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Intelligence Operations Specialist

Department of Defense
Office of the Secretary of Defense
Office of the Under Secretary of War for Intelligence and Security (OUSW(I&S))

Summary

This position is in the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Intelligence and Security (OUSW(I&S)), Director for Defense Intelligence (DDI), Programs, Resources, & Enterprise Management (PREM), Functional Intelligence & Defense Analysis (FIDA) Directorate.

The OUSW(I&S) is the principal advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of War for all intelligence, counterintelligence (CI) and security, and other intelligence-related matters.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/17/2026 to 04/22/2026
Salary
$169,279 - $197,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GG 15
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Pentagon, Arlington, VA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
ST-12933629-26-CEM
Control number
865605700

Duties

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This Position is a Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under 10 U.S.C. 1601

If selected, Federal employees currently serving in the competitive service must acknowledge that they will voluntarily leave the competitive service by accepting an offer of employment for a DCIPS excepted service positions.

If selected, non-DCIPS candidates must acknowledge that the position they have been selected for is in the excepted service and covered by DCIPS.

For more information see
https://dcips.defense.gov/

Incumbents typical work assignments may include the following:

  • Directly supports the FIDA Director and Senior Advisor, serving as the Intelligence Collection Support subject matter expert (SME) responsible to facilitate the integration of technical intelligence collection support to Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) programs and activities.
  • Serves as the senior GEOINT staff officer responsible for the policy development and strategic oversight.
  • Supporting the integration of DoW technical intelligence collection capabilities across the Department and the Intelligence Community (IC).
  • Facilitates the integration technical intelligence collection to support GEOINT activities based on new or proposed legislation regulations and policy to identify national security implications, program impacts, impacts to management and operations, budgets and future direction of DoW technical intelligence collection.

Requirements

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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)
  • Selectee might be required to successfully complete a two-year 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
  • Selection under this appointment authority does not confer civil service competitive status.
  • The incumbent must be able to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
  • This position requires incumbent to file an OGE Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, upon appointment and annually thereafter.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government passport and be willing to travel internationally (either via military or by commercial aircraft).
  • This position may require up to 25% occasional travel.
  • Due to emergency recall to duty during non-duty hours, employee is required to be able to be contacted by telephone 24-hours a day.
  • Recruitment Incentive may be authorized in accordance with regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

The DCIPS occupational structure provides the foundation for managing the DCIPS pay structure. It consists of the following elements: mission categories, occupational groups, and work categories, work levels, pay band (for those DCIPS Components operating under the DCIPS pay banded structure using pay plan IA) and grades (for those DCIPS Components operating under the GG graded structure using pay plan GG), job titles, and competencies.


You may qualify at the GG-15 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:
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. Qualifying experience would be demonstrated by 1) Facilitating the integration of technical intelligence collection pertaining to supporting Geospatial intelligence programs and activities; and 2) Assisting with policy development and strategic oversight of intelligence collection operations.


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. It is recommended that applicants include their months and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. If a determination is not able to be made about the length of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration.

Your resume may not exceed two (2) pages
. For qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. If a determination is not able to be made about the duration of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration.

Read more about what should I include in my federal resume? at https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include/

ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: Federal agencies treat active duty service member as veterans, disabled veterans, and preference eligible, when they submit, as part of their application package, a "certification" of active service in lieu of a DD-214, indicating the service member is otherwise eligible and will be discharged or released within 120 days from the date of submission.. 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. This "certification" must include your rank, dates of active duty service, type of discharge and character of service (i.e. honorable), and date any terminal leave will begin. It must be signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters. Active duty members that fail to provide a valid "certification" of service with their initial application will be found "not eligible". Members may be appointed before the effective date of their military retirement/separation if they are on terminal leave.

Education

Education cannot be substituted for experience.

Additional information

Conditions of Employment
The incumbent must obtain and maintain a U.S. Government passport and be willing to travel internationally. -AND- This position may require up to 25% occasional travel away from your normal duty station for official business on military or commercial aircraft.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Other priority consideration programs will continue under their current operating procedures.


Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

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. /www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/

Current or Former Political Appointees: 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. 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.

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.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

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.

DoD Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans' Preference to preference 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 must submit documents verifying your eligibility with your application package.

Your eligibility and qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment(s) required for this position (if applicable). If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork



DOD PPP candidates using Application-Based Procedures:

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 (DD-3145-3) to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician preference.

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 (DD-3145-2) to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability preference.

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 (DD-3145-1) to verify your eligibility for Retained Grade preference.

Office of the Secretary of Defense

The Office of the Secretary of War (OSW) is the principal staff element of the Secretary of War in the exercise of policy development, planning, resource management, fiscal, and program evaluation responsibilities. OSW includes the immediate offices of the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of War, Under Secretaries of War, Director of War Research and Engineering, Assistant Secretaries of War, General Counsel, Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, Assistants to the Secretary of War, Director of Administration and Management, and such other staff offices as the Secretary establishes to assist in carrying out assigned responsibilities.

Agency contact information

Washington HQ Services
Email
whs.job.application.assistance@mail.mil
Address
Office of the USD for Intelligence and Security
Human Resources Directorate
4800 Mark Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22350
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Office of the Secretary of Defense, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

http://www.defense.gov/About-DoD/Office-of-the-Secretary-of-Defense

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