Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to: U.S. Citizens and Civilian federal employees currently at the GS/GG-14 level, or equivalent

As a Technical Analyst you will be responsible for the following duties:

• Serves as a Cadre Technical Analyst for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Systems Engineering Directorate (SED) providing technical and professional advice on engineering, physical science or mathematical/statistical issues affecting the NRO.
• Responsible for developing, delivering, and sustaining overhead reconnaissance systems, including spacecraft hardware, ground and communication components, and mission software applications.
• Exercises personal management responsibilities to include directing, coordinating and overseeing work of subordinates.
• Advises staff regarding policies, procedures, and directives of higher-level management or headquarters.
• Solves systemic management problems of major significance through staff coordination and meetings with the NRO leadership.
• Participates in internal and external meetings and conferences, and for complex and critical fiscal and programming negotiations.
• Prepares, reviews, and provides guidance in the preparation of briefings, workshops, conferences, and seminars.
• Briefs senior management through each project development cycle.
• Maintains interactions with contractor personnel to evaluate and correct development activities or provide technical and managerial consultations to team managers when problem areas arise.
• Conducts technical analyses and field and/or laboratory work to achieve desired products or services, making decisions and executing and/or directing actions exploring, reconciling, and resolving major uncertainties, unique situations, obscure problems, or conflicting objectives typically resulting from abstract nature of the concepts or the existence of serious conflicts among scientific requirements, technological developments, standards, program direction, and administrative requirements.
• Evaluates the value and applicability of new or improved technology, strategies, trends, or applications; and plans, develops, advises on and implements crucial projects and/or segments of NRO programs, projects, or activities.
• Serves as senior technical expert for assigned projects.
• Reviews and evaluates studies, projects, proposals, or reports.
• Conducts technical analyses and field and/or laboratory work to achieve desired products or services.
• Evaluates the value and applicability of new or improved technology, strategies, trends or applications.
• Prepares, provides, and evaluates quantitative analysis in the development of cost, performance, and effectiveness assessments of resource at the various states of planning, designing, manufacturing and operations of programs, applying an in-depth knowledge of analytic theories and practices.
• Develops and modifies analytic models and methods to meet the requirements of cost, performance, and effectiveness studies, variance analyses.
• Conducts extensive systematic exploration of problems of an unprecedented nature.
• Responsible for unique, very difficult to define tasks requiring unconventional approaches and the application and adaptation of sophisticated analytical techniques.
• Performs investigative studies involving the development or application of methodologies, which extend beyond the present state of the art or involve and require highly superior analysis products.
• Initiates and conducts complete analytical studies involving broad and varied subject matters in the areas of concept exploration and requirements determination.
• Plans, organizes, and leads teams to prepare requirements and specifications for new, large-scale systems or to evaluate overall plans and proposals for significant systems.
• Plans, arranges, and manages data collection and preliminary analysis.
• Plans and performs investigations to develop new methods and means of validating findings.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a US citizen
• Male born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service http://www.sss.gov
• Resume and supporting documents received by 11:59PM EST will be considered
• This is a Drug Testing designated position
• Position is a (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under U.S.C. 1601
• Must obtain/maintain Critical Sensitive TS/SCI clearance w/polygraph
• WORK SCHEDULE: Full Time
• OVERTIME: Occasionally
• TOUR OF DUTY: Flexible
• PCS (Permanent Change of Station): Not Authorized.
• FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA): Exempt
• FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: Required
• TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: This position is NOT telework eligible
• SELECTIVE SERVICE REQUIREMENT: For more information please visit: https://www.sss.gov/

Qualifications

This position is a Senior level DCIPS position. The NRO is only accepting applications from U.S. Citizens and Current GS/GG-14, or equivalent civilian Federal Government employees for this position. Federal Government employees, who currently are GS/GG-14, or equivalent, may ONLY apply for lateral reassignment at their current grade level and step.

**Federal applicants who exceed the advertised grade may voluntarily request acceptance at the lower grade IAW DoDI 1400.25 Volume 2006.

This position has a Basic Requirement for the 0801/1301/1501 series:
Degree: Professional Engineering. To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; 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
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 professional 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: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/general-engineering-series-0801/

NOTE: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.

For the 1301 Series: REQUIRED: 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
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. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1300/general-physical-science-series-1301/

For the 1501 Series: REQUIRED: Degree: Mathematics, statistics, or actuarial science. The degree must be in a major field of study (at least at the baccalaureate level) that is appropriate for the position.
OR
Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major field of study as shown in paragraph A above, plus additional education or appropriate experience. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1500/general-mathematics-and-statistics-series-1501star/

*NOTE: Failure to provide transcripts will result in you being rated ineligible for this position.

The experience described in your resume will be evaluated and screened from the Office of Personnel Management's (OPMs) basic qualifications requirements. See: Links above for OPM qualification standards, competencies and specialized experience needed to perform the duties of the position as described in the MAJOR DUTIES and QUALIFICATIONS sections of this announcement by 11/18/2019

Applicant must have directly applicable experience that demonstrates the possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies necessary for immediate success in the position. Qualifying experience may have been acquired in any public or private sector job, but will clearly demonstrate past experience in the application of the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully perform the duties of the position. Such experience is typically in or directly related to the work of the position to be filled. Experience must be reflected in your resume.

Specialized experience required for this position is:

1. Employs Program management skills to model based systems engineering concepts, end-to-end architecture, baseline requirements, verification and validation for complex intelligence satellite systems.
2. Serves as a technical representative for complex model based systems analytic projects to produce authoritative analytical products (such as test plans and final reports) for purpose of communicating enterprise architecture projects to senior leadership.
3. Applies Federal Government Acquisition laws, principles and practices for major space systems acquisition.
4. Manages issues and risks to balance lifecycle cost, schedule, integration milestones and technical performance of systems engineering processes to include overall enterprise architecture of major complex systems.
5. Leads a diverse group of government civilians, military, and functional specialist, including contracting, engineering, program control, configuration/data management, and operations to ensure architecture development program objectives.

Specifically you will be evaluated on the following competencies:
1. Organizational Awareness
2. Systems Engineering
3. Project Management
4. Contracting and Acquisition
5. Communication

This position is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA): Acquisition Category S (Systems Planning, Research, Development, and Engineering) or Category P (Business Cost Estimating) or Category T (Test and Evaluation Engineering) Level III and incumbent must meet appropriate certification requirements IAW the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) no later than 24 months after accepting this position. Individual shall maintain, at a minimum 80 continuous Learning Points every 24 months via the services acquisition management system. DAWIA requirements may be located at the Defense Acquisition University website at the following link: http://icatalog.dau.mil/onlinecatalog/CareerLvl.aspx

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills and abilities required of this position. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.