Director, Federal Facilities Enforcement Office

About the role

This Senior Executive Service (SES) position is in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Federal Facilities Enforcement Office. About the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. This is an office-centered position--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.

What you will do

• This position is in the Federal Facilities Enforcement Office (FFEO), Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• The Director serves as an advisor to OECA's Assistant Administrator (AA), Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Assistant Administrator for Management, on the implementation and oversight of the federal facility enforcement and compliance program with respect to EPA's environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, Clean Air Act, and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.
• The Office develops and establishes national enforcement policy and guidance for the federal facility enforcement and compliance program, conducts multi-statutory inspections of federal facilities and, in collaboration with the ten regions and other headquarters offices, determines the appropriate enforcement responses to violations of environmental laws.
• FFEO is directly involved in enforcement negotiations, including interagency Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act agreements, administrative penalty and/or compliance orders, and in litigation and enforcement against federal facilities.
• FFEO reviews proposed federal legislation and develops EPA positions on appropriate federal responsibilities under such legislation.
• Specific duties of this position may include, but are not limited to: - Developing and implementing enforcement policies for the Office. - Participating in the establishment of operating policies, procedures, priorities, short and long range plans, resource allocation and budgetary utilization. - Serving as the principal legal advisor to higher management for the assigned areas of responsibility. - Producing analysis of continually evolving national policy issues on extremely short timelines without established precedents or guidelines. - Developing and maintaining professional relationships with both internal and external partners. - Representing the Agency to officials from Congress, other Federal agencies, State and local governments, public interest organizations, private industry, academia, and others. - Preparing and presenting testimony to Congress as well as interacting directly with members of Congress, Congressional committees, and their staff. - Reviewing the programs and activities of the Office and then advising the AA on the development or needed revisions of the Office's programs, plans, priorities, procedures, resource allocations, budgets, personnel staffing, and intramural and extramural efforts. - Ensuring that procurements, contracts, grants, and assistance are managed in accordance with Agency and Office policies, regulatory requirements, and budgetary constraints. - Overseeing the development, assessment, and improvement of management control systems in order to safeguard programs and achieve results while adhering to the Federal Managers Financial Integrity Act. - Performing the full range of supervisory human resources duties for the Office and subordinate employees.

Requirements

• 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 has education requirements.
• See Qualifications/Education section.
• EPA and non-EPA applicants must submit transcripts/course-listings.
• 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.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain a top-secret security clearance.
• Pre-employment drug testing is required and random testing thereafter. #LI-Onsite

Education

You must: (1) possess a J.D. or LL.M. degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university or equivalent apprentice experience as allowed per state law; and (2) be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any state, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia; and (3) be an active member of the bar of any U.S. jurisdiction in good standing.

NOTE: Bar membership and licensure are not required at the time of application, but you must be admitted to the bar and obtain your license before entry on duty. For information about accreditation requirements, visit Accreditation.

How you will be evaluated

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 you must provide

• 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 education (see requirements in the Education section): Law school transcripts - unofficial or official transcripts or a list of courses that includes school(s) attended, school address, course title, grades earned, completion dates, department, and quarter or semester hours earned.
• NOTE: Official educational transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if you are selected, you must provide official transcripts before you start work with EPA.
• IF EDUCATION WAS COMPLETED AT A FOREIGN INSTITUTION: You must submit an equivalency evaluation with your application as described here: Accreditation. - OR - Documentation of apprentice experience equivalent to possession of a J.D. or LL.M. degree. -- 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.

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.

What to expect next

It is your responsibility to check your USAJOBS account for application status information. You can track the progress of your application via your USAJOBS account by clicking the Track This Application link.

Your USAJOBS application status will appear in your profile if your application was received successfully; if your submission was not received, the application status will show as unavailable. After the announcement closes, the Human Resources Office will conduct a review of your application package.

If your application is complete and you meet basic qualification requirements, it will be forwarded to a three-member Rating Panel consisting of SES members for further review of your 2-page resume, particularly your described experience with the ECQs and TQs.

The Rating Panel will decide which Best Qualified applicants will be referred to the Selecting Official by the Human Resources Office. Competitive candidates referred for consideration will be contacted to schedule a structured interview. Additional interviews and/or assessments may follow.

If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the Human Resources Office posting this announcement. Your application status will change in USAJOBS when updates are available for each step of the process.

NOTE: We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses through reference and/or background check, and/or verification of your education. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration.

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.