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LANGUAGE SPECIALIST

Department of the Navy
Naval Intelligence Activity
Brooks Center for Maritime Engagement (BCME)

Summary

You will serve as a Language Specialist in the Collections Department of the Brooks Center for Maritime Engagement (BCME) at the OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. You will produce accurate translations of difficult technical material from the foreign language into idiomatically correct English.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/22/2026 to 04/29/2026
Salary
$121,785 - $158,322 per year
Pay scale & grade
GG 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
National Maritime Intelligence Center, MD
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—This position is eligible for ad-hoc/situational telework at the discretion of management.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation expenses (i.e. PCS) or relocation incentives as described in 5 USC 5753 may or may not be authorized in accordance with applicable travel regulations. Authorization of PCS and Relocation Incentive is based on availability of funds.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
13
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
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
ST-12940118-26-SLR
Control number
866229200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current permanent employees of the Department of Navy (DON).

Duties

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  • You will analyze and discuss with subject matter experts, highly scientific and technical (S and T) concepts on a variety of naval- and merchant shipping-related topics and derive proper terminology.
  • You will conduct original research of foreign-language material in hard copy or on-line, including newspapers and periodicals, and scans; summarize and/or gist articles of interest to naval and merchant analysts.
  • You will evaluate components of ONI’s Foreign Language Support Program related to requirements, procedures and production, personnel, training and translation aids.
  • You will serve as expert spokesperson for ONI at high-level working groups and conferences within the Intelligence Community, and as authority on foreign language support within ONI.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
  • Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
  • New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
  • You must obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance and access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI). Failure to do so may result in the withdrawal of an offer or removal. Indicate the level and date of your clearance in your resume.
  • Successful completion of a pre-employment drug test (including marijuana) is required. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if you fail to report to the drug test appointment or pass the test. You will be subject to random testing.
  • You must acknowledge in writing that you are accepting an appointment in the DCIPS (excepted service) which does not confer competitive status, prior to appointment.
  • Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • This position requires a periodic polygraph examination.
  • This position may require a two-year DCIPS trial period.
  • This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.

Qualifications

Applicants are required to show certification of Chinese Mandarin language proficiency at the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) level 2/2 or other equivalent Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) level 2 in both listening and reading proficiency (Limited Working Proficiency level).
Your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS/GG-12) or pay band in the federal service. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

  • Conducting foreign language research, collection, and production to respond to information needs.
  • Displaying strong oral and written communication skills through written clear and concise information products and delivering written and/or verbal presentations.
  • Translating, interpreting, producing, or other work requiring the use of a foreign language for intelligence purposes.
  • Applying knowledge of relevant customer organizations or operations, including how to translate requirements to provide appropriate output or response to meet customer needs.
Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1000/language-specialist-series-1040/

Additional qualification information can be found from the following DON DCIPS policy website:
https://www.secnav.navy.mil/doni/Naval%20Intelligence%20Activity/Chapter%205%20-%20Employment%20and%20Placement.pdf

Education

You must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone; substitution of education for experience is not permitted at this grade level.

Additional information

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf

During the application process you will have the ability to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions in the local commuting area. Depending on the hiring organization and the position being filled, job requirements (e.g., security clearance, travel, drug testing, financial disclosure filing, bargaining unit status, etc.) may vary. Other hiring managers filling similar positions may offer relocation expense reimbursement and/or may offer recruitment incentives for new employees, depending on funding availability and in accordance with policy. If you opt-in and are referred on a certificate, your resume will be available to other hiring managers for 180-days from the date the job announcement closes. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

ICTAP does not apply to Excepted Service positions.

PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade or the grade held immediately prior to separation.

A relocation incentive is generally a single payment intended to offset some of the relocation costs experienced by the selectee. A relocation incentive may be authorized.

All Defense Intelligence positions under the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) are in the excepted service by specific statue, 10 U.S.C. 1601. This position is in the excepted service and does not confer competitive status.

For more information on the DCIPS occupational structure click here.

For more information about career advancement in DCIPS 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.

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.

When the application process is complete, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and application package, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies:

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


This recruitment will utilize the following technical assessment tools: USA Hire and Structured Interview.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All eligibility and qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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 directly to paid employment.

Naval Intelligence Activity

The Navy and Marine Corps team offers innovative, exciting and meaningful work linking military and civilian talents to achieve our mission and safeguard our freedoms. Department of the Navy provides competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and extensive professional development and training. From pipefitters to accountants, scientists to engineers, doctors to nurses-the careers and opportunities to make a difference are endless.

Civilian careers-where purpose and patriotism unite!

Agency contact information

Department of Navy EIC
Email
doneic@us.navy.mil
Address
OFFICE OF MARITIME ENGAGEMENT
4251 Suitland Rd
Washington, DC 20395
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Naval Intelligence Activity, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Pages/Default.aspx

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