Duties

Summary

SUMMARY:

The Center for Strategic Research (CSR) provides strategic analysis to the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Combatant Commands through cutting-edge research, reports, briefings, and memoranda on key functional and regional issues that serve the common defense. CSR studies defense policy, cooperation, and organization, transnational security, future warfare, and military strategy issues as they relate to significant countries or geographic areas

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Research: The research fellow (RF) conducts directed and independent research and produces scholarly studies and strategic analyses involving the Middle East (including Iran) and the Levant (including Turkey) that impact U.S. national security strategy, defense policy, and U.S. and regional military force assessments. The RF is expected to produce 2 original, high-quality research articles annually that are published in peer-reviewed journals. The RF also participates in collaborative relationships as a member of an INSS/CSR groups or research teams.

Teaching Joint Professional Military Education (JPME): The RF directly supports teaching and contributes to the intellectual community of JPME institutions in general and to the National Defense University in particular. This effort includes teaching in core or elective courses at one of the NDU graduate colleges, developing curricula, collaborating on programs targeting students, faculty, and/or staff development, or significant student mentoring or advisory programs.

Engagement with Senior National Security Leaders: The RF interacts with and presents study and research results to senior Department of Defense officials in Joint Staff, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Combatant Commands, and other government agencies and civilian institutions and businesses. The RF delivers oral briefings, organizes or participates in briefings, roundtables, workshops or conferences (or their equivalent), and prepares and disseminates event and trip reports and other analytical products to DoD and other relevant USG agencies.

Research Support: The RF is expected to be collaborative and collegial as a matter of routine. He/she provides timely, informal peer reviews of other CSR Fellows' research and publications, and participates in INSS internal briefings, conferences, brown-bag events and other activities as required.

Administrative Support: The RF is expected to routinely complete conference, travel, country clearance requests, travel vouchers, trip reports and other administrative forms and tasks that are integral to conducting research and teaching. She/he also will adhere to all EEO, ethical, Merit System Principles and DoD Standards of Conduct.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Up to 30%

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
4

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Background or Security Investigation: This is a Special Sensitive position which requires a background investigation. The individual selected for this position is required to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI security determination to occupy a Special Sensitive position within the agency as a condition of employment.

Qualifications

• Has a master's degree from regionally accredited universities in international relations/affairs, public policy, or national security studies AND with specific focus on the Middle East, the Levant, Iran and Turkey.
• Has a record of having authored publications on topics of strategic and security studies and related matters involving: the Middle East (especially Iran) and the Levant (especially Turkey), and on the implications of these matters for U.S. national security policy and defense plans.
• Has a broad understanding of, or operational experience in, international or regional security affairs, defense policy, and military issues. Has a solid foundation of experience in U.S. national security, defense strategy, the workings of the Department of Defense, and the interagency policymaking process. Has between two (2) and four (4) years of experience working within the U.S. national security policy community or an international equivalent.
• Has led or participated in the design and execution of scholarly research projects, government policy reviews, or other analytic efforts with limited supervision that have produced significant outputs. Demonstrates some familiarity with relevant scholarly research methodologies and a documented ability to apply these and other analytical tools in quality manner on general strategic and security studies and on those involving the Middle East, the Levant; and, Iran and Turkey in particular.
• Has demonstrated reasonable skill in producing and/or presenting balanced, objective strategic analyses based on sound data collection and scholarly research techniques which. Has briefed civilian or military government officials, or their international counterparts.
• Has have contributed materially to the development of a course curriculum or taught at the undergraduate level in courses involving international affairs, national security policy and decision-making; and, about strategic and security topics involving the Middle East, the Levant; and, Iran and Turkey in particular.

Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Additional information

This is a Title 10 Excepted Service Appointment. Appointment is not to exceed 3 years with the possibility for extension.

Applications for this vacancy require a narrative assessment questionnaire to be completed by each applicant and uploaded as a separate document with submission. The required narrative questions are listed in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section. Responses to the narrative questions must be completed and uploaded with the other specified required documents.

NDU has a comprehensive benefits package that includes retirement, social security, and thrift savings; health, life, and long term care insurance; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays. NDU employees enjoy flexible work schedules, transit subsidy, and the opportunity to telecommute.

Initial Probationary Period: You will be required to serve an initial probationary period of 18 months.
Reemployed Annuitants: Department of Defense has the authority to hire annuitants without reduction in pay. For more information, go to: http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/1400.25-V300.pdf
If you are unable to apply online, view the following link for information regarding Alternate Application .

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

A screening panel will review your resume and narrative answers to the assessment questions to evaluate your qualifications for the position. NDU uses a multi-tier selection process for academic positions. You must attach a separate document with answers to the questions listed below. The following questions will be reviewed by the NDU screening panel.

Describe your experience in conducting scholarly research and your record of generating original articles for peer-reviewed publication on/about the Middle East - especially Iran, and the Levant - especially Turkey. Identify your most noteworthy publication in these areas and why you believe those to be a significant contribution.

Describe your operational understanding of and personal experience with U.S. defense policy, and military issues in the Middle East and the Levant. Provide explicit details about those involving Iran and Turkey. Then, describe your major experiences working within the U.S. national security, defense strategy, and policy decision making institutions on topics related the Middle East and the Levant, especially with regard to those two countries. What would you identify as your most successful and impactful interactions with U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Federal Government (USG) agencies in these past experiences on these topics?

Describe your relationships and professional interactions with colleagues, U.S. and foreign government officials and military officers, officials of international organizations, academics and/or private sector professionals involved in Middle East and Levant security matters. Describe the level of these interactions.

Describe your experience in preparing and presenting complex material resulting from research analyses to varied DoD and other USG audiences. Identify your most significant and impactful experience with presenting such material to senior leaders in these venues. Then, describe your past experience while participating in the research teams necessary to produce these analyses and presentations.

Describe your ability and experience with teaching, developing curricula, and/or developing pedagogical tools for use in graduate-level education. Identify the types of education support you provided, in what subjects, and for what organizations. Indicate to what extent your graduate education support concerned broader topics of international relations and security as well as Middle East and Levant policy/security matters. Describe what you know about the Joint Professional Military Education system.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

Résumé: The latest resume submitted will be used to determine qualifications.

Word Document with answers to questions in the How You Will Be Evaluated Section of Job Announcement

Complete Assessment Questionnaire

Other Supporting Documents

The following supporting documents are REQUIRED to verify your individual eligibility status. Not all will apply for each applicant. They MUST be received by the closing date of the announcement.

SF-50 - (If applicable) Notification of Personnel Action for current or former federal employees- with the exception of current permanent NDU employees, please provide your most recent SF50 or the SF50 reflecting Career/Career-Conditional tenure and the highest grade held on a permanent basis.

If you claim Veteran's Preference, (5 or 10 points) you MUST provide a copy of your DD Form 214 (Member Copy 4) listing the dates of military service and rank. If you are claiming 10 points (10 percent or more disability), you must also provide a letter from the Veterans Affairs Office and a completed SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veterans Preference - http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf ) substantiating your claim.

Other documents identified in the announcement.

WARNING: Failure to submit a complete application package including any required documentation by the closing date of the announcement at 11:59 EST, or at the time of application for announcements with an extended closing date, may result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status and More Information. The Details page will display the status of your application.

It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered or uploaded is received, legible and accurate. HR will not modify answers submitted by an applicant.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.