Environmental Protection Specialist - Direct Hire

Duties
As an Environmental Protection Specialist, you will:

• Serve as FHWA's lead professional staff in policy and program development, implementation and assessment
• Serve as a principal source of knowledge for coordinating t program activities with other offices in FHWA and with other agencies.
• Guide the development and dissemination of outreach materials to provide technical assistance to State and local officials on policy matters and information to the general public and to foster interagency awareness of, and collaboration.
• Prepare analysis of legislative provisions and makes recommendations on both proposed and final legislation.
• Provide leadership in the implementation of policies, programs and procedures relating to transportation.
• Provide guidance and coordination with other disciplines at FHWA, other modal Administrations and offices in the Department of Transportation, other Federal, State, and local agencies, and professional associations on Federal transportation funding, Federal-Aid program implementation, and project-oriented problems.

The ideal candidate is a mid to senior level professional who functions independently and demonstrates leadership in team environments and/or managing people. The ideal candidate also has strong analytical, strategic planning, and communication skills. Experience in the analysis and/or improvement of environmental policy and an ability to meet organizational goals is desirable.
Requirements Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
• Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
• POSITION SENSITIVITY AND RISK: Varies by position and will be based on the position to which appointed.
• SECURITY CLEARANCE: Varies by position. If applicable, you must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance of the position to which appointed.
• PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
• FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: Varies by position. If applicable, the applicant selected is required to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: Travel will vary by position. If the position requires travel, a government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• TOUR RENEWAL/HOME LEAVE: Tour renewal and home leave may be offered based on location and position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
• TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: If approved for occasional telework, you will be required to report to the office on a regular basis. The number of telework days approved is determined by the agency policy, emergency situations, the approval of your immediate supervisor, and if applicable, approval of additional officials.
• REMOTE WORK: This position may be eligible for remote work. If selected for a remote work position, you must have access to high speed internet and cell phone service meeting current agency standards from the approved work location within the Contiguous United State and sign a remote work agreement.

Qualifications
To determine if you may be eligible, review the following grade specific details. You will be asked a few questions as part of your application but make sure to verify how you meet this experience in your resume or you may be deemed ineligible.

For the GS-15:You qualify for this grade level if you have at least one year of specialized experience, equal or equivalent to the GS-14 grade level, which included:

• Experience leading and developing national level environmental programs, policies, and projects; AND
• Experience researching, interpreting, effectively communicating, and providing advice on environmental policies and procedures; AND
• Experience developing and implementing policies, regulations, guidelines, standards, procedures, techniques and/or initiatives related to transportation and environmental issues.

You cannot qualify on education at grades GS-12 and above, you must meet the specialized experience for the grade, which is cited above.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

Leadership - Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.

Technical Credibility - Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise.

Compliance - Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance.

Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

For all types of consideration, 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience

Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Additional information
Telework availability will be based upon the mission requirements and supervisory determination.

Remote work is an arrangement in which an employee works at an alternative worksite (e.g., from home) and is not expected to report to the office to work. Remote work location will be determined upon/after selection and may affect locality pay.

The difference in salary is determined by the locality pay in each location. Salaries for all areas are available on the OPM website at:

Nonforeign Area Cost-of-Living Allowances:

If applicable, the agency has the option of extending a term appointment up to the 4-year limit.

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

Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.

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How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Given our continuing need for professionals in this field, we will routinely review applications and refer candidates for potential interviews multiple times during the open period of the announcement.

When an applicant list is requested, all applications received by that request date will be reviewed to determine if the basic qualifications for this position, and grades applied to, are met. Applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official(s) for further review and consideration. From that point on the selecting official determines all aspects of the hiring process. If they wish to contact you for an interview or for selection, they will do so directly. Equal consideration will be given to all applications received.

Note that applications received under a direct hire public notice may or may not result in a referral or selection. Also, management has the discretion to select at any grade level covered by public notice.

Applicants will not be rated or ranked. Veteran's Preference does NOT apply.

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated by a resume. Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support the noted grade specific specialized experience and your answers. If, upon review, it is determined that your resume and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be removed from consideration.
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