The Africa Center is the pre-eminent Department of Defense institution for strategic security studies, research, and outreach in Africa. The Africa Center engages African partner states and institutions through rigorous academic and outreach programs that build strategic capacity and foster long-term, collaborative relationships. The Africa Center is headquartered in Washington, D.C. on the campus of the National Defense University and holds many of its programs on the African continent.
Summary
The Africa Center is the pre-eminent Department of Defense institution for strategic security studies, research, and outreach in Africa. The Africa Center engages African partner states and institutions through rigorous academic and outreach programs that build strategic capacity and foster long-term, collaborative relationships. The Africa Center is headquartered in Washington, D.C. on the campus of the National Defense University and holds many of its programs on the African continent.
The Academic Dean is an integral member of the Center's Leadership Team and serves as the primary advisor to the Director on all academic matters. The incumbent serves as both Academic Dean and Professor. As Dean, the candidate's primary academic duties will include providing strategic leadership of academic programs; overseeing the conceptualization, development, execution, and evaluation of the Center's academic programs; overseeing the publication of U.S. Africa security policy relevant research; and cultivating and engaging the Center's stakeholders in support of academic programs. As an Africa Center professor, the Dean delivers lectures; facilitates seminars; advises participants; represents the Center in academic and other fora; and conducts research consistent with the Center's mission. The Dean is responsible for directing faculty (including adjunct faculty) recruiting, hiring, and professional development and renewal processes. Some of the typical duties of this position are described below:
Academic Program Design, Execution, Assessment
Develops and implements academic policies and oversees the design and execution of academic programs for African and American security sector participants in support of the Africa Center's annual Program Plan and in accordance with relevant guidance from the Department of Defense.
Works with the Director to frame overall academic guidelines and procedures for Africa Center academic programs, including formulating and implementing the Center's academic peer learning methodology.
Supervises faculty portfolio and program content development and program execution; leads periodic academic portfolio reviews to inform the Center's annual strategic planning processes. As necessary, introduces new programs and activities based on the Center's annual strategic planning.
Management
Serves as the principal supervisor of all Academic Affairs staff to include permanent faculty, adjunct faculty, facilitators, guest speakers and panelists, and academic support staff.
Plans, assigns, coordinates, and reviews the work of subordinates engaged in professional, administrative, and technical work; ensures successful new faculty integration and comprehensive faculty and staff development programs.
Develops performance plans for permanent and temporary academic staff; initiates personnel actions involved in the recruitment, selection, promotion, transfer, commendation, and discipline of subordinates.
Representation and Outreach
Maintains professional relationships with senior government officials, leading African stakeholders, international officials, and academic experts in order to advance the Center's academic programming and extend its outreach to relevant audiences.
Supports the Director and Deputy Director in advocacy and communication with OSD, Joint Staff, AFRICOM, the U.S. interagency, the National Defense University, and African stakeholders.
Manages the academic relationship with the NDU Provost to ensure that academic standards and credentials are maintained and builds synergies with relevant NDU colleges related to Africa Center academic programming
Research and Publishing
Conducts professional research on matters of African security policy or strategy to make original and innovative contributions, particularly on topics of academic interest for the Africa Center and policy relevance for the Department of Defense.
Publishes research and findings in peer-reviewed journals or other appropriate fora, to include Africa Center publications.
This national security position, which may require access to classified information, requires a favorable suitability review and security clearance as a condition of employment. Failure to maintain security eligibility may result in termination.
If selected, you will be required to provide information regarding your COVID-19 vaccination status for the purposes of determining appropriate workplace safety protocols, such as those related to masking, testing, travel, and quarantine.
Must be a U.S. citizen and able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
Incumbent must be available for extensive travel to Africa in support of Africa Center programs.
Qualifications
Basic Education Requirement: The position of Academic Dean, AD-1701-05, requires a doctoral degree relevant to the Africa Center's mission such as: African Studies, International Relations, Political Science, Economics, Strategic Studies, Defense Policies, National Security Studies, or related field. Official transcripts will be required at time of selection to verify educational requirements are met.
Required Qualifications
In addition to the basic education requirement, the following specialized experience is required to qualify for this position:
A minimum of 20 years professional experience working on African political, security, or development issues.
Significant professional experience as an academic administrator.
At least eight years, or the instructional equivalent, of full-time teaching experience at a regionally accredited university with at least three years at the graduate level.
Significant record of scholarship, publications, and expert-level contributions; recognition within academic or research communities
Extensive knowledge of U.S.-Africa policy
Extensive network of professional contacts, especially with African security sector institutions, think tanks, universities, NGOs, strategic centers, and diplomatic communities.
Demonstrated record of leadership achievement, organizational innovation, and strategic planning.
Proven ability to manage, lead, and inspire staff and engender highly effective teams.
Preferred Qualifications
Fluency in French, Portuguese, or Arabic.
Experiencing living and working in an African country.
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
Basic Education Requirement: The position of Academic Dean, AD-1701-05, requires a doctoral degree relevant to the Africa Center's mission such as: African Studies, International Relations, Political Science, Economics, Strategic Studies, Defense Policies, National Security Studies, or related field. Official transcripts will be required at time of selection to verify educational requirements are met.
Education is not substitutable for specialized experience for this grade level.
Additional information
The Academic Dean is hired for an initial term of three years, with a one-year probationary period. Upon satisfactory completion of the first year, the term will be extended for an additional two years, renewable.
Our complete benefits package is one of the most comprehensive found in either government or private sector. These extraordinary benefits encompass health, pay, work/life balance, growth & learning.
Selections are subject to restrictions resulting from DoD Program for Stability of Civilian Employment.
Initial Probationary Period: You will be required to serve an initial probationary period of 18 months.
Supervisory Probationary Period: 18 month probationary period is required regardless if the incumbent previously served in a probationary period status in the Federal government or at NDU/DSCA/WJPC.
Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see www.sss.gov)
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
To qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described in the qualifications and education sections. A screening panel will review your resume to evaluate your qualifications for the position.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
Résumé: The latest resume submitted will be used to determine qualifications. All conferred degrees and certifications should be included in your resume for full consideration
Complete Assessment Questionnaire
Other Supporting Documents - Refer to the eligibilities section for documents to submit.
NOTE: Transcripts are not required at time of application submission. Your resume will be reviewed by the DSCA screening panel to evaluate your qualifications for the position. If selected for an interview, official transcripts will be requested at that time to verify educational requirements are met.
Eligibilities Information: 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:
You must submit a copy of your DD Form-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty", showing the dates of active duty service, type of discharge and the character of service. Alternatively, If you are a current military member in active duty service and do not have a copy of your DD Form-214, you must submit a written documentation (certification) from your branch of service certifying that you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application for this position. The certification should also include your rank, dates of active duty service and what the condition of discharge is thought to be.
If claiming 10-point preference and/or are a 30% or more Disabled Veteran, you must submit both a DD Form-214 or expected discharge documentation as described above AND a copy of a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or your branch of service certifying the presence of service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of disability.
If you are claiming eligibility based on 10-point derived veterans' preference (i.e. a spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran claiming veterans' preference when the veteran is unable to use it), you must also submit a Standard Form 15 (SF-15) "Application for 10-Point Veteran's Preference" and any required documents indicated on the SF-15 to substantiate the claimed preference.
Other documents identified in the announcement.
WARNING: Failure to submit a complete application package including any required documentation by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/25/2022, 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, uploaded, or faxed 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:
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.
Click 'Apply Online' to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.
Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire and upload required documents.
Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application.
Check application status by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking Application Status, then More Information for this position. Return to an incomplete application by logging into your USAJOBS account and clicking Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
If you are unable to apply online, view the following link for information regarding Alternate Application
DSCA - DEFENSE SECURITY COOPERATION AGENCY
Apply Online
Indianapolis, IN 46249
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. The questionnaire will assess your qualifications for the job. ALL eligible applicants will be referred to DSCA which will convene a board to review all of the applicants. DSCA will contact the applicants directly they would like to interview. We will notify you of the outcome after each of these steps has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
You will no longer need to call the HR Office to determine your application status. USAJOBS has added an alert setting to their system to drive status updates notification for applicants. You can elect to activate the proactive notification from your USAJOBS profile at any point during the application process to sign-up for automatic alerts when there are status changes for jobs to which you have applied.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
Résumé: The latest resume submitted will be used to determine qualifications. All conferred degrees and certifications should be included in your resume for full consideration
Complete Assessment Questionnaire
Other Supporting Documents - Refer to the eligibilities section for documents to submit.
NOTE: Transcripts are not required at time of application submission. Your resume will be reviewed by the DSCA screening panel to evaluate your qualifications for the position. If selected for an interview, official transcripts will be requested at that time to verify educational requirements are met.
Eligibilities Information: 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:
You must submit a copy of your DD Form-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty", showing the dates of active duty service, type of discharge and the character of service. Alternatively, If you are a current military member in active duty service and do not have a copy of your DD Form-214, you must submit a written documentation (certification) from your branch of service certifying that you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application for this position. The certification should also include your rank, dates of active duty service and what the condition of discharge is thought to be.
If claiming 10-point preference and/or are a 30% or more Disabled Veteran, you must submit both a DD Form-214 or expected discharge documentation as described above AND a copy of a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or your branch of service certifying the presence of service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of disability.
If you are claiming eligibility based on 10-point derived veterans' preference (i.e. a spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran claiming veterans' preference when the veteran is unable to use it), you must also submit a Standard Form 15 (SF-15) "Application for 10-Point Veteran's Preference" and any required documents indicated on the SF-15 to substantiate the claimed preference.
Other documents identified in the announcement.
WARNING: Failure to submit a complete application package including any required documentation by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/25/2022, 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, uploaded, or faxed 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:
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.
Click 'Apply Online' to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.
Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire and upload required documents.
Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application.
Check application status by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking Application Status, then More Information for this position. Return to an incomplete application by logging into your USAJOBS account and clicking Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
If you are unable to apply online, view the following link for information regarding Alternate Application
DSCA - DEFENSE SECURITY COOPERATION AGENCY
Apply Online
Indianapolis, IN 46249
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. The questionnaire will assess your qualifications for the job. ALL eligible applicants will be referred to DSCA which will convene a board to review all of the applicants. DSCA will contact the applicants directly they would like to interview. We will notify you of the outcome after each of these steps has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation.
You will no longer need to call the HR Office to determine your application status. USAJOBS has added an alert setting to their system to drive status updates notification for applicants. You can elect to activate the proactive notification from your USAJOBS profile at any point during the application process to sign-up for automatic alerts when there are status changes for jobs to which you have applied.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
