District Director, Refugee and International Operations
Job description
Duties
Before applying for this position, please read the entire announcement and follow the instructions in the How to Apply section.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security comprised of approximately 19,000 Federal employees, and additional contractor employees, working in approximately 250 Headquarters and field offices around the world. We are responsible for the administration of immigration and naturalization adjudication functions and establishing immigration services policies and priorities.
Functions include adjudication of:
- Immigrant and nonimmigrant visa petitions
- Citizenship applications and naturalization petitions
- Asylum and refugee applications
- A variety of other immigration applications and petitions
The Refugee and International Operations (RIO) District Director serves as a key management advisor to the Deputy Chief of the International and Refugee Affairs Division of the Refugee (IRAD), Asylum, and International Operations Directorate (RAIO)
and ensures that officials are advised of problems or issues in the District that have significant implications for USCIS, as well as the broader DHS community. The District Director represents the District in executive communications with senior leadership, other DHS components, other federal agencies, and public or private organizations representing immigrant groups. The District Director serves as the RAIO, and as required, the USCIS and DHS representative on RIO Program issues, establishing and maintaining liaison with all clients and stakeholders with respect to daily operations, both internal and external to the district.
The District Director serves as a key spokesperson for all operations within their district. The incumbent must effectively and tactfully present the policies and views of RIO District Operations, bridging the gap between headquarters and the field, so that national and international direction and strategy can be implemented with consistency, quality, and timeliness. This position will be the face of USCIS among those entities. The District Director directs the work of the RIO field offices worldwide and within the designated program areas by setting priorities and organizational goals. The District Director plans, coordinates, and ensures consistent administration of immigration benefits programs in accordance with USCIS-wide requirements. The District Director develops policies, procedures, and guidelines to ensure that USCIS' operational programs are in conformance with applicable laws, regulations, and directives. The District Director assesses and implements immigration policy, executive orders and overarching USCIS goals that are strategically aligned to the mission of the organization. The District Director creates and ensures stability in the organizational structure in order to accomplish the workload assigned to the District.
The District Director is accountable for the District’s success in meeting production goals and overall program objectives, including detecting and disrupting fraud, as well as ensuring case decisions are compliant with all relevant statutes, regulations, case law, and policy, within the designated geographic area. The District Director is responsible for advocating, obtaining, and ensuring field offices have the necessary resources (personnel/facilities/equipment and budget) to accomplish the workload. The District Director makes necessary adjustments to resource allocation across the District when changes in workload or priorities are introduced.
The District Director cultivates cooperative and collaborative working relationships between RIO field offices, as well as across the Division, Directorate, and Agency and with external stakeholders, such as the Department of State, local governments, international organizations, and non-governmental stakeholders as appropriate. The District Director provides direct support to the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of State, the Department of Justice, and other federal agencies on matters of enforcement of U.S. obligations under international law, immigration management and enforcement, border security, public safety, and national security.
As a member of the agency's executive team, you will implement the President's Management Agenda within your specific area of responsibility. For an overview of the diverse responsibilities USCIS carries out within the Government, visit our website at http://www.uscis.gov/.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National to apply for this position
- Obtain/Maintain a Security Clearance (i.e. Secret, Top Secret)
- First time Senior Executive Service (SES) appointees are subject to a one-year probationary period
- Applications exceeding the page limits will be disqualified
- Financial Disclosure Required
- You must pass a drug screening
- Political appointees may require OPM approval prior to on-boarding
Qualifications
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.
As a basic requirement for entry into the SES, applicants must provide evidence of progressively responsible leadership experience that is indicative of senior executive level managerial capability. This experience should be sufficiently broad in scope and at a major management level in a large or complex organization. The ideal candidate will have experience supervising a large number of employees through subordinate supervisors and have experience hiring, developing and evaluating employees.
Your application should demonstrate that you the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully fulfill responsibilities inherent in SES positions such as:
- Leading the work of an organizational unit
- Ensuring the success of one or more specific major programs or projects
- Monitoring progress toward strategic organizational goals, evaluating organizational performance and taking action to improve performance
- Supervising the work of employees, developing policy and other executive functions
To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, your application must show evidence that you possess the five (5) Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) listed below. Typically, experience of this nature is gained at the GS-15 or equivalent level in the federal service or its equivalent in the private sector.
If your experience does not include these basic qualifications, you will not be determined qualified for this position.
**Noncompetitive status- if you are a current or reinstatement eligible Career SES or a graduate of an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and your ECQs have been certified by OPM's Qualifications Review Board (QRB)-you are not required to address the ECQs. Current and reinstatement eligible SES must include with your application a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, documenting your SES Career Appointment. CDP graduates must include a copy of your OPM CDP graduation certificate or other proof that your ECQs have been QRB certified.**
The application process used to recruit for this position is the RESUME-BASED METHOD.
All applicants must submit a five (5) page resume. Your resume should clearly reflect evidence of the ECQs. Please do not submit separate narratives addressing the ECQs. Any information in excess of five (5) pages WILL NOT be considered. A sample five (5) page resume that incorporates ECQs can be viewed at this link http://www.opm.gov/ses/references/GuidetoSESQuals_2012.pdf
EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS
ECQ 1 - LEADING CHANGE: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.
ECQ 2 - LEADING PEOPLE: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.
ECQ 3 - RESULTS DRIVEN: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.
ECQ 4 - BUSINESS ACUMEN: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.
ECQ 5 - BUILDING COALITIONS: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments or international organizations to achieve common goals.
Additional information on the Executive Core Qualifications is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/executive-core-qualifications/
MANDATORY TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION (MTQ)
All applicants must submit a written narrative explaining how they meet the one (1) mandatory technical qualification not to exceed one (1) page total. Please give examples and explain how often you used your skills, the complexity of the knowledge possessed and the sensitivity of the issues you handled, etc. Any information in excess of one (1) page per WILL NOT be considered.
MTQ 1. Expertise in managing multi-faceted refugee, asylum, or other immigration benefit adjudications programs that require coordination across multiple organizations.
Education
There is no substitution for education of experience for this position.
Additional information
This position is currently located at 999 North Capital Street NW in Washington, D.C.
Our Benefits Package: You will be eligible for performance bonuses of 5 to 20 percent of base pay for superior accomplishments. You will be covered by a defined benefit, contributory Federal retirement system. You may participate in a retirement savings investment plan that offers before-tax savings and tax-deferred investment earnings. You may select one of a variety of health plans and options under the Government's Federal Employees' Health Benefits program and you may participate in the Federal Employees' Group Life and Long Term Care Insurance Programs. You will earn 26 vacation days and 13 days of sick leave per year. In addition, the Government observes 10 regular paid holidays each year.
Veterans' preference does not apply to Senior Executive Service positions.
Financial Disclosure: If you are hired, you will have to complete a Public Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days after appointment.
Selective Service: If you are a male born after December 31, 1959 and selected for this position, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under Selective Service law.
Immigration Reform and Control Act: The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 seeks to preserve jobs for those who are legally entitled to them: American citizens and aliens who are authorized to work in our country. This law requires employees to provide a document or documents that establish identity and employment eligibility.
The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability and genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factor.
USCIS provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Background Investigation: This position is a sensitive position and the tentative selectee must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation as a condition of placement/retention in the position. A security clearance is required.
Drug Testing: This position has been identified as a Testing Designated Position under the USCIS Drug-Free Workplace Program. Satisfactory completion of a drug test is a condition of placement and/or employment in the position and the incumbent(s) of this position is thereafter subject to Random Drug Testing.
Probationary Period: You will serve a one-year probationary period unless you previously completed a probationary period in the SES.
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.
To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
Guidance from the Task Force is available at: Protecting the Federal Workforce.
Our evaluation will be based on the information you provide. Verification of performance, suitability and security information from reference checks will be taken into consideration when making offers of employment.
You will be evaluated on the quality and extent of your total accomplishments, experience and education. Your application will be evaluated by a rating and ranking panel, and highly qualified candidates may undergo an interview and a reference check. The USCIS Executive Resources Board (ERB) will review results and make recommendations on final selections to the appointing authority. Unless you have already been certified by a Qualifications Review Board (QRB) in the past, your ECQs must be certified by a QRB after selection and before appointment can occur.
You may preview questions for this vacancy.
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.
Failure to submit the required documents will result in your application being disqualified.
1. Resume should not exceed five (5) pages. Exceeding the page limit may result in loss of consideration. Please do not submit an application form (such as OF 612, Optional Application for Federal Employment) in lieu of a résumé. Applicants typically provide the following information:- Vacancy announcement number - ERS-2023-0004
- Full name, e-mail and mailing addresses, and day and evening telephone numbers
- Educational information, including the name, city and state of colleges or universities you attended, as well as the type and year of any degree received. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, you may refer to the following
- U.S. Department of Education website:https://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg4.html#Diploma-Mills
- Information about your paid and non-paid work experience related to this position including:
- Job title (include series and grade if Federal job)
- Duties and accomplishments
- Employer's name and address
- Supervisor's name and phone number
- Starting and ending dates of employment (month and year)
- Salary
- Honors, awards and special accomplishments
When uploading your resume, choose the label "Resume."
2. Submit a copy of your official SF-50 (no text version) or other official "Notification of Personnel Action" document that shows the following information:
- your appointment in the competitive service
- tenure
- grade and step
- full performance level
If your SF-50(s) does not provide the information needed to make a final determination for qualification, you will be found ineligible for the position. SF-50B print screens from NFC are not official documents and are not acceptable. This includes USCIS employees as well. All current DHS employees can print their own SF-50's by accessing the DHS eOPF website. If you have forgotten your user name or password, eOPF offers a self-service feature to assist you.
3. Non-competitive applicants: Current of former career SES members must provide a recent SF-50 showing their current status or reinstatement eligibility. Candidates who have successfully completed an Office of Personnel Management approved SES Candidate Development Program must submit a copy of their certification. Your status must be clearly stated in your resume.
4. Mandatory Technical Qualifications - Written narratives addressing the Mandatory Technical Qualification (MTQ) not to exceed one (1) page total.When uploading your SF-50, choose the label "SF-50."
When uploading your SES CDP Certification, label this Supporting Document as "Other."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
To apply for this position, you must at a minimum provide a complete application package which includes:
1. Your 5-page (or shorter) resume (any excess pages will not be considered)
2. Mandatory Technical Qualification narrative statement (1 page total, any excess pages will not be considered)
See Required Documents section for more detail.
To begin your online application, click here to create your account and follow the prompts to register or sign into USAJOBS. Once there, click the apply button, take the online questionnaire, and submit the required documents.
It is your responsibility to verify that information entered, uploaded, sent (i.e. resume, ECQs, MTQs, SF-50s) is received and is accurate by 11:59 PM EST on December 12, 2022. You may complete the assessment questionnaire more than once, but only your most recent submission will be used.Agency contact information
Exec Resources & Services
Phone
202-233-2323
Fax
952-697-8371
Email
USCISHCTExecResources@uscis.dhs.gov
Address
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
70 Kimball Avenue
South Burlington, Vermont 05403
United StatesNext steps
Once you submit your application, we will review your experience and qualifications to determine if you possess the required ECQs for the position based on the information submitted in your package. Those who meet the qualifications will be referred to a panel of SES members to determine the "best qualified" candidates who will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.
Once a selection has been made, the selectee's application will be forwarded to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for approval by the OPM Qualifications Review Board (QRB), unless the selectee is a noncompetitive candidate that has been successfully certified by the OPM QRB.
You may verify your documents have been processed by logging into https://applicationmanager.gov. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Faxed documents may take 2-3 business days to process.
Your application status will be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process. To check your status, log on to your USAJOBS account, click on "Track this Application," and then click "More Information." We expect to make a final job offer within 90 business days after the deadline for applications. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.Due to COVID-19, the agency is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement in an agreed upon number of days. At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework one or more days a pay period depending upon the terms of the agency’s telework policy.
Fair and Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
- Reasonable accommodation policy
- Financial suitability
- Selective Service
- New employee probationary period
- Signature and false statements
- Privacy Act
- Social security number request
Required Documents
Failure to submit the required documents will result in your application being disqualified.
1. Resume should not exceed five (5) pages. Exceeding the page limit may result in loss of consideration. Please do not submit an application form (such as OF 612, Optional Application for Federal Employment) in lieu of a résumé. Applicants typically provide the following information:
- Vacancy announcement number - ERS-2023-0004
- Full name, e-mail and mailing addresses, and day and evening telephone numbers
- Educational information, including the name, city and state of colleges or universities you attended, as well as the type and year of any degree received. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, you may refer to the following
- U.S. Department of Education website:https://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg4.html#Diploma-Mills
- Information about your paid and non-paid work experience related to this position including:
- Job title (include series and grade if Federal job)
- Duties and accomplishments
- Employer's name and address
- Supervisor's name and phone number
- Starting and ending dates of employment (month and year)
- Salary
- Honors, awards and special accomplishments
When uploading your resume, choose the label "Resume."
2. Submit a copy of your official SF-50 (no text version) or other official "Notification of Personnel Action" document that shows the following information:
- your appointment in the competitive service
- tenure
- grade and step
- full performance level
If your SF-50(s) does not provide the information needed to make a final determination for qualification, you will be found ineligible for the position. SF-50B print screens from NFC are not official documents and are not acceptable. This includes USCIS employees as well. All current DHS employees can print their own SF-50's by accessing the DHS eOPF website. If you have forgotten your user name or password, eOPF offers a self-service feature to assist you.
3. Non-competitive applicants: Current of former career SES members must provide a recent SF-50 showing their current status or reinstatement eligibility. Candidates who have successfully completed an Office of Personnel Management approved SES Candidate Development Program must submit a copy of their certification. Your status must be clearly stated in your resume.
4. Mandatory Technical Qualifications - Written narratives addressing the Mandatory Technical Qualification (MTQ) not to exceed one (1) page total.
When uploading your SF-50, choose the label "SF-50."
When uploading your SES CDP Certification, label this Supporting Document as "Other."
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.
This job is open to
-
Federal employees - Competitive service
Current or former competitive service federal employees.
-
Federal employees - Excepted service
Current excepted service federal employees.
-
The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
-
Senior executives
Those who meet the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs).
Clarification from the agency
All groups of qualified individuals in the civil service
learninglandscape.com is the go-to platform for job seekers looking for the best job postings from around the web. With a focus on quality, the platform guarantees that all job postings are from reliable sources and are up-to-date. It also offers a variety of tools to help users find the perfect job for them, such as searching by location and filtering by industry. Furthermore, learninglandscape.com provides helpful resources like resume tips and career advice to give job seekers an edge in their search. With its commitment to quality and user-friendliness, learninglandscape.com is the ideal place to find your next job.