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Deputy Director, Office of Legislation

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS]

(Woodlawn MD)

Open date: April 21, 2026

Closing date: May 5, 2026

Pay scale & grade: $151,661 - $228,000 per year

Salary: ES 00

1 vacancy in Woodlawn, MD

Telework eligible? No.

This position is located in the Office of Legislation, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

As the Deputy Director, Office of Legislation, you will provide executive leadership, direction, and coordination for the planning, execution, and evaluation of the Administration's legislative policy for all CMS programs.

Duties

• Acts as second-in-command to the Director of the Office of Legislation, with full authority in their absence and frequent representation of the office in high-level, often sensitive interactions with Congress and external stakeholders.
• Leads development of CMS’s legislative agenda across Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and private insurance, setting priorities, shaping strategy, and coordinating closely with CMS leadership, HHS, OMB, and the White House.
• Provides expert guidance on complex policy and legislative issues, supporting the Administration and Congress on major initiatives and helping advance high-profile, often controversial proposals.
• Builds and maintains key relationships with Congressional staff, federal partners, and stakeholders to promote and advance the Administration’s legislative priorities.
• Directs responses to Congress, including inquiries, oversight, and policy concerns, ensuring accurate, coordinated, and strategic communication.
• Oversees and develops staff leadership, managing Group Directors, mentoring staff, evaluating performance, and fostering a positive, high-performing work environment.
• Handles high-priority, sensitive assignments, including urgent policy issues, briefing materials, and official correspondence for senior leadership.
• Ensures continuity during political transitions, supporting new leadership, maintaining operations, and sustaining strong congressional relations.
• Manages congressional hearings and oversight, including witness selection, testimony preparation, briefing development, and coordination of agency responses.
• Serves as principal advisor to CMS leadership on legislative matters and Office of Legislation operations.

Qualifications

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Technical Qualifications (TQ) related to this position within your resume - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES. Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed beyond page 2 or may be disqualified. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualification(s). If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.

There is NO requirement to prepare a narrative statement specifically addressing the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) or the Technical Qualifications (TQs).

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications.

TQ 1: Demonstrated experience dealing with and negotiating with a wide range of people on complex and controversial issues concerning the Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Programs, and private health insurance programs. Demonstrated executive-level experience advising high-level officials within the executive and legislative branches on complex legal and factual issues regarding CMS programs.

TQ 2: Demonstrated knowledge of current legislative makeup, process, and regulatory requirements that apply to the administrations of the Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Programs, and private health insurance programs. Demonstrated executive-level experience in applying this knowledge to evaluate legislative health care policy, improve program implementation, management processes and systems to achieve organizational results.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): In addition to the Technical Qualification Requirements listed above, all new entrants into the Senior Executive Service (SES) under a career appointment will be assessed for executive competency against the following five mandatory ECQs. If your 2-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs and TQs, you may not receive further consideration for the position.

There are five ECQs:

• ECQ 1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding - This core qualification requires a demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.
• ECQ 2: Driving Efficiency - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.
• ECQ 3: Merit and Competence - This core qualification involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.
• ECQ 4: Leading People - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable.
• ECQ 5: Achieving Results - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

How to Apply

The text above consists of excerpts of a job posting currently online at USAJOBS.gov, which is operated by the federal government. Much of the information that has been omitted is critically important to a candidate, such as the complete application instructions, qualification requirements, and required documents, so an interested candidate should see the full text of the USAJOBS.gov job posting for the remaining necessary information, by using the Apply Now button below.

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