Program Manager (Deputy Area Manager)

Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Program Manager (Deputy Area Manager). You can make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.

Duty Location: Lower Colorado Basin Region, Boulder Canyon Operations Office located in Boulder City, NV.

Full time telework/remote work is not available for this position.

This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
  
  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
• Federal employees - Competitive service
  
  Current or former competitive service federal employees.
• Individuals with disabilities
• Land & base management
  
  Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.
• Military spouses
• Veterans

Clarification from the agency

See Who May Apply under Requirements for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.

Videos

Duties

- Serves as the Deputy Area Manager for Boulder Canyon Operations Office lines of business in the areas of Program Management, Administration, Water Accounting and Verification, Water Administration, River Operations, Operations Support, Hydrographic Team and Research and Modeling groups. Responsible for carrying out the Water Master functions for the Lower Colorado River.

- Plans work to be accomplished by subordinates, sets and adjusts priorities, and prepares schedules for completion of work; assigns work to subordinates based on priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments, and the capabilities of employees; evaluates work performance of employees; provides advice, counsel, or instruction to employees on work and administrative matters; interviews candidates for positions; hears and resolves complaints from employees; effects disciplinary measures; identifies developmental and training needs of employees, provides and/or arranges for needed development and training; finds ways to improve production and increase the quality of the work directed; and develops performance standards.

- Serves as the Area Manager's principal advisor and representative, consulting with key managers and stakeholders to ensure that all implications are identified, weighed, and considered in study and discussion of effective and efficient resource use and distribution. Obtains and/or develops models for managing various issues, identifies and resolves problems that are barriers to achieving goals.

- Manages short- and long-range planning activities that include multi-year work plans that are the products of subordinate organizational projects/programs. The duties of this position are complex, as they cross-cut management and quality improvement disciplines such as: implementation of program/project management; strategic planning; workforce planning; budget formulation and justification; quality improvement methods and initiatives; financial analysis; measurement and support, programmatic internal controls, analytics, and reporting tools.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.

You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.

You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).

You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents).

You must meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications).

You must submit a performance appraisal if you are a current or former federal employee.

You must maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times as the position requires operation of government vehicles on government and public roads. Failure to maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times will result in removal from the position.

You will be required to complete a Financial Disclosure Form.

You will be required to submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment as a condition of employment. This position is also subject to random drug testing.

Who May Apply:

• 30% or More Disabled Veterans
• Bureau of Reclamation Employees (Competitive)
• Bureau of Reclamation Employees (Non-Competitive)
• Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)
• Department of the Interior Employees (Competitive)
• Department of the Interior Employees (Non-Competitive)
• Federal Employees (Competitive Transfer)
• Federal Employees (Non-Competitive Transfer)
• Former Federal Employees (Competitive Reinstatement)
• Former Federal Employees (Non-Competitive Reinstatement)
• Individuals with Disabilities (Schedule A)
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA)
• Military Spouses
• Miscellaneous Appointing Authorities
• Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA)

Qualifications

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, the HR Office must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - this information must be clearly supported in the resume.

GS-14: To qualify at the GS-14, you must possess one year of full-time specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-13 level in federal service having demonstrated experience.

GS-14 Specialized Experience: Your resume must reflect one year of full-time work experience managing and directing the operations for complex water resources, power generation, or environmental resources management projects. This experience must provide expert technical guidance on matters concerning water resource management including one or more of the following functional areas: water or reservoir operations; management of water data; hydrologic modeling, planning or studies; negotiation or execution of water and repayment contracts. Experience must also demonstrate human capital management principles and techniques; budget formulation; interpretation of laws and policies.

Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to the online assessment questions by addressing experience, education and/or training relevant to this position. Applicants must make a fair and accurate assessment of their qualifications. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is apparent in your description of experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training, you will be rated ineligible. You must be clear when describing your experience, Human Resources may not make assumptions in determining qualifications. If your resume does not clearly reflect all of the above experience, your application will be marked as ineligible.

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.

Time-In-Grade: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower-grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b).

You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including time-in-grade restrictions and any selective placement factors if applicable, by 10/11/2024.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

Additional information

Probationary Period: You may be required to serve an initial probationary period.

Supervisory Probationary Period: You may be required to serve an initial supervisory probation period.

Telework: Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval. Full-Time Telework or Remote work is not available for this position.

Relocation: Permanent Change of Station (PCS) expenses are authorized with the exception of the Guaranteed Home Sale Provision or first-post-of-duty relocation expenses are authorized, as applicable. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law December 2017, suspends the moving expense deduction and the exclusion from income of qualified employer reimbursements of moving expenses that was allowed under previous tax laws. Employer reimbursements for moving costs are now generally taxed at the same rate as ordinary income.

E-Verify: DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/

Background Investigation: This position is designated as a NON-CRITICAL SENSITIVE National Security position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated National Security Background Investigation T3 or T3R or equivalent - specific level depends on risk level component of position designation) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment.

Driver's License/History: Operation of a Government vehicle is required; therefore, you must possess a valid state driver's license. A driving history check is required.

Financial Disclosure: If selected for this position, you will be required to file a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, within 30 days of entrance on duty and annually thereafter.

Drug Testing: Position is subject to pre-employment and random drug testing thereafter, during the course of employment.

Selective Service Registration: Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov

Bargaining Unit Status: This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

• Benefits
  
  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.
  
  Review our 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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide to the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Human Capital Management
• Interpersonal Skills
• Leadership
• Project Management
• Written Communication

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessment(s). These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12548993

Your answers will be verified against information provided in your resume. Your resume must clearly support the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position. You must make a fair and accurate assessment of your qualifications. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than what is apparent in the description of your experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training (or that your resume/application is incomplete), you could be rated ineligible or your score could be lowered.

For evaluating the quality of candidates for referral to the selecting official, a three-phased process will be used.

Phase 1: Applicant resumes will be reviewed by Human Resources to ensure they meet the basic qualification requirements (see definition of specialized experience). If applicants meet basic qualifications, they will continue on to the second phase and will be given an interim score based on the application questionnaire, which will take the applicant approximately 40 minutes to complete when initially applying. With information received from the application questionnaire in the first phase, applicant's will be evaluated on the following Competencies: Human Capital Management, Interpersonal Skills, Leadership, Project Management, and Written Communication.

Phase 2: Candidates who pass the first phase will have their resume reviewed by a Subject Matter Experts against the competencies required for this position.

Phase 3: Candidates will be given a final score which combines the scores from the first and second phases. Those candidates who score as best qualified will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. You may choose to opt in of having your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate you are on, you will be notified.

• Benefits
  
  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.
  
  Review our 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.
• Required Documents
  
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  
  Please submit the supporting documents outlined below applicable to your claimed eligibility status and the position and grade to which you are applying. Failing to submit required documents will result in non-consideration due to an incomplete application package.
  
  RESUME: You must submit a resume that demonstrates how skills and experiences through job duties meet the qualifications and requirements listed in the job announcement to be considered for the job. Each job experience must include dates of employment including start and end dates (month and year), work schedule (full-time or part-time), and hours worked per week. For more information, click here.
  
  PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act/achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level. Current/Former federal employees that fail to submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal will have their application marked as incomplete.
  
  FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: Competitive Service current and/or former federal employees eligible for Promotion, Reassignment, Transfer, Reinstatement, etc. You must submit a copy of their SF-50, verifying highest rate of pay and documenting career or career-conditional status in the competitive service (Tenure 1 or 2) for which the applicant is claiming eligibility. Do not submit award SF-50s. If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old). For more information, click here.
  
  CAREER TRANSITION PROGRAMS: Permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. You must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including selective factors, education and experience requirements) and score at least 85.0 on the assessment questionnaire as established, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For more information, click here.
  
  VETERANS: Veterans preference eligible under VEOA, and 30% or more Disabled Veterans: If you are claiming eligibility based on veterans preference entitlement, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character ofand service. If claiming disability preference, you must also submit the disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service and the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15. For more information, click here.
  
  LAND MANAGEMENT WORKFORCE FLEXIBILITY ACT: Current or former land management agency appointees. You must submit (1) a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, that reflects having initially been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited (temporary/term) appointment; (2) a copy of SF-50(s), Notification of Personnel Action(s), that reflect having served under one (1) or more time-limited (temporary/term) appointments by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of two (2) or more years; and (3) a copy of your Performance Appraisal Plan and/or Supervisor Memorandum that reflects having performed at an acceptable level during each period of service. For more information, click here.
  
  OTHER HIRING AUTHORITIES: Applicants claiming eligibility based on a Special Hiring Authority must submit applicable proof of eligibility as outlined in the following site(s): Schedule A, Interchange Agreement, and Military Spouse.
  
  
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
  
  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
  schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  
  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
• How to Apply
  
  Applications (resume, assessment questionnaire, and supporting documentation) for this vacancy MUST be received online BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, DC time) on 10/11/2024. To apply, click the blue APPLY ONLINE button at the top of the page.
  
  Do not submit photographs with the application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - applicant must remove any images from badges, licenses, etc.
  
  Agency contact information
  
  Maria Wallior
  
  Email
  
  mwallior@usbr.gov
  
  Address
  
  Lower Colorado Basin
  
  Bureau of Reclamation
  
  PO Box 61470
  
  Boulder City, NV 89006
  
  US
  
  Next steps
  
  Upon successful submission of the application packet, applicants will receive a confirmation email from USAJOBS. If this email confirmation is not received by the applicant, the application has not yet been accepted by the system.
  
  After all application packages have been received, resumes and supporting document(s) will be reviewed to ensure applicants meet the basic qualification requirements. Each applicant who meets the basic qualifications will be further evaluated on the information provided in the resume, application questionnaire, and other assessment criteria identified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. Best-qualified applicants will be referred to the selecting official. After making a tentative job offer, a suitability and/or security background investigation will be conducted. A final job offer is typically made within 40 days after the deadline for applications. Applicants should monitor their status for positions with the Bureau of Reclamation by regularly checking their public status notifications in the USAJOBS profile.
• Fair and Transparent
  
  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
  
  
  • Criminal history inquiries
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Financial suitability
  • New employee probationary period
  • Privacy Act
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Selective Service
  • Signature and false statements
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

Please submit the supporting documents outlined below applicable to your claimed eligibility status and the position and grade to which you are applying. Failing to submit required documents will result in non-consideration due to an incomplete application package.

RESUME: You must submit a resume that demonstrates how skills and experiences through job duties meet the qualifications and requirements listed in the job announcement to be considered for the job. Each job experience must include dates of employment including start and end dates (month and year), work schedule (full-time or part-time), and hours worked per week. For more information, click here.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act/achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level. Current/Former federal employees that fail to submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal will have their application marked as incomplete.

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: Competitive Service current and/or former federal employees eligible for Promotion, Reassignment, Transfer, Reinstatement, etc. You must submit a copy of their SF-50, verifying highest rate of pay and documenting career or career-conditional status in the competitive service (Tenure 1 or 2) for which the applicant is claiming eligibility. Do not submit award SF-50s. If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old). For more information, click here.

CAREER TRANSITION PROGRAMS: Permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. You must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including selective factors, education and experience requirements) and score at least 85.0 on the assessment questionnaire as established, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For more information, click here.

VETERANS: Veterans preference eligible under VEOA, and 30% or more Disabled Veterans: If you are claiming eligibility based on veterans preference entitlement, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character ofand service. If claiming disability preference, you must also submit the disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service and the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15. For more information, click here.

LAND MANAGEMENT WORKFORCE FLEXIBILITY ACT: Current or former land management agency appointees. You must submit (1) a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, that reflects having initially been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited (temporary/term) appointment; (2) a copy of SF-50(s), Notification of Personnel Action(s), that reflect having served under one (1) or more time-limited (temporary/term) appointments by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of two (2) or more years; and (3) a copy of your Performance Appraisal Plan and/or Supervisor Memorandum that reflects having performed at an acceptable level during each period of service. For more information, click here.

OTHER HIRING AUTHORITIES: Applicants claiming eligibility based on a Special Hiring Authority must submit applicable proof of eligibility as outlined in the following site(s): Schedule A, Interchange Agreement, and Military Spouse.


If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Applications (resume, assessment questionnaire, and supporting documentation) for this vacancy MUST be received online BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, DC time) on 10/11/2024. To apply, click the blue APPLY ONLINE button at the top of the page.

Do not submit photographs with the application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - applicant must remove any images from badges, licenses, etc.

Agency contact information

Maria Wallior

Email

mwallior@usbr.gov

Address

Lower Colorado Basin

Bureau of Reclamation

PO Box 61470

Boulder City, NV 89006

US

Next steps

Upon successful submission of the application packet, applicants will receive a confirmation email from USAJOBS. If this email confirmation is not received by the applicant, the application has not yet been accepted by the system.

After all application packages have been received, resumes and supporting document(s) will be reviewed to ensure applicants meet the basic qualification requirements. Each applicant who meets the basic qualifications will be further evaluated on the information provided in the resume, application questionnaire, and other assessment criteria identified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. Best-qualified applicants will be referred to the selecting official. After making a tentative job offer, a suitability and/or security background investigation will be conducted. A final job offer is typically made within 40 days after the deadline for applications. Applicants should monitor their status for positions with the Bureau of Reclamation by regularly checking their public status notifications in the USAJOBS profile.

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Criminal history inquiries
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability
• New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selective Service
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request