.

Qualifications

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. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

To meet the minimum qualifications, you must submit a two-page resume (max) that shows you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and two Technical Qualifications (TQs). To be considered, only the first 2 pages of your resume will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

Technical Qualifications (TQs) are designed to assess an applicant's experience relevant to the specific position requirements. Your resume should clearly demonstrate your experience and accomplishments related to the two TQs below:

TQ 1: Demonstrated ability to lead and modernize complex Federal adjudication programs through strategic policy development, organizational transformation, and the integration of innovative case management practices.

TQ 2: Demonstrated ability to build and sustain high-level relationships with senior Department leadership, Federal partners, and Tribal, state, and local entities to manage sensitive, precedent-setting adjudicatory matters.

Your two-page resume should also show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications listed below: By statute, the Office of Personnel Management prescribes Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) for the appointment of career SES members. The ECQs were designed to assess executive experience and not technical expertise.

ECQ 1-Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding: 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: 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: Demonstrated knowledge, ability, and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.

ECQ 4 - Leading People: 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 to hold individuals accountable.

ECQ 5 - Achieving Results: Demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

Qualifications will be evaluated based on how clearly and concisely you emphasize your level of responsibilities, the scope and complexity of your programs; services managed; program accomplishments; policy initiatives undertaken; level of contacts; the sensitivity and criticality of the issues addressed; and the results of your actions taken. Typically experience will have been gained at the GS-15 or equivalent in the private sector or non-governmental organizations.

Already SES Certified? If you are currently serving under a career Senior Executive Service appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the Senior Executive Service, or have completed a Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program (SES CDP) approved by OPM, you only need to submit a two-page resume and personnel action showing you have held a career SES position. SES CDP graduates must submit a two-page resume and a copy of their CDP program certification with their package.

Education Applicants must have a J.D. or LL.B. degree and be current members in good standing of a state bar, the District of Columbia, or a territory or commonwealth of the United States. You must provide a copy of your unofficial transcript that proves that you have successfully graduated from an accredited law school. You must provide a copy of documentation of good standing in a state bar. PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts. PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov). Other Information Individuals selected for Senior Executive Service positions may be subject to reassignment across geographical, organizational, and functional lines.The Department of the Interior structures its SES positions into categories to determine the minimum pay for each position. Pay is set based on consideration of the selectee's current salary and other factors. Effective January 1, 2010, OPM must authorize any employment offers we make to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employees in the executive branch. lf you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information. Required Documents

Please upload the following documents:

1. REQUIRED: Your resume - it must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements as stated in this vacancy announcement. Insufficient information will result in a not qualified rating. It is recommended that you include the following information:

• Full name, mailing address, and day and evening telephone numbers
• Educational information, including the name, city and state of colleges or universities you attended, as well as the type and year of any degrees received
• Information about your paid and nonpaid work experience related to this position including:
• Job title (include series and grade if Federal job)
• Duties and accomplishments
• Employer's name and address
• Supervisor's name and phone number
• Starting and ending dates of employment (month and year)
• Salary
• Indicate if we may contact your current supervisor
• Information about honors, awards, and special accomplishments

2. REQUIRED: Proof of your degree, which would be outlined in the basic education requirement section if applicable. Proof will consist of unofficial transcripts, which must be attached to this application for consideration to determine basic eligibility.

3. REQUIRED: Proof of "Certificate of Good Standing" in a state bar, the District of Columbia, or a territory or commonwealth of the United States.

4. REQUIRED: If you are a current Federal employee, a copy of a recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (or similar personnel document demonstrating an appointment), that indicates Federal status, grade, tenure, and type of service. Please redact your social security number and date of birth.

5. REQUIRED: A copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal (i.e., within the last 18 months form the closing date of this vacancy announcement, from either the Federal or private sector). Please remove your social security number and date of birth from any documentation you provide. If you are unable to provide your most recent annual performance appraisal, please provide a written justification explaining why you could provide the request documentation.

Failure to provide the most recent annual performance appraisal or written justification explaining why you did not provide the requested documentation you will be disqualified for further consideration because your application will be incomplete.

REMINDER: ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:59pm ET ON THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT All of the documentation listed above is required to be attached to your application, if it is applicable to your candidacy. Failure to attach any of the documentation listed above which proves your candidacy for this position will result in disqualification/non-consideration for this position. To begin, click the Apply Online button near the bottom (or right) of this screen and follow the prompts to register, answer a few questions, and submit all required documents. To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov and click on "My Applications". Click on the position title, and then select Apply Online to continue.

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

You must submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date. WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES.

1. Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to log in or create an account.
   1. Prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application."
   2. Click here for USAJobs Help with "How to create an application
2. Add your two-page resume.
3. Select the documents you want to be included in this application.
4. Review the package to acknowledge that your documents were reviewed.
5. After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
6. Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
7. Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown.
   • Upload any missing required documents or optional documents.
8. Review and Submit Application.
9. While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
10. You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement. To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job. Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. So you must select all documents you want to use in the re-application.