Duties

Summary

The PMDP is a 3-year program designed to develop new hires by providing direct program manager experience as well as developmental opportunities through formal classroom training, on-the-job training, and professional certifications. Participants complete defense acquisition training as well as National Cryptologic School (NCS) training in acquisition, systems engineering, leadership, and resource management.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a Program Manager at the NSA, your responsibilities may include:

- Establishing and managing cost, schedule and performance baselines for programs

- Implementing best practices and processes to track progress of services and development of capabilities in terms of defined cost, schedule, and performance outcomes

- Adjusting priorities and resource allocation based upon objective program performance data

- Providing metrics and analysis to support forward-looking decision-making based on data

- Establishing governance processes for program and related reviews

- Overseeing testing that satisfies DoD/ODNI/Industry guidelines while demonstrating that an acceptable level of customer expectations have been assessed and met

- Leveraging data and analysis from systems engineers, configuration managers, contracting officers, and/or financial managers to inform program performance measures

- Providing program status reports and briefings to internal management, NSA senior leadership and government oversight officials in the DoD, ODNI, and Congress

- Collaborating with senior leaders, senior technical leaders, system engineers, and fellow program managers to help develop a strategic vision and goal for the organization

- Supporting the development and decomposition of technical requirements for programs and communicating those requirements to software and/or hardware development teams

- Using technical expertise to propose new, or changes to, existing technical architectures or processes

- Reviewing government or contractor developed technical documents (e.g. proposals, whitepapers) and using that information to inform programmatic decisions

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
09

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

The ideal candidate is someone with a desire for continual learning and strong communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills who is adaptable and has a great eye for detail.

Knowledge and experience in the following areas is desired:

- Conducting quantitative and qualitative program/project analysis such as Earned Value Management

- Leading people and/or projects at a significant level of responsibility preferred

- Delivering program requirements

- General understanding of financially-centric matters

- Identifying, assessing, and tracking risks

- Monitoring contract performance and execution across its life-cycle (for example, perform duties of Contracting Officer's Representative)

- Working in a blended environment with civilian, military, and contractor personnel

- Understanding information technology and telecommunications products, programs, tools, and processes

- Possessing technical expertise in applicable area

- Effective utilization of the Microsoft Office suite of tools

The follow certifications are preferred:

- DAWIA in program management or equivalent (level depends on position)

- Project Management Professionalization (PMP)

-Other Program/Project Management certifications considered

Knowledge or experience in one or more of the following areas is required:
- Computer Science
- Computer Security
- Computer Forensics
- Network Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Software Engineering
- Systems Engineering
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering

Qualifications

Salary Range: $73,076 - $91,057 (Entry/Developmental)

*The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position. Salary offers are based on candidates' education level and years of experience relevant to the position and also take into account information provided by the hiring manager/organization regarding the work level for the position.

Entry is with a Bachelor's degree and no experience. An Associate's degree plus 2 years of relevant experience may be considered for individuals with in-depth experience that is clearly related to the position.

Education

Degree must be in Computer Science (CS) or related field (e.g., Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Security, Computer Forensics, Network Engineering). Degrees in Information Technology, Information Systems, Information Security, Networking (Systems Administration), and Information Assurance may be considered relevant if the programs contain, at minimum, a concentration of courses in the following foundational CS areas: algorithms; computer architecture (not network architecture); programming methodologies and languages; data structures; logic and computation; and upper-level mathematics (for example, calculus, discrete mathematics).

Relevant experience must be in engineering hardware and/or software over their lifecycle (i.e., requirements analysis, software design, implementation, testing, integration, deployment/installation, and maintenance), and/or programming. Experience leading a software or hardware development team, Project Management Professional (PMP), and/or DAWIA certifications are preferred.

Additional information

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

***PLEASE NOTE: U.S. Citizenship is required for all applicants. Reasonable accommodations provided to applicants with disabilities during the application and hiring process where appropriate. NSA is an equal opportunity employer and abides by applicable employment laws and regulations. All applicants and employees are subject to random drug testing in accordance with Executive Order 12564. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a security background investigation and polygraph.

This position is a Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under 10 U.S.C. 1601. DoD Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans' Preference to eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC, in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement. If you are a veteran claiming veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you may be asked to submit documents verifying your eligibility.

Please note that you may be asked a series of questions depending on the position you apply for. Your responses will be used as part of the screening process of your application and will assist in determining your eligibility for the position. Be sure to elaborate on experiences in your resume. Failure to provide the required information or providing inaccurate information will result in your application not being considered for this position. Only those applicants who meet the qualifications for the position will be contacted to begin employment processing.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Top Secret

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

Proof of highest education level completed.

If you are a veteran claiming veterans' preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you may be asked to submit documents verifying your eligibility.

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.