The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is looking for a new director to lead its 2,000-person workforce of employees and contractors.

The BEP’s director since 2015 has been Len Olijar, who announced in the agency’s 2022 Annual Report that he planned to retire from BEP on Jan. 31, 2023. As of now, according to the BEP website, he is still there. However, on July 7 the BEP posted an announcement on its site titled “Job Opportunity: Director, Bureau of Engraving and Printing.”

The job description is daunting. It asks for vision and strategy in integrating the bureau’s engraving, manufacturing, and production activities, a synthesis of science, engineering, operations, and administration. The responsibilities of the job are described as “complex” because of the huge amount of paper currency produced under “exacting quality standards,” the need to maintain confidentiality and security concerning key processes and technologies, the importance of collaboration with domestic and global partners, and the constant of counterfeit deterrent security features and strategies.

The responsibilities of the director include: Overseeing the development, manufacturing, and production of currency. Advising and reporting to the secretary of the Treasury and others on BEP activities, direction, and management. Maintaining and cultivating a strong relationship with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the issuing authority for U.S. paper currency and the BEP’s primary customer. Ensuring that the bureau remains current with respect to technological and manufacturing advancements in all operational areas. Representing BEP at the highest levels of the Department of the Treasury, Congress, other federal agencies, foreign governments, and private industries.

Among the immediate tasks facing the new director will be the design and construction of a new manufacturing facility in Greenbelt, Maryland; the expansion of the Western Currency Facility in Fort Worth, Texas; and coordinating the redesign of the nation’s paper currency in the Catalyst series, starting with the $10 note in 2026.

The new director will also continue “to work closely with the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Reserve to design notes that reflect the full diversity and values of our great country.”

Before becoming director, Len Olijar was BEP’s deputy director for three years. His career at BEP spanned more than 30 years in positions of steadily increasing responsibility.

The full details of the position are on the USAJOBS website at Director, Bureau of Engraving and Printing (Senior Executive Service).

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