Summary

This position is located in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of the Secretary (OSEC), Deputy Secretary. The incumbent is responsible for day-to-day management of USDA's Chief Environmental Review and Permitting Office efforts, including the development, implementation, and

evaluation of its initiatives, projects and programs which promote and support the White House and Secretary's responsibilities related to the Administration's priorities.

Duties

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• Manages the day-to-day operations of the organization to develop and manage the programs and operations under the Chief Environmental Review and Permitting Office (CERPO).
• Develop and recommend improvements to standardize, simplify and improve agency processes, policies, and authorities to increase their efficiency
• Establishes control systems and progress reporting requirements to continuously measure program progress and to recommend realignments in operational focus.
• Continuously reviews program performance and identifies opportunities for qualitative and quantitative improvement.
• Serves as a senior advisor to the CERPO for USDA directly supporting the implementation of Title 41 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41), developing and recommending improvements
• Advising and coordinating key policy development and implementation initiatives throughout the Department and within USDA components.
• Advise the USDA CERPO, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and Regulatory Officers or their designees on matters related to environmental reviews and authorizations for projects under the jurisdictional responsibility of the agency.
• Provide guidance for USDA in developing regulations, policies, and procedures for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and other environmental laws.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• If selected, you may be required to serve a probationary or trial period as applicable to appointment type. Refer to Next Steps section for additional information.
• Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

Minimum Qualifications: Applicants must meet the Specialized Experience requirements as shown below. If qualifying based on experience, your application or resume must clearly show that you possess the specialized experience requirements. Specialized experience is defined as experience that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

For the GS-15 level

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-14 level) which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience championing initiatives to improve the Federal environmental review and authorization process; and, delivering authoritative, data-driven briefings and decision papers to senior executive leadership to defend or negotiate complex and controversial issues and drive resource allocation.

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, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP or RPL eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section and USA Hire assessment score. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

The salary ranges vary according to the geographic area locality adjustments; therefore, rates advertised represent base pay only as pay will depend upon the selectee's duty location. Please see the 2026 General Schedule (GS) Pay Tables for more information.

Incentives may be authorized.

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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

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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.

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.