Engineer

     Many areas in which the federal government issues regulations involve technical questions on subjects requiring specialized engineering expertise. These include the design of emission requirements for power plants, the protections for nuclear waste facilities, and the safety standards for new automobiles. In developing regulations, an understanding of technical matters is often crucial to better understand the costs and benefits of specific regulatory options and to help develop appropriate regulatory strategies.

     The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), an office within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is seeking an experienced engineer to help in its oversight of agency regulatory policy. OIRA resides in the Executive Office of the President and is responsible for reviewing regulations from agencies of the executive branch under Executive Order 12866. OIRA staff assess the regulations, work with the agencies to improve them, and advise Administration decisionmakers. An important part of this function is an assessment of the benefits and costs of agency regulatory actions. An assessment of the technical merits of agency proposals to require engineering solutions to perceived problems often plays an important role in policies developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as well as many other agencies.

     The engineer will work with OIRA and agency staff in evaluating the feasibility and costs of agency regulatory strategies. This will involve an assessment of the technical merits of agency proposals in areas as diverse as pollution controls, transportation safety, and energy efficiency standards. The engineer will also advise senior policy officials within OMB and the White House on regulatory and information policy issues and participate in the development and execution of Presidential initiatives.

     Candidates from the fields of systems engineering, chemical engineering, environmental engineering, bioengineering, and/or automotive engineering are particularly encouraged to apply. The ability to apply engineering to formal analysis of regulatory policy is required. Graduate degree and work experience are preferable. Working in OIRA also requires excellent written and oral communication skills, and the ability to provide well-reasoned and accurate analysis in a high-pressure environment.

     Interested candidates should contact Stuart Shapiro at (202) 395-7316 or email him at sshapiro@omb.eop.gov.