Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results
 

Computer Scientist/ Computer Engineer- Direct Hire Authority

Department of the Air Force
Air Force Materiel Command

Summary

Veteran's preference does not apply to DHA recruitment.

Click on "Learn more about this agency" button below for more information.

The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a senior computer scientist/computer engineer to perform software engineering and other professional
work in the computer sciences/engineering and related scientific disciplines.

Overview

Help
Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/03/2026 to 05/03/2026
Salary
$89,508 - $138,370 per year

Salary listed is Eglin AFB, if you are selected for a different location your salary is dependent upon that duty location

Pay scale & grade
NH 3
Locations
Edwards AFB, CA
Few vacancies
Eglin AFB, FL
Few vacancies
Holloman AFB, NM
Few vacancies
Nellis AFB, NV
Few vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
AFMC-15500854-12929057-LL
Control number
863855200

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

This public notice is to gather applications that may or may not result in selection.

Duties

Help

  • Provides senior level professional computer engineering and computer sciences guidance in the development of new software
    applications/systems and modifications to existing software applications/systems to meet customer requirements.
  • Serves as the computer scientist/computer engineer authority on software and hardware related issues associated with the design
    and development of systems.
  • Prepares technical reports, memorandum, and other documentation in clear, concise, and logical form suitable to management
    and the scientific community.
  • Serves as the division authority within the organization 011 the application of software engineering principles, practices, and techniques.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required
  • Males must be registered for Selective Service, see Legal and Regulatory Guidance
  • This posn is subject to provisions of the DoD Priority Placement Program
  • For more information on Acq Demo please go to DoD AcqDemo Homepage http://acqdemo.hci.mil/ and Fact Sheet http://acqdemo.hci.mil/faq.html
  • Relocation costs or other incentives may be available and considered by the organization.
  • Selectee is expected to be granted with and/or maintain the appropriate security clearance required for the position.
  • Employee must maintain current certifications
  • This position may require drug testing and the candidate may be subject to passing a drug test upon selection.
  • Employee may be required to work other than normal duty hours, to include evenings, weekends and/or holidays
  • Shift work and emergency overtime may be required
  • Disclosure of Political Appointments
  • All federal employees are required to have direct deposit.
  • This announcement may result in a 120-day register that may be used to fill like vacancies for 120 days after the closing date. Applicants may be referred for consideration as vacancies occur.
  • Selectee may be required to serve a probationary or trial period.
  • This is an acquisition coded position. Selectee must complete required certification level 2-Practitioner in Test and Evaluation within 24 months of assignment.
  • Must be willing to move to the local area and report in-office
  • This position requires completion of a full 4-year curriculum in an accredited college leading to a bachelor's degree in computer science or computer engineering. An advanced degree is preferred.
  • The employee must meet, or be capable of meeting, Defense Acquisition Work Improvement Act (DA WIA) requirements applicable to the duties of the position. Employee is expected to meet Continuing Acquisition Education requirements.

Qualifications

Experience requirements are described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Computer Science Series 1550 and Computer Engineer Series 0854.

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT:
Basic requirement for 0854:
You must meet one of the following qualification requirements described in Education below in order to qualify for the 0854. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institution.

Basic requirement for 1550: Bachelor's degree in computer science or bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institution

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least 1 year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the next lower broadband NH-02, equivalent to the next lower grade GS-11 or equivalent in other pay systems. Specialized experience is experience in in the fundamentals and principles of professional computer science/computer engineering gained through formal education and experience; computer hardware, systems software, and computer systems architecture, modeling, and integration; and mathematics, including calculus, probability, statistics, discrete structures, as it relates to the design, development, and model maintenance of network computer systems. NOTE: Due to the use of 120-day rosters, this period of experience may be completed within 120 days of the closing date of this announcement.

IDEAL Candidate:
Provide a technical authority in the areas of operating system theory, data structures, computer system architecture, software engineering and computer communications.

  • Translate user requirements to Software features
  • Write and maintain database procedures and functions using T-SQL
  • Participate in design meetings and code reviews
  • Troubleshoot and fix software bugs
  • Write Formal software documentation
  • Follow CMMI (Level 3) processes for software development
  • Design and implement web application code including:
    • Design new and modify existing database tables and schemas
    • Code User interface (Razor/Blazor, .NET)
    • CSS Stylesheets
    • Client scripts
    • Business Logic
    • Web Application Programming Interface (API)
    • Unit testing
Required Experience & Skills
  • Must be proficient in the following: .Net, JavaScript, CSS3, HTML5, C#
  • Must have database experience in SQL Server 2019+, Stored Procedures, Table Design
  • Must be able to work independently and within a group
  • Must have the ability to communicate clearly and concisely in writing and speaking
  • Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills along with customer interaction and presentation capability
  • Must have the ability to quickly understand the customer's overall technical objectives and missions and provide effective solutions.
  • Bachelor's Degree (Computer Science or related field) and 8 years of coding experience
Desired Experience & Skills
  • Experience supporting DoD
  • SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) experience
  • Team Foundation Server (TFS)/Azure DevOps/Git
  • Cloud experience
  • Master's Degree (Computer Science or related field) and 10 years of relevant experience is desired. 12 years of related experience may be substituted for the MS degree.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
  1. Application of the disciplines and science of analysis, design, development, implementation, test evaluation and maintenance of computer software and associated software products over the system software life cycle.
  2. Ability to organize, prioritize, analyze, interpret and evaluate technical data, complex requirements and prediction of results in the solution of theoretical or practical data processing problems.
  3. Extensive knowledge of complex data formats, systems architecture, data analysis and display concepts and automated computational processes and methodology to respond to customer requirements with versatility and sound judgment.
  4. Ability to recognize and analyze problems, conducts research, summarize results, and provide appropriate recommendations and solutions to management.
  5. Ability to plan and execute complex, multi faced projects and/or studies within established time, financial, and/or time constraints to resolve software engineering questions.
  6. Skill and ability to negotiate complex issues, and communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, complex technical issues, report and briefing for senior military and civilian officials throughout the government and in private industry.
  7. Ability to establish and maintain relationships with key individuals/ groups inside and outside immediate working unit using high degree of tact and diplomacy.
PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Basic requirements for 0854:
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 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: In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:
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)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.)

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? If position has a positive degree requirement or education forms the basis for qualifications, you MUST submit transcriptswith the application. Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if position has a positive degree requirement, qualifying based on education alone or in combination with experience; transcripts must be verified prior to appointment. An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education. Click here to check accreditation.


FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

Additional information

This public notice is to gather applications that may or may not result in selection.

This job announcement may close at any time- apply now!

This is an acquisition demonstration project position NH-03 equivalent to a GS-12 to Gs-13

Direct Deposit:
All federal employees are required to have direct deposit.

If you have questions regarding this announcement and have hearing or speech difficulties click here.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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.

APPRAISALS/AWARDS: Hiring Managers use objective methods and consider previous performance appraisals and awards in the selection process. Current Federal Civilian employees should list any relevant performance related rating and/or awards in your resume.

Air Force Materiel Command

The mission of the United States Air Force is: To fly, fight, and win ... Airpower anytime, anywhere. To achieve that mission, the Air Force has a vision of Global Vigilance, Global Reach and Global Power. That vision orbits around three core competencies: Developing Airmen, Technology-to-Warfighting and Integrating Operations. Core competencies and distinctive capabilities are based on a shared commitment to three core values -- integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.

Click here to view the AF Civilian Employment Eligibility Guide:

  • US Citizen

Agency contact information

Air Force Test Center Recruitment
Email
AFTC.Enterprise.Recruiting@us.af.mil
Address
AF Test Center
6437 6th Street
Bldg 430, Rm 119
Hill AFB, UT 84056
US

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.