PCO Leadership Development Program

Overview

The PCO-LDP is a competitive, 12-month (minimum), full-time NOAA leadership development program. A participant in the PCO-LDP will work in the Program Coordination Office to provide staff support to the Offices of the Under Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Deputy Under Secretary, and Chief of Staff located at NOAA Headquarters in downtown Washington, DC. The Program Coordination Office serves as a critical liaison between NOAA’s senior corporate leadership and the management and staff of the Line Offices.

The PCO-LDP is a development opportunity demanding trustworthiness, dedication and hard work. Successful completion of the PCO-LDP demonstrates the capabilities of the individual to move to positions of greater responsibility within NOAA. The program provides a series of learning and training experiences for select NOAA employees who show high potential for assuming leadership responsibilities in the agency.

PCO-LDP graduates interested in future leadership positions may compete for them under merit promotion procedures when openings occur.

Eligibility

Applications will be accepted from all qualified individuals during a Line Office PCO-LDP Call for Applications. Applications must be received by the closing date. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements as outlined in the call letter to be considered for selection into the PCO-LDP.

Applicants must currently be at a GS 11/12/13/14 or equivalent level.

This PCO-LDP is a fast-paced development program for self-motivated, energetic NOAA employees who are interested in a rewarding, high impact career experience.

Successful applicants will work long hours and irregular schedules to support highly visible, politically sensitive projects that may have high impact on NOAA’s ability to accomplish its mission. This assignment will require interacting with many key decision makers on issues of critical importance to NOAA.

Listed below are attributes identified by NOAA leadership that successful PCO-LDP participants should possess.

The successful candidate will demonstrate knowledge of:

The organization and personnel within an assigned Line Office to facilitate coordination;
Technical issues pertaining to the Line Office mission to provide an interface between NOAA and DOC headquarters;
NOAA’s budget structure; Programming, Planning, Budgeting and Execution System (PPBES) processes; and budget priorities for the Line Office; and
The Line Office’s relationship with other Line/Staff Offices and Capitol Hill.

The successful candidate will have a documented history of:

Devoting significant time and effort to supporting various program offices or NOAA Leadership;
Successfully managing time given varying priorities and short deadlines;
Working well in a team environment;
Paying strict attention to detail;
Being receptive to professional development coaching;
Focusing on NOAA by applying the “corporate NOAA view” of issues; and
Establishing and promoting connections across Line Offices for the overall betterment of NOAA.

The successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to:

Support leadership by producing outstanding deliverables;
Prepare products for whatever issues may arise, regardless of the subject matter;
Listen actively and be capable of capturing salient points;
Develop concise and informative speeches, talking points, visual presentations and one page memos for use by NOAA/DOC Leadership on a variety of complex programmatic and scientific subjects; and
Coordinate tasks with other Line/Staff Offices, conduct extensive subject matter research, call upon other Line/Staff Offices for support, and maintain awareness of the potential impact of NOAA activities and events on significant public affairs issues.

Program Purpose

The purpose of the PCO-LDP is to identify and develop potential future NOAA leaders. This is accomplished by:

Offering a unique opportunity for an employee to grow and learn outside his or her current position and become an active part of the NOAA leadership support team;
Expanding the participant’s knowledge and understanding of the corporate NOAA vision, mission, and goals;
Developing the participant’s leadership competencies by providing him or her professional development opportunities and leadership training; and
Strengthening the participant’s ability to communicate in and across NOAA.

Learning Objectives

The learning objectives for the PCO-LDP participant are to:

Develop leadership competencies based on NOAA’s and the participant’s needs;
Gain experience with NOAA’s business processes for creating a corporate NOAA;
Gain experience working with corporate/staff offices and external NOAA partners;
Gain knowledge of NOAA’s current business environment and challenges;
Gain experience working across organizational lines; and
Expand the participant’s network of professional associates within and outside NOAA.

Benefits to Participants and Line Offices

Participant Benefits

The PCO-LDP participant has the opportunity to:

Participate in a formal, NOAA-wide leadership development program with high visibility;
Perform a variety of developmental activities to further grow his or her NOAA leadership competencies;
Gain increased visibility within his or her Line Office and across NOAA; and
Achieve enhanced responsibility in his or her current job or in a new position.
PCO-LDP graduates interested in future leadership positions may compete for them under merit promotion procedures when openings occur.

Line Office Benefits

The PCO-LDP provides Line Offices with:

Employees who can bring new approaches, perspectives and contacts back to their past/future coworkers;
Employees who possess exceptional, crisis-tested leadership skills;
Employees capable of assuming broader NOAA leadership roles;
Employees with expanded contacts at NOAA Headquarters and corporate/staff offices;
Employees experienced in providing line/office coordination; and
Potential candidates for filling critical positions within the organization.

Key Developmental Components

The PCO-LDP provides the following key developmental components:

A PCO-LDP Individual Development Plan (see page 5) to be completed by the participant and approved by PCO leadership during the first 30 days of the program. The PCO-LDP IDP records the plan for how the participant will acquire skills and experience through development activities during the program. The PCO-LDP IDP will be updated quarterly by the participant and discussed with PCO leadership to ensure both NOAA’s and the individual’s needs are met.

[Note: Competencies targeted to be developed will be selected from the Office of Personnel Management’s Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) competencies. Refer to OPM’s ECQs for definitions of ECQs and the related leadership competencies. Additionally, the DOC Individual Development Planning Guide [PDF] is available online and provides information on how to identify developmental needs.];

A 12-month (minimum) career-broadening developmental opportunity in the PCO including opportunities to participate in specific corporate NOAA and Line Office initiatives;
At least two weeks of leadership training that may include participating in the NOAA Leadership Seminar and NOAA SES Summit; and
Additional leadership development activities based on a candidate’s needs as documented in his or her IDP. Activities may include, for example, specific NOAA-wide or Line/Corporate Office projects, shadowing higher-level NOAA leaders, readings on leadership development, and other training as appropriate.

Application Process

To apply, NOAA employees must complete the PCO-LDP Application Form [PDF] by the closing date of the call for applications.

Selection Process

All interested applicants must secure their supervisor’s and Office/Center Director’s approval prior to applying for the program. Candidates selected from outside the Washington, DC metro area are entitled to the appropriate travel and per diem costs.

After an initial review of all applications, a small group of candidates possessing the requisite background (skills, education, experience, etc.) for this assignment will be selected. This group of candidates will be given a “shadowing” opportunity prior to any interview or selection. This shadowing opportunity will include working for 2-3 days with their Line Office’s current PCO representative as well as meeting with Line Office leadership. This will allow candidates to more fully understand the requirements and benefits of this assignment.

Prior to a final selection, candidates will be interviewed in person by NOAA/Line Office management and PCO representatives. PCO-LDP applicants selected for the program will complete one week of required training (in a “shadowing” capacity) prior to reporting for their assigned duties.

Selected individuals remain incumbent in their current position of record until they either return to their home office or are assigned to another position following the completion of the PCO-LDP.