Management Scope
Under current law, USDA’s total outlays for 2020 are estimated at $119 billion. The Agency has over 100,000 employees, and approximately 33 separate agencies and offices. The deputy secretary shares support staff with the secretary and may have one confidential assistant. Office of Pesticides, NAD and Office of Small Business Procurement are direct reports to the deputy secretary. However, as COO, the deputy secretary will manage people from all over the organization, not just those in his or her direct office.
Primary Responsibilities
- Executes the president’s and secretary’s strategic plan for the agency by dealing with the overall operations, managing the individual departments and integrating mission-support functions with program and policy objectives.
- Works with peers in other agencies, OMB, stakeholders including local or state governments and Congress.
- Resolves interagency conflict.
- Serves as a key advisor to the secretary on all matters pertaining to the agency.
- Ensures that the agency’s components are delivering their programs and services in an effective and efficient manner with integrity.
- Develops and manages complementary internal management processes that coordinate across programs.
- Represents the secretary in public and private meetings including dealings with the White House, Congress, state governments, trade groups, etc.
- Oversees internal GPRA processes.
- Works closely with the secretary, chief of staff and CXOs.
- Monitors budget status in conjunction with the chief financial officer (CFO) and develops budget requests in conjunction with the Office of Budget and Policy Analysis (OBPA).
- May serve as liaison to USDA inspector general.
- Interacts with stakeholder groups representing commodities, nutrition advocates, food safety advocates and environmental protection advocates.
- Serves on the PMC, which involves direct interaction with OMB and other deputies.
- Chairs the E Board and SES management activities and works closely with CFO and National Finance Center.
- Directly coordinates with the assistant secretary for administration on operations and procurement and the OBPA for budget.
- Involved in Civil Rights and diversity work of the organization.
Strategic Goals and Priorities
[Depends on the policy priorities of the administration.]