Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current permanent Department of Defense Civilian Employees, Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) eligibles, eligible Defense Cyber Excepted Service employees, eligible Priority Placement Program DoD Military Spouses Preference (MSP) applicants, eligible PPP applicants, and Eligible Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan applicants (ICTAP).

Incumbent typical work assignments may include the following:

• Serve as the principle technical advisor in the office of Developmental Test, Evaluation, and Assessments (DTE&A) within the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD (R&E)) to the Director, DTE&A and Deputies for all cyber and interoperability engineering and developmental test and evaluation (DT&E) matters.
• Supports development and maturation of cyber test and evaluation policy, guidance, and initiatives, whether OUSD(R&E)-generated policy change or as part of a larger, coordinated effort with applicable T&E Stakeholders.
• Plans, reviews, analyzes, evaluates, advises, coordinates and takes corrective action as required involving assessments if technical risks associated with the Department of Defense's cyber engineering and DT&E program and policies as they apply to Major Defense Acquisition Program (MDAP) execution.
• Rapidly synthesizes large volumes of disparate test and engineering data to draw critical conclusions and formulate actionable recommendations informing senior OSD and Service acquisition leaders at critical program decisions.
• Ensures planning and execution consistency across Acquisition Program Baselines (APBs), Acquisition Strategies (AQs), and Program Protection Plans (PPPs) for portfolio programs.
• Provides cogent program recommendations for Overarching Integrated Product Team (OIPT) and Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) meetings.
• Manages the annual funding for the DTE&A cyber program element.

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)
• 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
• This position is subject to the DoD Priority Placement Program
• This position must complete an OGE Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report.
• This position may require travel of up-to 15% away from your normal duty station on military or commercial aircraft.
• Position has been designated as a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information security designation level (Special Sensitive). Incumbent is required to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
• Overtime is NOT authorized.
• Situational telework may be authorized, subject to the explicit approval of the supervisor, and is limited to weather and safety emergencies only.
• This position requires a Engineering and Technical Management, Practitioner acquisition certification. The incumbent has 60 months to achieve this certification.

Qualifications

Basic Requirement: A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus, as well as courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics and dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics and hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) the 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 provided (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), 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 a 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 would typically be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 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.)

For entry at the NH-IV (GS-14/15 equivalent) level, status applicants must have served 52 weeks as a NH-III (GS-13 equivalent) or higher grade in the Federal Service or equivalent.

Specialized Experience: For the NH-IV (GS-14/15 equivalent), you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to NH-III (GS-13 equivalent) grade level in the Federal service, or comparable in difficulty and responsibility to NH-IV (GS-14/15 equivalent) if outside the Federal service.

1. Executing test and evaluation across a range of engineering disciplines. OR
2. Assisting with the acquisition process related to weapons systems. AND
3.Leading teams of military and civilian individuals to complete mission objectives. AND
4.Expert technical knowledge and at least five years of experience in the cybersecurity field or performing cyber DT&E activities supporting acquisition program cybersecurity test design, cybersecurity evaluation planning, cybersecurity test strategies, cybersecurity risk assessment and/or execution of cybersecurity test program execution. AND
5. Ability to communicate complex information technology solutions, computer services and security-related concepts to a broad range of technical and non-technical personnel.

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). 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.

ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: The VOW Act Chapter 21 of Title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 2108a, requires Federal agencies treat active duty service member as veterans, disabled veterans, and preference eligible, when they submit, at the time they apply for a Federal job, a "certification" of active service in lieu of a DD-214, assuming the service member is otherwise eligible. A "certification" letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. The service member's military service dates are necessary in order to determine whether he or she meets the definition of "veteran" under 5 U.S.C. 2108(1). The "certification" must reflect the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date of submission. The "certification" must be signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters and must indicate when your terminal leave will begin (if applicable), your rank, dates of active duty service, the type of discharge and character of service (i.e. honorable). Further, under paragraph (h) of the rule, agencies are required to verify a qualifying separation from military service prior to appointment, through the DD-214 or other appropriate documentation. Your preference and/or appointment eligibility will be verified prior to appointment. Active duty members that fail to provide a valid "certification" of service with their initial application will be found "not eligible." Military members may be appointed before the effective date of their military retirement/separation if member is on terminal leave.

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. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

• Position title;
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
• Agency; and,
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.

How you will be evaluated

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

SME Panel:
Human Resources will review applicants for eligibility, and then forward eligible resumes to a Subject Matter Expert (SME) Panel for determination of qualifications. Eligible candidates determined to be qualified by the SME Panel will be certified for further consideration.

Note: Duplicative competencies indicate that the competency is being assessed through multiple assessment hurdles

• Decision Making
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Reasoning
• Attention to Detail

DOD PPP candidates using Application-Based Procedures:

Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible: Military Spouse Preference applicants, must be selected and placed at the highest grade level for which they have applied and been determined best qualified up to and including the full performance level. You must include a completed copy of the Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist dated within 30 days along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility for Military Spouse Preference. Click here to obtain a copy of the Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist.

Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technicians PPP Eligible: MR and NG technicians PPP applicants must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self-Certification Checklist to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician preference. Click here to obtain a copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self-Certification Checklist.6.

Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technicians Receiving Disability Retirement PPP Eligible: MR and NG technicians receiving disability retirement PPP applicants must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability PPP Self-Certification Checklist to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability preference. Click here to obtain a copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability PPP Self-Certification Checklist.7.

Retained Grade PPP Eligible: Retained Grade PPP applicants, must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Retained Grade PPP Self-Certification Checklist to verify your eligibility for Retained Grade preference. Click here to obtain a copy of the Retained Grade PPP Self-Certification Checklist.

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 (DODI 1400.25, volume 300). http://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.