Chief of Staff

at Citizenship and Immigration Services in Burlington, Vermont, United States

Job Description

Summary Protect your homeland and defend your culture. Join USCIS, America’s frontline defense against illegal foreign infiltration and fraud. As an Chief of Staff, you will provide financial, human capital and administrative oversight of complex and diverse mission support functions and ensure organizational goals are achieved acrossthe region they serve. Responsibilities Represent the Regional Director in their absence in headquarters, regional and field office meetings. Serve as a senior level advisor, and primary program manager on regional projects, initiatives and programs with potential national impact. Direct activities of subordinate managers, supervisors, and staff responsible for personnel management; resource management and allocation; budget formulation and execution; position management; and mission support management. Provide oversight of external affairs to include community and congressional relations, liaison activities, and intergovernmental outreach in compliance with agency policy. Monitor and analyze resource allocation across the region; coordinate implementation of projects and policies and keep the Regional Director and other executive staff informed of activities and events that may affect programs and policies. Participate in multiple work groups and liaise with stakeholders to further directorate and agency-wide programs; establish and foster effective working relationships and information networks. Prepare briefings, white papers, memoranda, announcements, and other documents relevant to program activities in order to coordinate and deliver the Region’s operating plan. Requirements Conditions of Employment Conditions of Employment: You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National to apply for this position Successfully pass a Background Investigation including financial disclosure You must pass a drug screening Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with the Selective Service Political appointees may require OPM approval before on-boarding USCIS applies the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 to its telework program This position IS considered “essential” for purposes of reporting to work when the facility might otherwise be closed. Residency Requirement: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This residency requirement states that candidates must have, for three of the last five years immediately prior to applying for this position; (1) resided in the United States; OR (2) worked for the United States Government as an employee overseas in a Federal or Military capacity, OR (3) been a dependent of a U.S. Federal or Military employee serving overseas. 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. After USCIS completes its hiring, the resumes of the remaining candidates referred for selection consideration may be shared with other DHS Components. During the application process, you may choose to opt-in if you would like your name, application material, and assessment results to be shared. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you can continue to explore other job opportunity announcements. Qualifications The qualifications for this position must be met by 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on 08/14/2026. GS-15: You qualify at the GS-15 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience, which is equivalent to at least the GS-14 level in the federal government, that equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. You must have experience performing the majority of the following duties: Serving as a Subject Matter Expert in budget formulation, development, planning and execution, including monitoring budget performance and balancing resources across multiple geographically dispersed organizations. Leading workforce management, staffing and recruitment, workforce efficiencies, workforce development and training, organizational cultures and team dynamics. Leading and developing strategic goals for administrative activities including facilities management, continuity planning and emergency management, acquisition strategy and funding, organizational internal controls and performance monitoring, analysis and evaluation of support programs or mission support effectiveness. Developing partnerships, creating collaborative team environments of diverse activities to include working with multiple liaisons and outside stakeholders. Identifying operational research needs and methods and writing reports or other working documents that provide authoritative guidance on complex program issues. Please read the following important information to ensure you submit everything we need to consider your application: It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit your responses and appropriate documentation prior to 08/14/2026. You must upload your resume under the “Resume” category. Resumes submitted under the “Other Documents” category will not be considered. Your most recently submitted resume will be used to determine your qualifications for the position advertised in this announcement. Therefore, your resume must highlight your most relevant, significant experience related to the requirements found in the qualification section of this announcement, as well as any applicable education. Limit your resume to no more than two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages. To help ensure your resume remains clear and easy to read, we recommend using margins of at least 0.8 inches and a font size of at least 11 point. Be clear and specific when describing your work history since Human Resources cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. Your application will be rated and ranked based on your responses to the online questions. Please ensure EACH work history includes ALL of the following information: Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job) Duties (be specific in describing your duties) Employer’s name and address Supervisor name and phone number Start and end dates including month, day and year (e.g. June 18 2007 to April 05 2008) Start and end dates for each grade/pay level if you’ve held a federal position. Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) Salary Determining length of Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information and failure to provide the above information may result in a finding of ineligible. Note: Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Federal Experience: If you are using current or prior federal experience as a basis for qualifying for this position, the grade levels and length of employment (mm/dd/year) at each grade level must be listed in your work history. This information will be further validated if selected for this position. National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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 criteria competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable tra