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Posted: March 16, 2026 (0 days ago)

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Deputy Chief Management and Strategy

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Department of Agriculture

Fresh

Location

Salary

$204,122 - $216,010

per year

Closes

March 30, 2026More USDA jobs →

SES Pay Grade

Base salary range: $147,649 - $221,900

Typical requirements: Executive-level leadership experience. Senior executive qualifications required.

Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).

Job Description

Summary

This high-level executive role at the Natural Resources Conservation Service involves overseeing management and strategy to improve government efficiency, especially in conservation efforts.

It requires leading teams, driving resource optimization, and ensuring high-quality results while upholding constitutional principles.

Ideal candidates are experienced senior leaders passionate about public service, fiscal responsibility, and inspiring others in a federal agency setting.

Key Requirements

  • Demonstrated executive experience addressing all five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) in a resume, including commitment to the rule of law, driving efficiency, merit and competence, leading people, and achieving results
  • Technical Qualifications (TQs) related to management and strategy in natural resources or government operations, shown through resume examples
  • Senior-level experience managing large-scale programs, budgets, and resources with a focus on cutting waste and leveraging technology
  • Proven ability to lead and inspire high-performance teams, foster accountability, and navigate organizational change
  • Strong knowledge of the American system of government and commitment to serving the public and upholding the Constitution
  • Resume limited to 2 pages (11-point font, 0.8-inch margins) with clear examples of accomplishments and responsibilities
  • Eligibility for SES positions, such as current/former SES members or certified graduates (ECQs may be waived for these)

Full Job Description

This position is designated as SES, General. USDA structures its SES positions into position levels. This is a position level II with a salary range of $204,122 - $216,010 per year.

Exceptions to the salary cap may be considered in certain circumstances. SES employees are also eligible to receive bonuses and performance-based awards.

Visit http://www.opm.gov/ses/ for additional information and benefits for SES employees. The application process used to recruit for this position is RESUME-ONLY.

DO NOT submit separate Executive Core Qualifications/Technical Qualifications in lieu of a resume.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Technical Qualifications (TQ) related to this position within your resume - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES using 0.8-inch margins and 11-point font.

Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed beyond page 2 or may be disqualified.

Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualification(s).

If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.

There is NO requirement to prepare a narrative statement specifically addressing the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) or the Technical Qualifications (TQs).

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): The ECQs were designed to assess executive experience and potential, not technical expertise.

They measure whether an individual has the broad executive skills needed to succeed in a variety of SES positions. All applicants must address the ECQs.

Your resume must address each ECQ and should describe your experiences and accomplishments/results.

Your resume should be clear, concise, and emphasize your level of responsibilities, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments, policy initiatives undertaken and the results of your actions.

NOTE: Current career SES members, former career SES members with reinstatement eligibility, and SES Candidate Development Program graduates who have been certified by OPM do NOT need to address the ECQs.

1.

Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding: This core qualification involves the 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.

(Competencies: Knowledge of the American System of Government, Commitment to the Rule of Law, Civic-Mindedness) 2.

Driving Efficiency: This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and sufficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.

(Competencies: Fiscal Responsibility, Managing Resources, Leveraging Technology) 3.

Merit and Competence: This core qualification involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.

(Competencies: Technical Skills, Problem Solving, Agility and Resilience) 4.

Leading People: This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's 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 to hold individuals accountable. (Competencies: Accountability, Developing Others, Executive Judgement) 5.

Achieving Results: This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

(Competencies: Operation Mindset, Innovation, Strategic Thinking) For more information regarding the SES and ECQs, please visit SES Executive Core Qualifications.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION (TQ): In addition to the ECQs, applicants must clearly demonstrate in their resume that they meet the following technical qualification(s).

Describe your executive leadership experience in supervising staff, particularly in implementing and communicating agency-wide business decisions.

In your response, include your involvement in areas such as human resources, training, budgeting and financial management, acquisitions, information technology, data management, and business tools to support organizational operations.

Provide a comprehensive overview of your collaboration with top-level executives, including both political and career professionals in and around operational and business services.

Describe your responsibilities, the nature of your internal and external interactions, and the roles you have held that demonstrate your experience and impact. Major Duties:

  • Coordinates operational and business services for all of NRCS national headquarters.
  • Oversees the provision of direction, coordination, and leadership for international activities that support the NRCS mission.
  • Oversees the provision of agency-wide soil, water, and natural resource conservation stewardship, including establishment of national policy, standards, and practices and procedures to manage fiduciary and civil rights requirements.
  • Oversees monitoring of sustainable agriculture, drought resiliency, and resource stewardship, and conservation history.
  • Oversees leadership on workforce and workload management, regulatory policy and analysis.

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Posted on USAJOBS: 3/16/2026 | Added to FreshGovJobs: 3/17/2026

Source: USAJOBS | ID: NRCS-SES-26-9564