CFATS Voluntary Chemical Security Program Moving Forward?

There was a brief announcement over on LinkedIn about a new job that is opening tomorrow on USAJobs for work on the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program. I always try to mention these job openings because I strongly believe that this is an important regulatory program that needs the best people to continue to improve the program. So, if you are interested in a Program Analyst position at the GS 12-13 level, go look at this job on USAJobs. It opens tomorrow and closes when they receive 100 applications or on October 6^th, whichever occurs first.

But what really caught my attention was the comments introducing this job announcement from Annie Hunziker Boyer who is the Branch Chief for Policy, Rulemaking and Engagement in the Office for Chemical Security (OCS), otherwise known as the CFATS people. She said in her post:

“Feds and Status Candidates -- I have an opportunity for a great GS 343 12/13 position here at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency helping to build out our voluntary chemical security program. This is the type of job I myself love -- charting new ground, leveraging PM skills, weighing policy implications, and engaging with stakeholders. If this sounds like something you'd like, I hope you'll consider applying!”

There have been hints about OCS introducing a voluntary chemical security program for a number of years now, but the first semi-official description of the possible program was introduced last December at the virtual Chemical Security Summit. Annie provided that description in her talk, “Incentivizing Facility Security: A Nonregulatory Approach”.

It looks like the program is moving forward. It will be interesting to see how a voluntary program is implemented, particularly in the cybersecurity realm.