Director, Air Enforcement Division

This position is located in the immediate office (IO) of the Air Enforcement Division (AED) Office of Civil Enforcement (OCE) in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance (OECA) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is a Senior Executive Services (SES) position located in Washington DC.

The Director serves serves as an advisor to OECAs Assistant Administrator (AA) Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator (PDAA) and Deputy Assistant Administrator(s) (DAAs) and OECA senior leadership on all matters pertaining to the deterrence of noncompliance by the development and implementation of judicial and administrative enforcement activities under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The Air Enforcement Division is responsible for civil enforcement of the environmental laws and regulations to address violations under the CAA the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act of 2020. The AED oversees and conducts judicial and administrative enforcement activities under the provisions of the CAA that address stationary sources of pollution (e.g. new source review air toxics and new source performance standards) and mobile sources of pollution (e.g. vehicles engines and fuels); certain provisions of APPS that relate to ocean going vessels and fuels; and regulations promulgated under the AIM Act pertaining to hydrofluorocarbons.

Specific duties for this position may include but are not limited to:

- Leading and managing the Air Enforcement Division its personnel and its activities consistent with OECA AA direction.

- Serving as an advisor to OECA senior leadership on matters pertaining to the deterrence of noncompliance by the development and implementation of judicial and administrative enforcement activities under the CAA APPS and AIM Act of 2020.

- Developing enforcement and compliance assurance policies for the national air enforcement program. - Representing the Division on and at committees work groups seminars meetings and conferences to both internal and external partners including other government offices legislative branch officials industry academia state and local governments and private employers.

- Exercising legal technical and administrative control over the Division including but not limited to establishing implementing and evaluating changes to the Divisions priorities policies procedures goals short and long range plans resources budgets and manpower.

- Coordinating with the Office of General Counsel regarding defensive litigation handled by the Office of General Counsel that may have enforcement implications.

- Providing legal enforcement counsel and guidance to other EPA offices and regions as well as participating in the development and preparation of testimony evidence motions trial briefs and litigation strategy for those offices and regions.

- Developing and maintaining professional relationships with internal and external partners.

- Performing the full range of supervisory human resources functions.

You must be a U.S. Citizen.

If you are selected you must complete a 1-year SES probationary period if not previously completed.

The Ethics in Government Act P.L. 95-521 requires the applicant selected for this position to submit a financial disclosure statement OGE-278 prior to assuming the SES position annually and upon termination of employment.

REAL ID requirements became effective on 05/07/25. If you are selected for this position and plan to use your drivers license or identification card during the onboarding process (i.e. for employment eligibility verification or to obtain your EPA identification card) the document must be a REAL ID-compliant state-issued drivers license or identification card that includes the REAL ID-compliant star marking or must be an Enhanced Drivers License (EDL). You will receive information about alternative acceptable documents (e.g. passport) prior to onboarding. For more information about REAL ID see Dept. of Homeland Security and REAL ID FAQs.

This position has education requirements. See Qualifications/Education section.

EPA and non-EPA applicants must submit transcripts/course-listings.

This position is designated as High Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

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The work of this position is classified in the General Attorney 0905 series. Applicants must have a LL.M or J.D. degree from an accredited law school; must be admitted to practice before the highest court of a State U.S. territory the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and must maintain active status as a member of the bar of one of these jurisdictions. The incumbent must have significant experience in providing legal advice and counsel at EPA; other federal state or local agencies; or in private practice.

All applicants must have one year of specialized experience at a level close to the work of this job that demonstrates the particular knowledge skills and abilities required to successfully perform in this role. Typically this experience can be found in work within this field or a field that is closely related.

As a basic requirement for entry into the Senior Executive Service applicants must also provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior level management capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined under the Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications listed below.

A. Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) - Mandatory for competitive applicants - Failure to address these factors within the required 2-page resume will result in your application being disqualified unless you are a noncompetitive eligible applicant.

ECQ 1 - COMMITMENT TO THE RULE OF LAW AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDING. Involves demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law and commitment to serve the American people.
ECQ 2 - DRIVING EFFICIENCY. Involves demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources budget effectively cut wasteful spending and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.
ECQ 3 - MERIT AND COMPETENCE. Involves demonstrated knowledge ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.
ECQ 4 - LEADING PEOPLE. Involves demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organizations vision mission and goals and to drive a high-performance high-accountability culture. This includes when necessary the ability to lead people through change and hold individuals accountable.
ECQ 5 - ACHIEVING RESULTS. Involves demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

Your responses should be clear and concise and show a level of accomplishment and a degree of responsibility. Leadership competencies for each ECQ can be found in OPMs Guide to SES Qualifications.

B. Technical Qualifications (TQs) - Mandatory for all applicants - Failure to address these factors within the required 2-page resume will result in your application being disqualified.

TQ 1 - Demonstrated experience leading and/or managing attorneys and technical staff in complex enforcement and litigation matters involving federal environmental protection laws regulations and/or programs.