This position is in the Immediate Office of the National Enforcement Investigations Centers Division within the Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training (OCEFT) in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA). The Office of the National Enforcement Investigations Centers Division is generally referred to as the National Enforcement Investigations Center (NEIC).
The Director is responsible for leading a complex scientific organization that supports EPA's civil and criminal enforcement programs. The Director serves as an advisor to OECA's Assistant Administrator (AA), Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator (PDAA), and Deputy Assistant Administrator(s) (DAAs), as well as an executive-level expert and advisor to OCEFT and OECA's senior leadership on matters of scientific and technical investigative expertise in support of complex investigations and cases, and research and development of issues having national impact.
NEIC is the enforcement program's environmental forensics center and includes an accredited forensics laboratory and multi-disciplinary scientists that gather and evaluate evidence and perform analytical services.
Specific duties of this position may include, but are not limited to:
- Leading and managing the National Enforcement Investigations Center, its personnel and its activities, consistent with OECA AA direction.
- Serving as the executive leader who will provide management, direction, and oversight of a national criminal and civil enforcement investigations program.
- Developing and implementing program priorities, objectives, and goals within the budgetary and resource constraints.
- Ensuring the scientific and technical expertise of the program is nationally available to civil and criminal enforcement cases.
- Serving as an advisor to both EPA leadership and the Department of Justice on scientific, technical, and analytical matters associated with environmental enforcement.
- Overseeing the development and execution of sampling and analytical investigative techniques to evaluate environmental quality and/or support enforcement cases.
- Ensuring that the program office stays abreast and current on environmental rules, regulations, and laws as well as laboratory practices, and investigative policies and procedures.
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.
#LI-Onsite
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 leading and/or managing a complex organization comprised of scientific staff that function collaboratively to support enforcement programs.
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
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.
A relocation incentive may be offered to the selected candidate if applicable criteria are met. If you are selected and accept a relocation incentive, you must sign/date a written service agreement in which you commit to complete a specified period of employment with the agency at the new duty station. NOTE: A relocation incentive is not full reimbursement of all relocation expenses.
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.
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.
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.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet basic qualification requirements, your application will be evaluated based on the experience described in your resume with the required Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Technical Qualifications (TQs). It will then be forwarded to a three-member Rating Panel consisting of SES members for further review. The Rating Panel will decide which Best Qualified applicants will be issued to the Selecting Official by the Human Resources Office.
Documents to be submitted online:
NOTE: You should ensure your social security number, date of birth, and any other personal information are redacted.
- Resume - Required for all applicants - State your experience related to this position as described in the Duties section and Qualifications section. In describing your experience, be clear and specific. We may not make assumptions regarding your experience. NOTE: Your resume may not exceed 2 pages. If your resume exceeds 2 pages, your application will be disqualified.
-Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) - Required for competitive applicants
- Address your experience with the ECQS described in the Qualifications section within the limits of your 2-page resume.
- For more information on ECQs, see OPM's Guide to SES Qualifications.
- Technical Qualifications (TQs) -
Required for all applicants
- Address your experience with the TQs described in the Qualifications section within the limits of your 2-page resume.
- Proof of SES noncompetitive eligibility -
Required for noncompetitive applicants - If you are currently serving under a Career SES appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the SES, or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program approved by OPM, submit
one of the following:
- Certification of completion from an OPM-approved SES Candidate Development Program (CDP). This applies only if your ECQs have been approved by an OPM Qualifications Review Board through the SES CDP.
- SF-50 showing your status as a:
- current Career SES appointee,
- former Career SES appointee with Career SES reinstatement eligibility, or
- current or reinstatement eligible Career SES-equivalent executive who is/was employed in a Federal government agency that has an interchange agreement with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) allowing for movement between the agency's SES-equivalent personnel system and the SES.
To learn more about submitting documentation, visit Uploading Documents to USAJOBS.
