PD_EPA_Administrator

Position Description

ADMINISTRATOR, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Overview

Senate Committee

Environment and Public Works

Agency Mission

To protect human health and the environment.

Position Overview

The administrator leads the agency’s efforts to protect human health and the environment for all Americans. This includes managing a national staff and overseeing environmental science, research education and assessment in the areas of air, water, solid waste, pesticides, toxic substances and emergency response. The administrator also provides strategic direction, sets overall policy, determines agency priorities and represents the agency to the public and Congress.

Compensation

Level II $179,700 (5 U.S.C. § 5313)¹ _{The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-31, May 5, 2017), contains a provision that continues the freeze on the payable pay rates for certain senior political officials at 2013 levels during calendar year 2017.}

Position Reports to

The President of the United States

Responsibilities

Management Scope

In fiscal 2015, the EPA had $7,007 million in outlays, 14,161 total employment and about 4,000 to 5,000 contract employees.

Primary Responsibilities

® Manages the agency’s budget and employees
® Works with staff to develop regulations and policies relating to the areas of human health and the environment
® Communicates and coordinates with internal and external stakeholders, including the White House, Congress, regional administrators, state agencies, outside advocacy groups, and state and local stakeholders, on the agency’s business
® Engages with state agencies and governors’ offices to ensure that regulations are being implemented properly
® Serves as the public face and chief communicator of the agency
® Manages ad hoc and ongoing environmental issues as they arise

Strategic Goals and Priorities

[Depends on the policy priorities of the administration]

Requirements and Competencies

Requirements

® Understanding of environmental science and EPA structure and processes
® Understanding of congressional oversight process
® Understanding of the interactions between environmental policy, impact to industry, and industry and media responses

Competencies

® Ability to lead and manage a large bureaucracy, including oversight of that bureaucracy
® Ability to communicate effectively, internally and externally
® Ability to assess risk (scientific, environmental, and organizational) and impact of proposed regulations
® Ability to make decisions in ambiguous situations and to balance a variety of interests and competing priorities
® Good political judgment

Past Appointees

Gina McCarthy (July 2013 u2013 2017): Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Air and Radiation; Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
Robert Perciasepe (Acting, February 2013 u2013 July 2013): Assistant Administrator, EPA’s water and clean air programs; Senior Vice President of Public Policy, National Audubon Society; Secretary of the Environment, State of Maryland
Lisa Jackson (January 2009 u2013 February 2013): Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; Staff Scientist, EPA
Mike Shapiro (January 2009): Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response; Director, Office of Solid Waste
Endnotes
This position description was created with the help of Heidrick & Struggles, a global executive search firm.
The Partnership’s Center for Presidential Transition helps ensure the efficient transfer of power that our country deserves. The Center’s Ready to Govern· initiative assists candidates with the transition, works with Congress to reform the transition process, develops management recommendations to address our government’s operational challenges, and trains new political appointees.