Director, Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Division

Summary

This Senior Executive Service (SES) position is in the Office of Water, Office of Wastewater Management, Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. About OW. This is an office-centered position--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.

Duties

The Director, Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), is responsible for managing a national effort to leverage federal resources and stimulate private capital investments in water infrastructure by providing billions of dollars of credit assistance in the form of direct loans and loan guarantees to entities for water infrastructure projects. WIFIA is located within the Office of Wastewater Management. Major program responsibilities include: Performs all functions necessary to make loans ranging from $5 million to over $700 million to water infrastructure projects across the country. This activity is administered directly by headquarters staff without assistance from regional offices or states. Manages a bank located at EPA headquarters that lends billions of dollars annually to finance water infrastructure projects of national and regional significance. Serves as a direct lender to public and private borrowers nationwide, offering large dollar value loans each with flexible terms that are individually customized to each borrowers' circumstances. Monitors projects and borrowers from loan closing to final repayment, typically 40 years, to ensure compliance with their loan's terms. Develops programmatic policy and procedures to make sure that EPA is investing in water infrastructure projects that are financially and environmentally sound. Educates stakeholders on a national level, primarily municipalities, states, utilities, and corporations all around the country to develop a pipeline of projects seeking financing. Implements the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act in compliance with the Federal Credit Reform Act, National Environmental Protection Act, Buy America, Build America, Davis-Bacon, American Iron and Steel, and other federal requirements. Specific duties of the position include, but are not limited to: Planning, developing, organizing, directing and implementing programs for which the Director is assigned Agency-wide responsibility, including selecting, assigning, and providing leadership, direction and guidance to a multidisciplined staff to achieve assigned major program objectives. Assessing needs, defining goals, developing program plans, establishing the organizational structure of the WIFIA division, delegating authority and responsibility, and establishing overall WIFIA division operating policies, priorities, and procedures. Coordinating division activities with related or interdependent efforts with internal and external stakeholders. Ensuring that extramural resources, both procurement (contracts) and assistance (grants, cooperative agreements and interagency agreements), are efficiently and appropriately managed to maximize use of the Agency's resources. Supervising a large staff of employees organized into units headed by subordinate managers and supervisors.

Requirements

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 driver's 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 driver's license or identification card that includes the REAL ID-compliant star marking, or must be an Enhanced Driver's 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 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. #LI-Onsite

Qualifications and evaluation

We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet basic qualification requirements, your application will be evaluated based on the experience described in your resume with the required Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Technical Qualifications (TQs). It will then be forwarded to a three-member Rating Panel consisting of SES members for further review. The Rating Panel will decide which Best Qualified applicants will be issued to the Selecting Official by the Human Resources Office.

Benefits

Join EPA in protecting human health and the environment and enjoy many work life quality options! Working for the EPA offers you a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, 26 days of paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. To learn more about us, visit Life and Careers at EPA. If you are selected for this position, situational telework may be approved by your supervisor if you meet eligibility requirements, as allowable by agency policy.

How to apply

You are strongly encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application for this position. You must provide specific examples of your education, experience, training and awards in the manner and order instructed below which are applicable to each Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) and Technical Qualification (TQ). You are required to demonstrate your experience with the five ECQs and the TQs described in the Qualifications section. Failure to address the ECQs and TQs within your 2-page resume will result in your application being disqualified. To begin the application process, click the Apply button to the top right on this screen, follow the prompts to log-in/register, submit all required documents, and complete the assessment questionnaire. To be considered, you must submit a complete application package by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the day the announcement closes. As referenced in the Required Documents section, all required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJOBS document portfolio feature. It is recommended that you review your application materials after they have been uploaded to your application to ensure they conform to the requirements stated in the announcement. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your application, please contact the HR Specialist listed on the announcement. If you cannot apply online, you must contact the HR Specialist listed below for assistance no later than two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement. You must provide complete application materials by the day the announcement closes. For detailed instructions to assist you in ensuring your application package is received, go to EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION EPA welcomes applications from persons with disabilities. Through the reasonable accommodation process, we provide persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment that persons without disabilities enjoy. A reasonable accommodation is any change in the work environment or in the way things are customarily done. An accommodation removes workplace barriers and enables an applicant with a disability to have an equal opportunity to participate in the application process, be considered for a position, and, if hired, perform the essential functions of their job. The EPA National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinators will provide assistance to you, the Human Resources Office, and/or the hiring official as needed. For more information, refer to EPA's Reasonable Accommodation website. Below is more detailed information about how to request a reasonable accommodation during the application, selection, and hiring process: If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process (submitting the application or completing the application process), contact the Human Resources Office listed below no later than two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement, and the Human Resources Office will work directly with you. If you are referred to the hiring official for consideration and need an accommodation during the selection process, including the interview, notify the person who contacted you from the hiring official's office. If you do not hear back within three days about your reasonable accommodation request for the selection process, please notify EPA's National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinators via email at disabilityaccommodations@epa.gov. If you are selected and need an accommodation during the hiring process up to orientation, notify the HR Specialist who made the job offer to you. Please note: Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Required documents

Documents to be submitted online: NOTE: You should ensure your social security number, date of birth, and any other personal information are redacted. -- Resume - Required for all applicants - State your experience related to this position as described in the Duties section and Qualifications section. In describing your experience, be clear and specific. We may not make assumptions regarding your experience. NOTE: Your resume may not exceed 2 pages. If your resume exceeds 2 pages, your application will be disqualified. --Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) - Required for competitive applicants Address your experience with the ECQS described in the Qualifications section within the limits of your 2-page resume. For more information on ECQs, see OPM's Guide to SES Qualifications. -- Technical Qualifications (TQs) - Required for all applicants Address your experience with the TQs described in the Qualifications section within the limits of your 2-page resume. -- Proof of SES noncompetitive eligibility - Required for noncompetitive applicants - If you are currently serving under a Career SES appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the SES, or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program approved by OPM, submit one of the following: Certification of completion from an OPM-approved SES Candidate Development Program (CDP). This applies only if your ECQs have been approved by an OPM Qualifications Review Board through the SES CDP. SF-50 showing your status as a: current Career SES appointee, former Career SES appointee with Career SES reinstatement eligibility, or current or reinstatement eligible Career SES-equivalent executive who is/was employed in a Federal government agency that has an interchange agreement with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) allowing for movement between the agency's SES-equivalent personnel system and the SES. To learn more about submitting documentation, visit Uploading Documents to USAJOBS.

Additional information

Veterans' preference is not applicable to the Senior Executive Service. EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: E-Verify. If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.