Area Director

Summary

Lead with purpose and make an impact. As an Area Director, you will serve as a senior executive leader, guiding operations and advancing national priorities across your Area. You'll strengthen partnerships with Tribes, Urban Indian Organizations, and key stakeholders while driving collaboration, addressing critical issues, and helping ensure the Indian Health Service (IHS) effectively serves American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Duties

Help

As an Area Director, you will serve in a highly visible leadership role with the opportunity to make a meaningful impact across the IHS and the communities it serves. You will provide senior leadership for your assigned Area, translate national priorities into effective Area-level action, and help ensure programs, resources, and partnerships are aligned to advance the IHS mission. The position offers the opportunity to work closely with Tribal Nations, Urban Indian Organizations, senior IHS leaders, and Federal, state, local, and other partners while leading a diverse portfolio of operational and organizational priorities.

As Area Director, you will bring together people, programs, and resources to address complex challenges, strengthen relationships, and move important initiatives forward. Key functions include:

• Executive Leadership and Area Management: Lead Area Office operations, resources, and staff while translating national priorities into coordinated Area-level actions and ensuring accountability for organizational commitments.
• Tribal, Urban Indian, and Stakeholder Engagement: Strengthen government-to-government and partner relationships through Tribal Consultation, Urban Confer, listening sessions, technical assistance, and ongoing engagement.
• ISDEAA Implementation and Coordination: Coordinate Area implementation of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA), working across Area and Headquarters functions to support consistent and timely implementation.
• Program, Partnership, and Cross-Functional Coordination: Bring together programs, partners, and subject-matter experts to address complex issues, coordinate priorities, resolve challenges, and advance matters requiring broader Agency action.
• Emergency Preparedness, Continuity, and Issue Response: Provide Area-level leadership for preparedness, continuity, response, and recovery efforts and help ensure significant events and critical issues receive timely attention and follow-through.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

Selectee may be subject to a probationary period

ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period

U.S. Citizenship is required

Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes.

A one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period may be required upon selection/placement.

Confidential Financial Disclosure Form required.

Background Investigation Requirement:

This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment.

A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service.

Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process.

Financial Suitability Requirement:

This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination. Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility, maintain good standing with creditors, and satisfy all legal financial obligations prior to applying.

Individuals with substantial delinquent or unresolved financial obligations-including, but not limited to, delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, defaulted federal student loans, court-ordered fines or fees, or child support arrears-may be deemed unsuitable for employment with the Indian Health Service (IHS).

Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-14) in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks:

• Providing senior-level leadership and management for organizational programs, operations, resources, or initiatives, including translating organizational priorities into implementation plans and monitoring results and accountability;
• Leading or coordinating engagement with Tribal governments, Tribal Organizations, Urban Indian Organizations, Federal, state, local, or other governmental and external partners on complex or sensitive issues;
• Providing senior-level coordination, analysis, or implementation support involving the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA), Tribal self-determination/self-governance programs, or comparable Federal Indian programs and authorities;
• Coordinating complex, cross-functional issues involving multiple organizational components or program areas, including identifying risks, developing solutions or recommendations, tracking commitments, and elevating matters requiring higher-level action; and
• Exercising supervisory or managerial responsibility, such as establishing priorities, assigning and evaluating work, managing organizational resources, addressing performance or conduct matters, and ensuring accountability for organizational results.

Specialized Experience: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Applicants who have the 1 year of appropriate specialized experience, as indicated above, are not required by this standard to have general experience, education above the high school level, or any additional specialized experience to meet the minimum qualification requirements.

Time In Grade

Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP).

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Education

There are no education requirements.

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/[redacted]5-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

The duty location for each Area Director position will be based on the specific Area for which the selectee is hired to serve. Selectees will be required to report to and maintain their official duty station at the designated location for that Area: Anchorage, AK; Phoenix, AZ; Sacramento, CA; Billings, MT; Oklahoma City, OK; or Nashville, TN. Alternate duty locations will not be considered.

Recruitment or relocation incentives may be authorized. At least a 6 month service agreement will be required.

This position is ineligible for the Bargaining Unit.

This position meets the criteria specified in pillar number one of the five pillars of the PHS Commissioned Corps. PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps MUST apply online under the merit promotion announcement indicated above in order to receive consideration. For more information on PHS Commissioned Corps, visit the website at: https://www.usphs.gov/.

You will be evaluated for this position in accordance with the OPM Merit Hiring Plan.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide short essay responses (200 words or less each) to the following four questions.

1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government?
2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness?
3. In this role, you will be expected to professionally and efficiently implement executive direction. Provide an example where you implemented leadership direction on a strategy or policy decision that differed from your own recommendation.
4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements?

• Your responses are optional and will not be scored.
• However, they may be reviewed by hiring managers and agency leadership (or designees) during the evaluation process.
• You will be asked to certify that your responses are written in your own words and that you did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) tool (such as ChatGPT or Copilot).

Expand Hide additional information

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.

Benefits

Help

The salary range for this position varies based on the selected duty location and applicable locality pay. The salary ranges are:

• Billings, Oklahoma City, and Nashville: $147,945 - $192,331
• Alaska: $167,282 - $197,200
• Sacramento: $163,996 - $197,200
• Phoenix: $154,757 - $197,200

The final salary will be determined based on the selected duty location and applicable pay-setting requirements.

Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. IHS may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their directly related previous non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave.

Review our benefits