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Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Executive Office of the President
Responsibility
Management Scope

The OMB fiscal 2015 budget request was $91.75 million. There were 457 OMB full time employees in fiscal 2015. OIRA is comprised of 5 subject matter branches and has approximately 45 full time employees.

Primary Responsibilities

• Manage the OIRA staff and organization
• Oversee the regulatory, information collection and statistical activities of federal executive branch agencies
• Find consensus across conflicting offices and agencies within the executive branch while adhering to the established principles and the President’s priorities
• Provide the president with a tool to manage agencies’ regulatory activity
• Review and analyze new regulations before publication
• Work closely with senior appointees across the government to accomplish policy goals through regulation
• Ensure compliance with relevant executive orders
• Coordinate retrospective review of regulation
• Oversee the implementation of government-wide policies in the areas of information collection, privacy and statistical policy, such as the Information Quality Act, which includes agencies’ peer review and information dissemination practices
• Participate in international regulatory cooperation efforts with key trading partners
• Implement the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement and Fairness Act
• Review and approve government collections of information from the public under the Paperwork Reduction Act

Strategic Goals and Priorities
[Depends on the policy priorities of the administration.]
Requirements

• Strong academic and/or professional credentials in economics, administrative law and/or regulation
• A reputation for being objective, neutral and unbiased; a proven track record as an advocate for evidence-based policy
• Experience navigating a large organization with competing interests
• Experience managing and leading highly motivated staff

Competencies

• Objective and analytical mindset
• Strong communication, collaboration and interpersonal skills
• Ability to resolve conflicts and mediate among conflicting interests
• Ability to understand and reconcile regulatory analysis with political realities and convey the right message to the right audience; ability to earn the respect of career staff and political appointees alike

Past Appointments
  • Howard Shelanski (June 2013 – 2017): Director, Bureau of Economics, Federal Trade Commission; Chief Economist, Federal Communications Commission; Senior Economist, President’s Council of Economic Advisers
  • Cass Sunstein (September 2009 – August 2012): Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Harvard Law School; Karl N. Llewellyn Distinguished Service Professor of Jurisprudence, Law School and Department of Political Science, University of Chicago; Karl N. Llewellyn Professor of Jurisprudence, Law School and Department of Political Science, University of Chicagov
  • Susan E. Dudley (April 2007 – January 2009): Director, Regulatory Studies Program, Mercatus Center, George Mason University; Adjunct Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law; Staff Economist, OIRAvi
AGENCY

Executive Office of the President

Mission: The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is a statutory part of the Office of Management and Budget within the Executive Office of the President. OIRA is the government's central authority for the review of executive branch regulations, approval of government information collections, establishment of government statistical practices and coordination of federal privacy policy.

COMPENSATION

Level III $172,100 (5 U.S.C. § 5314)1

REPORTS TO

Director, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) (through either the Deputy Director or Deputy Director for Management of OMB)

SENATE COMMITTEE

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

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Footnote
  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.
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