Summary

If selected, you will provide senior level leadership in determining objectives and setting priorities as it relates to key Animal Care (AC) operations. You will also take a long-term view and build a shared vision with others; act as a catalyst for organizational change, and influence others to translate vision into action.

Duties

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• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Plays a key role in establishing and developing the compliance support unit that identifies individuals engaged in Animal Welfare Act (AWA)-covered activities without authorization.
• Ensures swift enforcement action while managing litigation risk and maintaining consistent application of, and accountability for, compliance with the AWA and Horse Protection Act (HPA).
• Serves as a principal advisor to the Deputy Administrator and senior leadership on complex regulatory actions and enforcement matters, and administrative law issues, including statutory interpretation, litigation risk, and compliance policy.
• Provides senior leadership and strategic direction to strengthen compliance inspections (in collaboration with Animal Welfare Operations) and compliance assurance activities under the AWA and HPA.
• Leads two work units; one that focuses on compliance support and one that focuses on enforcement actions.
• Directs the development, implementation, and evaluation of national strategies designed to promote compliance and proactively identify and mitigate regulatory risk.
• Develops frameworks to fully implement AWA regulatory authority to deny licenses to unfit individuals and to apply other enforcement tools.
• Exercises technical and administrative supervision over professional and technical personnel engaged in compliance support/oversight, compliance assurance, regulatory review, enforcement coordination, and policy evaluation activities.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served. Refer to the Next Steps section for more 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.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• In accordance with Office of Government Ethics regulations concerning conflict of interest, the incumbent will be required to submit a financial disclosure report within 30 days of their effective date of appointment and annually thereafter.
• All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.

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.

FOR THE GS-15GRADE LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-14 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Expert knowledge of the Animal Welfare Act, regulations and standards, Agency legal opinions, policies, guidelines, and court decisions as well as other informal procedures
• Experience which demonstrates and exceptionally high level of proficiency in working and applying humane laws, policies, and attitudes at the local, state, national, and international levels
• Knowledge of Federal, State, and local legal authority is needed which is derived from the Animal Welfare Act.
• Skills in leading a multi-disciplined and culturally diverse workforce, including fostering teamwork, attracting, retaining and motivating a diverse workforce.
• Knowledge of program mission objectives and issues, and familiarity with stakeholder perspectives in order to ensure the timeliness, quality, and suitability of briefing material to support program operations

Note: There is no education substitution for this grade level.

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 position does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

• Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and 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 and 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. CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100 to receive selection priority.
• First time hires to the federal government normally start at the lowest rate of the salary range for the grade selected.
• Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expense associated with reporting for duty will be the responsibility of the selected employee.
• 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 here.

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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.