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Interdisciplinary

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Pentagon, Virginia
Closing date
Oct 19, 2021
Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). The office is established by statute and the Director (with status and duties comparable to an Assistant Secretary of Defense) prescribes policy for and reports directly to the Secretary of Defense and the Congress on all matters pertaining to Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) within the Department of Defense (DoD).

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

This position is being filled under Direct Hire Authority (DHA) in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 1580; P.L. 114-328, SEC.
1125(a)(c); amended per P.L. 115-91, SEC. 1102; amended per P.L. 116-92, SEC. 1107.

Note: Under this DHA, veteran's preference does not apply.


As a professional Engineer, Operations Research Analyst, or Physical Scientist, typical work assignments may include the following:
  • Serves as an expert advisor for naval aviation, including carrier air wing (CVW), tactical air (TACAIR) platforms, tactics and procedures, sensors, weaponry, Naval Integrated Fire Control (NIFC), advanced electronic warfare (EW)/attack/electronic protection systems, and command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR).
  • Reviews operational test documents to support operational effectiveness, suitability, and survivability evaluations for major defense acquisition programs.
  • Provides expert assistance, advice, and support to the DOT&E and is responsible for oversight, monitoring, and test observance of Air Warfare Systems programs.
  • Formulates strategic Air Warfare Systems level OT&E plans and provide modeling assistance to Operational Test Agencies (OTAs) level planning groups and evaluation teams.
  • Participates in Air Warfare Systems, CVW TACAIR and NIFC systems, weaponry and C4ISR systems test and evaluation (T&E) test plan working groups for the integration of system and mission C4ISR systems into plans, assessments, and reports.
  • Participate in the formulation of system level critical operational issues, test objectives, and test methods of CVW TACAIR and advanced electronic warfare, associated weaponry, and C4ISR systems for modeling and simulation requirements.


Travel Required

25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/Home/Registration)
  • Total salary varies depending on location of position
  • This position is subject to provisions of the WHS/OSD PPP Pilot Program
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment
  • Required to participate in the direct deposit program
  • This position is subject to pre-employment and random drug testing
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance
  • May require occasional travel away from your normal duty station, approximately 25% of the time, for official business on military or commercial aircraft
  • The incumbent is required to submit OGE Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report upon entering the position and annually thereafter
  • Relocation incentive may be authorized in accordance with regulatory requirements
  • Recruitment incentive may be authorized in accordance with regulatory requirements


Qualifications

For qualifications determinations your resume must contain the dates of employment for each position listed on your resume (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application will be marked as incomplete and you will not receive consideration for this position.

It is recommended that applicants also include their hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume.


Read more about what should I include in my federal resume? at https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include/

The General Engineering, 0801, Physical Scientist,1301, and Operations Research 1515, Series have Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) that must be met in addition to the specialized experience:

General Engineering Series, 0801:
A. Degree: Engineering
. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelors degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: 1. Professional registration or licensure-- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions. 2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. 3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A. 4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

General Physical Science Series, 1301:
A. Degree:
physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Operations Research Series, 1515:
Degree: in operations research; or at least 24 semester hours in a combination of operations research, mathematics, probability, statistics, mathematical logic, science, or subject-matter courses requiring substantial competence in college-level mathematics or statistics. At least 3 of the 24 semester hours must have been in calculus.

AND

In addition to the IOR, you may qualify at the GS-15 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service that demonstrates your ability in: Applying scientific theories, principles, concepts, standards, qualitative and quantitative analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to accomplish Air Joint and Coalition Missions; Competence, and practical experience in areas related to survivability and/or lethality test planning, execution and evaluation of major systems e.g. aircraft, missile systems, ground vehicles, ships, and weapons, in addition to specific experience in air, naval, and joint warfare; Knowledge of test infrastructure, test capabilities, consumable assets, targets, ranges, test sites, instrumentation, as it relates to Air Warfare and air operations and systems; Ability to plan, organize, develop studies or projects and to negotiate effectively with management to accept and implement recommendations, where proposals involve substantial resources, requiring extensive changes in established concepts and procedures, or may be in conflict with previous programming action; Understand systems acquisition process and related policies, procedures, and organizations; Ability to identify and analyze technical and operational problems to assess accuracy and relevance of information and then generate independent assessments.

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 directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

All qualifications and education requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.

Education

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

PPP PILOT: The Washington Headquarters Service is currently operating under an approved reengineered Priority Placement Program (PPP) pilot for all positions in its serviced workforce. This pilot is application based and current PPP registrants who are registered for activity codes 293A and 295A (regardless of the location) are required to apply to the job announcement via USAJobs in order to exercise their priority placement status. This pilot permits priority candidates to be assessed with other competitive applicants. Anyone claiming priority status must provide a copy of their PPP registration and supporting documentation (e.g. RIF notice, Sponsor's PCS orders, Certification of Expected Separation) at the time of application to verify priority placement and eligibility.

Other priority consideration programs will continue under their current operating procedures.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

Washington Headquarters Services uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: http://www.dhs.gov/E-Verify

If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application. Please view the following link for information on how to obtain an alternative application https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?%20title=Alternate_Application_Information

Appointment Authorities: For more information on appointment authority eligibility requirements:
  • https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/individuals-with-disabilities/
  • https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans/
  • https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/military-spouses/
  • Other Special Appointment Authorities https://www.usajobs.gov/
  • Interchange Agreements https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/competitive-hiring/#url=Types-of-Appointments
Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/

Employed Annuitants (Reemployed Annuitants): Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. /www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/

Nepotism: Under the provisions of 5 USC 3110, an individual may not be appointed into a position if the position is under the supervisory chain of command of a relative.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your résumé and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your résumé and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

All qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your responses to the assessment questionnaire and the competencies listed below. The assessment questionnaire link can be found under the 'How To Apply' section.

  • Data Management
  • Oral Communication
  • Organizational Awareness
  • Problem Statement Development
  • Scientific Evaluation and Review
  • Test and Evaluation
  • Writing


For Category Rating: Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of the three quality categories: Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Best Qualified. Qualified Category = Does not exceed the basic qualifications requirements described in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement. Highly Qualified Category = Meets the basic qualifications requirements described in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the Critical Competencies defined below. Best Qualified Category = Meets the basic qualifications requirements described in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and excels in the Critical Competencies defined below. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position.

Your responses to the questionnaire may be compared to the documents you submit. The documents you submit must support your responses to the online questionnaire. If your application contradicts or does not support your questionnaire responses, you will receive a rating of "not qualified" or "insufficient information" and you will not receive further consideration for this job.

Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information

Drug test required
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk

Trust determination process
National security

Required Documents

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO DOCUMENT IN YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR ELIGIBILITY AND QUALIFICATION CLAIMS. You MUST upload the applicable documents with your application package. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume may be submitted in any format that includes your name and contact information (telephone number and/or email).
If you submit more than one copy of your resume, only the most recent version will be reviewed. The latest timestamp will be used to determine which version of your resume is "most recent."

If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you will not be considered for this vacancy.

2. Other supporting documents:
  • Cover Letter, optional
  • Most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade held (WHS serviced employees SF-50s will be verified via eOPF).
  • College Transcript(s), if qualifying based on education or if the position has a basic requirement. Official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable. (WHS serviced employees will be verified via eOPF or you may include them in your application package)
  • DD-214, SF-15 Form and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty from Veterans for consideration under Veteran hiring authorities
  • Noncompetitive appointment authority documentation, if applicable
  • Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.)
  • PPP Registrants/Eligibles: Must submit the following applicable documents: 1) PPP registration 2) PCS orders (if applicable)

ARE YOU QUALIFYING BASED ON EDUCATION or A COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE?
You must provide sufficient documentation of your education in your resume. You are required to provide a copy of transcripts or degrees in your application package. It is also acceptable to document your applicable course listing in your resume (course number, credits earned, etc.). 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. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html . All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. If selected, an official/sealed transcript will be required prior to appointment.

ARE YOU A VETERAN CLAIMING SOLE SURVIVORSHIP PREFERENCE OR 5-POINT VETERANS' PREFERENCE?
1. You must provide legible copy/copies of the following: DD-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," showing all dates of service, as well as type of discharge and character of service (Honorable, General, etc.) or Statement of Service/Proof of Service (in lieu of a DD-214) from your command or local Personnel Support Detachment (PSD). The Statement of Service/Proof of Service must provide all dates of service, the expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service (Honorable, General, etc.). Veterans should upload their DD-214 once they receive it upon separation.
2. You should also document your complete military service information in the Veterans Preference and Military Service Section of the assessment questionnaire (type of preference, dates of service, date of VA letter, character of service, disability claim and rank and date of retirement if retired).

ARE YOU A DISABLED VETERAN or CLAIMING 10-POINT VETERANS' PREFERENCE?
1. Disabled veterans, veterans, widows, spouses or the mother of a veteran, who are eligible for 10-point veterans' preference, you must provide legible copies of the following: Applicable supporting documents as noted on Standard Form-15 (SF-15). To obtain a copy of SF-15, go to: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans/ng-paths/veterans/

Current or Former Political Appointees: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

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.

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