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The Senior Executive Service (SES) is comprised of the men and women charged with leading the continuing transformation of the government. These leaders possess well-honed executive skills and share a broad perspective of government and a public service commitment which is grounded in the Constitution.
Position Level 2
This position is designed as a SES, Career-Reserved. USDA structures its SES positions into position levels. This is a position level two with a salary range of $165,716- $176,359 per year. Exceptions to the salary cap may be considered in certain circumstances. SES employees are also eligible to receive bonuses and performance-based awards. Visit http://www.opm.gov/ses/ for additional information and benefits for SES employees.
If you would like to work for a premier agency focused on enhancing the quality of life for the American people by supporting production of agriculture; ensuring safe, affordable, nutritious and accessible food supply; forest and range lands; supporting sound development of rural communities; providing economic opportunities for farm and rural residents; expanding global markets for agricultural and forest products and services; and working to reduce hunger in America and throughout the world, then the USDA is for you. To learn more about our agency, our exciting mission, vision and guiding principles, please visit http://www.usda.gov.
09/29/2017 to 10/30/2017
$165,716 - $176,359 per year
ES 00
25% or less - At the agency's discretion.
Yes—At the agency's discretion.
Permanent
Full-Time
00
Yes
AG-03-2017-0040
480890800
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of USDA. ARS is charged with extending the Nations scientific knowledge with programs in agriculture, human nutrition, food safety, natural resources, the environment, library and information services, and other topics. The Office of National Programs (ONP) provides national scientific and technical leadership for program planning, coordination, review, and evaluation for ARS research programs. ONP activities ensure the proper interaction, balance, and distribution of research within ARS by providing primary leadership for the National Programs. The National Program Staff operates as a single staff headed by the Associate Administrator, National Programs, and is subdivided into four major program areas, each led by a Deputy Administrator. The program areas are Nutrition, Food Safety and Quality (NFSQ); Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural Systems (NRSAS); Animal Production and Protection (APP); and Crop Production and Protection (CPP). The Deputy Administrators serve as a part of the ONP leadership team and help to develop the vision for the Agencys research portfolio.
The incumbent serves as Deputy Administrator, NRSAS. As such, serves as the principal ONP lead in planning and managing ARS National Research Programs related to natural resources and sustainable agricultural systems.
The Deputy Administrator, NRSAS, is accountable to the Associate Administrator, NPs, for planning, setting priorities, allocating resources, and evaluating research programs. The Administrator delegates the necessary authority to the Associate Administrator, ONP, and Deputy Administrators to fulfill these responsibilities. ONP Deputy Administrators, working with assigned National Program Leaders, support the Associate Administrator, ONP, in carrying out many of these responsibilities. ONP selects research programs to be implemented and recommends allocation of agency resources accordingly. This includes distribution of base funds and program increases to Research Units.
The Deputy Administrator, NRSAS, is responsible for and provides overall leadership and direction to the natural resources and sustainable agricultural systems group in:
National Planning and Coordination. Through the activities of NPS, the Deputy Administrator, NRSAS, develops and periodically updates the strategic and implementation plans necessary for management of ARS activities. In so doing, the incumbent assures that these plans reflect the Administrators priorities and congressional and Executive directives. These plans also assure coordination of research across ARS Areas. Other items that are accounted for in the planning activities include: the activities and programs of other research performers outside of ARS; the research needs of customers, stakeholders, and partners including farmers, ranchers, agribusiness, other State and Federal agencies, and consumers; the most efficient use of physical and financial resources available; program review and evaluation of progress toward achieving National Program objectives; and that ARS is most effectively applying its expertise to critical, high priority, broad regional, national, and international problems.
Determination of Program Content. Through the National Programs, the Deputy Administrator, NRSAS, assures that the ARS program for natural resources and sustainable agricultural systems is: consistent in content with national research policy; properly balanced in its efforts between fundamental and applied approaches as needed to attain program objectives; not duplicating the research of other research performers where not appropriate; making efficient use of ARS interdisciplinary research capabilities; research leads to the widest spectrum of benefits; and concentration on problems of regional, national, and international scope and importance.
Establishment of Research Priorities. The Deputy Administrator, NRSAS, has the responsibility for developing the ARS Strategic Plan and the derived budgets relative to the natural resources and sustainable agricultural systems research programs. He/she is responsible that the Strategic Plan priorities reflect the Department goals. Through the activities of the ONP, the Deputy Administrator, NRSAS, assures that the Plans priorities reflect: planning, articulation, and evaluation of the National Programs; consistency with the objectives and goals as identified by customers, stakeholders, ARS scientists and staff, Federal agencies, and the general scientific community; potential benefits of the research; capabilities and capacity of ARS scientists and resources; probability of success; cost of doing the research; and the research conducted by other agricultural research performers.
All groups of qualified individual. You are encouraged to read the entire announcement before submitting your application. Failure to follow instructions may disqualify you from further consideration.
As a basic requirement for entry into the SES, applicants must provide evidence of progressively responsible executive leadership and supervisory experience that is indicative of senior executive level management capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications listed below. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the GS-14/15 grade level in the federal service or its equivalent in the private sector. As such, your resume should demonstrate that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully fulfill responsibilities inherent in most SES positions such as:
• Directing the work of an organizational unit;
• Ensuring the success of one or more specific major programs or projects;
• Monitoring progress toward strategic organizational goals, evaluating organizational performance and taking action to improve performance; and
• Supervising the work of employees; and exercising important policy-making, policy determining, or other executive functions.
Failure to meet the basic qualification requirement and address all Mandatory Technical and Executive Core Qualification factors will result in your application being disqualified.
EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): The ECQs were designed to assess executive experience and potential not technical expertise. They measure whether an individual has the broad executive skills needed to succeed in a variety of SES positions. All applicants must submit a written narrative to address the ECQs. Your narrative must address each ECQ separately and should contain at least two examples per ECQ describing your experiences and accomplishments/results. The narrative should be clear, concise, and emphasize your level of responsibilities, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments, policy Initiatives undertaken and the results of your actions. Applicants should not enter "Refer to Resume" to explain your answer. The narrative must not exceed 10 pages.
NOTE: Current career SES members, former career SES members with reinstatement eligibility, and SES Candidate Development Program graduates who have been certified by OPM do NOT need to address the ECQs.
1. Leading Change: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment. (Competencies: creativity and innovation, external awareness, flexibility, resilience, strategic thinking, vision)
2. Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organizations vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. (Competencies: conflict management, leveraging diversity, developing others, team building)
3. Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. (Competencies: accountability, customer service, decisiveness, entrepreneurship, problem solving, technical credibility)
4. Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. (Competencies: financial management, human capital management, technology management)
5. Building Coalitions: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals. (Competencies: partnering, political savvy, influencing/negotiating)
Fundamental Competencies: These competencies are the foundation for success in each of the Executive Core Qualifications; Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Continual Learning, Written Communication, Integrity/Honesty, Public Service Motivation. The Fundamental Competencies are crosscutting; and should be addressed over the course of each ECQ narratives. It is not necessary for you to address the Fundamental Competencies directly as long as the narrative, in its totality, shows mastery of these competencies on the whole.
Applicants are encouraged to follow the Challenge, Context, Action and Result (C-C-A-R) model outlined in the guide.
Challenge - Describe a specific problem or goal.
Context - Describe the individuals and groups you worked with, and/or the environment in which you worked, to address a particular challenge (e.g., clients, co-workers, members of Congress, shrinking budget, low morale).
Action - Discuss the specific actions you took to address a challenge.
Result - Give specific examples of measures/outcomes that had some impact on the organization. These accomplishments demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of your leadership skills.
Additional information about the SES and Executive Core Qualifications can be found on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) SES Website. You are strongly encouraged to review OPMs Guide to SES Qualifications for specific examples and guidance on writing effective ECQ narrative statements.
MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): All applicants must submit a written narrative response to the following TQs. You must address each TQ separately. Each TQ narratives must not exceed two (2) pages. Please give examples and explain the complexity of the knowledge possessed and the sensitivity of the issued you handled.
1. Demonstrated experience leading complex, multidisciplinary research, development and technology transfer efforts and/or research portfolios with a high impact publication history and particular emphasis on leadership experiences that span the following areas: basic and applied research pertaining to natural resources and agriculture systems including soil and watershed science, microbiology, agricultural engineering, range science, plant and animal production, plant pathology, agronomy, and horticulture.
2. Demonstrated effectiveness in communicating with a wide variety of audiences and stakeholders, including senior and subordinate managers, scientific and technical communities, other governmental agencies, and/or official from the executive and/or legislative branches of the government, and the public. Demonstrated experience facilitating discussions between research and development managers and customer leaders to define future opportunities, strategies, and plans to develop programs.
Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education
Consideration for competitive selection for this position is open to all persons within the area of consideration who meet the basic qualifications. Race, color, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, religion, marital or family status, disability, and other non-merit factors will not be considered.
1. This position is covered under the post-employment restriction of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). This law also requires the selectee to file an Executive Personnel Financial Disclosure Report (Standard Form 278), within 30 days of appointment.
2. Applications sent in U.S. Government postage-paid envelope and submitted through Federal Agency courier services will not be considered.
3. The 1993 Hatch Act Reform Amendments prohibit oral and written political recommendations for Federal jobs.
4. Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with the Selective Service System before they can be employed by an executive agency of the Federal government. This requirement does not apply to Agency employees appointed before November 8, 1985.
5. All application forms are subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act and become the property of USDA. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication or program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
Reasonable Accommodation: This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency at 202-260-8128. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.
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. If 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.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated on the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience, and education (if applicable). Your application will be rated and ranked by an Executive Resources Board (ERB) Panel, using only the information submitted within the application package. Applicants who do not demonstrate in their application sufficient possession of the ECQs & MTQs will be determined ineligible for further consideration. Unless you have already been certified by a Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past, your ECQs must be certified by a QRB after selection and before appointment can occur.
Your resume should contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements as stated in this vacancy announcement. It is recommended that you include the following information:
Current career SES Members and former SES Members who have reinstatement eligibility to the career SES should submit a SF-50 showing career SES status;
OPM-Certified SES Candidate Development Program graduates should submit a copy of their Qualifications Review Board (QRB) certificate.
Education (if applicable): A copy of your transcript(s) or a separate course listing showing the course title, department, hours earned (quarter or semester), and grade (if applicable). If you have completed any part of your education outside of the U.S., you must submit the evaluation of your foreign education that has been prepared by an accredited organization. The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) can provide a list of who can evaluate your foreign education. For additional information, visit DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
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.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin. Failure to submit the required documentation by 11:59 pm EST of the closing date will result in loss of consideration. The following instructions outline our application process.
You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office during business hours well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages with supporting documents must be submitted no later than noon on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact us if you are requesting this.
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.
Step 2: Create a resume with USAJOBS or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).
Step 3: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application” to continue.
NOTE: Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBs transfer into the Agencys staffing system. Once in the Agencys staffing system you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX).
Candidates who do not submit complete application packages as indicated in this announcement will not be considered. Please be sure to remove all PII (e.g. SSN, DOB, etc.) from all documentation. Spell out Acronyms the first time used.
Applicants who cannot apply on-line may mail their applications (must be postmarked prior to the close date) or fax your application before the close date to the Agency Contact listed in the vacancy announcement.
Applicants who meet the mandatory requirements in items A (Executive Core Qualifications), and B (Mandatory Technical Qualifications) above will be considered qualified for this position. Rating and ranking to determine the best qualified will be conducted by a panel of senior executives and will be based upon consideration of the degree to which applicants meet the mandatory requirements as described in the announcement.
The Executive Core Qualifications of the selectee are subject to prior approval by the Office of Personnel Management Qualifications Review Board (QRB). Unless you have already been certified by an OPM QRB in the past, your ECQs must be certified by an OPM QRB before your appointment can occur. When reviewing Executive Core Qualifications Statements, the QRB is looking for experience as well as specific challenges, actions, and results.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/480890800. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
Agricultural Research Service is an exciting and rewarding place to start, build and/or continue your Federal career. Be part of our team and support the well-being of American agriculture and the American public. Find Solutions to Agricultural Problems that Affect Americans Every Day, From Field to Table. USDA is a great place to start or continue your career.
USDA is ranked as one of the top 10 "Best Places to Work in the Federal Government" by the Partnership for Public Service(http://bestplacestowork.org/BPTW/rankings/overall/large). Rankings are based on employee feedback regarding satisfaction with their work experience.
