Supervisory Policy Advisor

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling on those who want to help protect American interests and secure our Nation. DHS Components work collectively to prevent terrorism; secure borders and our transportation systems; protect the President and other dignitaries; enforce and administer immigration laws; safeguard cyberspace; and ensure resilience to disasters. We achieve these vital missions through a workforce spanning hundreds of occupations. Make an impact; join DHS.

When disaster strikes America looks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Now FEMA looks to you. Join our team and use your talent to support Americans in their times of greatest need. FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages Federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. We foster innovation reward performance and creativity and provide challenges on a routine basis with a well-skilled knowledgeable high performance workforce. Please visit for additional information.

EXCEPTED SERVICE: This is a Schedule Policy/Career position in the excepted service.

EMERGENCY ASSIGNMENT: Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations which may require irregular work hours work at locations other than the official duty station and may include duties other than those specified in the employees official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months) with little advance notice and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

In this position you will lead and supervise a team of analysts in long-range program and policy planning including evaluating operational needs program efficiency resource use and organizational structures. Typical duties include:

• Plan initiate and oversee comprehensive management and program evaluation studies; consult with senior leaders on priorities; and provide documented recommendations for major program and policy changes.
• Serve as senior project manager for high-visibility initiatives directing multidisciplinary teams reviewing budgets and resource requirements and resolving operational issues to ensure effective completion of projects.
• Establish and maintain liaison with senior managers and external partners; provide authoritative policy and program advice; and promote collaboration and information sharing across FEMA and other organizations.
• Design and conduct broad-based studies and represent leadership in senior-level working groups regularly assessing and refining policies procedures methods and systems to improve FEMA programs and operations.

At FEMA our mission is to help people before during and after disasters and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations which may require irregular work hours work at locations other than the official duty station and may include duties other than those specified in the employees official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months) with little advance notice and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions.

To ensure the accomplishment of our mission DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards all selected applicants must undergo successfully pass and maintain a background investigation for Top Secret/SCI as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check after initial job qualifications are determined a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts child support and/or tax obligations as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs (please visit: Mythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies for additional information). For more information on background investigations for Federal jobs please visit OPM Investigations.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be serving in a position in Schedule Policy/Career of the Excepted service. You will obtain competitive status after two years of service in this position if applicable. Your employment in this position will be at-will. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) appeals of adverse actions concerning performance discipline and other matters arising under chapters 23 43 and 75 of title 5 United States Code will not be available to an individual serving in this position. The DHS Office of General Counsel will enforce prohibitions on prohibited personnel practices and not the Office of Special Counsel.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years a political Schedule A Schedule C Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Please ensure you meet the qualification requirements described below.

1. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
2. You must successfully pass a background investigation.
3. Selective Service registration required.
4. Current federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements.
5. You must be able to obtain and maintain a Government credit card.
6. You must be able to deploy with little or no advance notice to anywhere in the United States and its territories for an extended period of time.
7. Please review the Additional Information section for additional key requirements.

The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

To qualify for this position at the GS-15 level (starting salary $169279) you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in the Federal government which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government a state or local government or private sector and must demonstrate the following:

1. Providing high-level strategic and policy advice to senior executives on complex cross-cutting agency programs and initiatives including leading or significantly contributing to long-range strategy program and policy planning to improve operational effectiveness and mission outcomes; AND
2. Designing leading and overseeing comprehensive management and program evaluation studies that assess the efficiency and effectiveness of major programs policies organizational structures and resource utilization and developing well-supported recommendations for significant program or policy changes; AND
3. Leading and managing a team of analysts or multidisciplinary staff on high-visibility time-sensitive projects including planning and assigning work setting priorities and timelines providing technical guidance reviewing work products and ensuring the accuracy adequacy and timeliness of strategic and analytical outputs; AND
4. Establishing and maintaining effective liaison and coordination with senior officials inside and outside the agency representing organizational leadership in senior-level forums and developing and presenting policy statements position papers briefings or similar products that clearly communicate complex strategic and program issues to diverse audiences.

Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application:

• Do not copy and paste the duties specialized experience or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

• Please limit your resume to two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages.
• Your resume serves as the basis for experience related qualification determinations and you must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. Please use your own words be clear and specific when describing your work history. We cannot make assumptions regarding your experience.

Are you qualifying based on your work experience

• Qualifications are based on your ability to demonstrate in your resume that you possess one year of the specialized experience for this announcement at a comparable scope and responsibility. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume it must contain the following information organized by experience/position: (1) job title (2) name of employer (3) start and end dates of each period of employment (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY) (4) detailed description of duties performed accomplishments and related skills and (5) hours worked per week (part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience). Federal experience/positions must also include the grade level occupational series and dates in which you held each grade level.

• Are you a current or former FEMA Reservist/Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE) To accurately credit your experience from intermittent positions and Reservist Deployments you must list the dates (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY) of deployments that are relevant to your qualifying experience along with the job title and specific duties you were responsible for during each deployment.

• Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information. Failure to provide the above information in your resume may result in your application being found not qualified.

• 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 provides valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience including volunteer experience.

• For additional information on crediting experience and/or education please reference the OPM General Schedule Qualification Standards.