Program Manager

About the role

Under the general supervision of the NCSA Associate Administrator, the Director for the Office of Data Acquisitions leads national crash investigation and data collection programs. The Director manages the acquisition, automation, and distribution of high-quality highway safety databases used to reduce traffic deaths, injuries, and medical costs.

This role partners across federal, state, and private sectors to improve data systems and ensure rigorous quality control.

What you will do

• A major function of the Office of Data Acquisitions is to provide databases developed from state highway safety related data for use in analyses aimed at reducing deaths, injuries, crashes, and medical costs.
• As the Director, the incumbent will be responsible for the following: Advising the Associate Administrator on all matters related to the design, development, coordination, and management of crash investigation and data collection, and their contribution to achieving the mission of NHTSA.
• Keeps the Associate Administrator fully informed as to the status of programs and of problems and controversial issues.
• Collaborates closely with the Associate Administrator and other top officials of NHTSA to identify the agency's crash research and data needs, to determine techniques and methods by which the office can meet those needs, to estimate the cost and time required to meet the needs, and to determine other implications of changes.
• Carrying out personnel management responsibilities for a staff of professional, technical, administrative and clerical support personnel.
• Makes decisions on work problems presented by subordinate supervisors and key specialists.
• Evaluates performance of subordinate supervisors and reviews evaluations made by supervisors of subordinate employee's performance.
• Establishing policy and provides management oversight of the State Data Reporting Systems Division responsible for the crash record-based data.
• Crash record based data includes the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a fundamental national data base on traffic safety, Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS), Not-in-Traffic System (NTS) and the State Electronic Data Collection Program (SEDC)., The Division also provides the expertise in sample design and quality control to the other offices in the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, the rest of NHTSA and other offices in DOT.
• Establishing policy and provides management oversight of the Crash Investigation Division (CID), provides executive leadership in the planning, design, development, coordination, and management of national networks of motor vehicle traffic crash research and data collection activities.
• These include the operation of a national system to conduct detailed investigations of a well-defined selection of motor vehicle crashes currently the Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS)); and the Special Crash Investigations (SCI) program of special investigations of crashes of particular, interest; and Systems for collecting, supplementing, and coding data from police crash reports to provide special purpose data files.
• Maintaining liaison with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, police agencies, hospitals, private safety groups, motor vehicle and equipment manufacturers, crash research and analysis organizations, professional societies, and other groups with an interest in crash investigation and crash data for the purposes are for exchanging crash data and information on crash research technology, encouraging the use of crash data, and cooperating on crash research programs.
• The ideal candidate is a data executive and systems expert with a track record of managing federal data collection, automation, and national crash investigation programs.
• They possess the strategic and technical skills to lead multi-disciplinary teams while directing the human resource, budgetary, and procurement parameters vital to national highway safety initiatives.
• A skilled collaborator, they excel at building partnerships across federal, state, and private sectors including law enforcement, public health, and the automotive industry to secure cooperation and advance data systems.
• Furthermore, they bring expertise in data governance, enforcing quality control and data completeness while protecting individual privacy, ensuring the delivery of accurate databases that support national safety research and rulemaking.

Requirements

• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you maybe required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.
• A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals.
• Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
• TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

How you will be evaluated

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC.

WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

To receive full credit during evaluation, your assessment responses must explicitly point back to your resume, as HR cannot make assumptions about your experience.

You must write your narrative answers in full paragraph format, beginning each response with the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full-time/part-time, average hours worked per week, and federal series/grade (if applicable) as listed on your resume.

Within the paragraph, clearly describe your specific individual duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes to prove your level of expertise.

HR will cross-check your narrative against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every detail and timeframe claimed in your written response, the claimed experience will be disallowed, which may result in an ineligible determination.

Eligible Federal employees also seeking consideration for noncompetitive reassignment for this position, must indicate interest in the assessment. Noncompetitive federal candidates must have competitive status on a SF-50, meet minimum qualifications, have served at the same grade or higher, and held or exceeded the promotion potential of this position.

All applicants: Your application will be reviewed in two phases determine how you move forward in the hiring process. Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed.

Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed. Applicants passing “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Documents you must provide

• In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application.
• These should be legible and in a readable font size.
• A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages.
• Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week, and position titles.
• If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level.
• The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.
• FEDERAL APPLICANTS: You must submit SF-50(s) that verify your highest competitive grade, full performance level, and eligibility as a federal applicant.
• DO NOT submit an award SF-50 as these often do not verify grade or eligibility.
• For consideration for a promotion, Box 4 of the SF-50 must show a date that is at least 52 weeks prior to the job announcement closing.
• We recommend submitting your last promotion SF-50 or within-grade increase SF-50.
• Pay adjustment raise SF-50s for the current year will not support the 52 weeks' time-in-grade requirements. *** PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS/INCENTIVE AWARDS: If applicable, performance appraisals and/or Incentive award documentation may be submitted and will be forwarded to the selecting official as support in consideration of your application in the evaluation process.
• To receive due weight, you must submit a recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable (do not submit a performance plan) and/or incentive award documentation dated within the last 18 months (i.e. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increases, etc.) If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): your most recent performance appraisal, the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.
• YOU MUST SUBMIT ALL 3 documents and meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position and scoring at least an 80) to be considered under CTAP.
• Displaced employees may be eligible for CTAP priority consideration.
• For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition.
• Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position.
• Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents.
• Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system.

What to expect next

You may check your application status by logging into your USAJOBS account. Within two weeks of the closing date, your application will be reviewed and rated. Ratings will be determined based on the documents and information received by the closing date.

The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration. If you are selected for an interview, the hiring manager will contact you directly. Once a hiring decision is made, we will notify all applicants of their final status.

Additional information

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment.

In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, ***.

To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation