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Joint Operation Planning and Execution System (JOPES) Specialist

Department of the Army
Joint Activities
Special Operations Command Africa

Summary

About the Position:
This position is located in the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Mobility Branch, Operations Division, Logistics Directorate (J-4), Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAF). The mission of the Mobility Branch is to manage the SOF requirements and integrate force requirements into the Joint Operation Plans and Execution System (JOPES) force flow execution process. The main purpose of this position is to serve as a JOPES action officer for SOCAF.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/28/2026 to 05/06/2026
Salary
$76,463 - $99,404 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Stuttgart, Germany
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Temporary Duty (TDY) Travel is up to 15 % to include the continent of Africa.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
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
EUHR-26-12947096-MP
Control number
866895900

Duties

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  • Plan and execute deployment operations for all U.S. Special Operation Forces SOF throughout the USAFRICOM area of responsibility (AOR), and in support of other regional combatant commands around the world.
  • Participate in operations planning in either joint or operation planning groups.
  • Utilize software applications such as Joint Operations Planning and Execution System (JOPES) or Rapid Query Tool (JET) to support deployment execution operations.
  • Coordinate with SOCAFRICA J35 for the tracking of global force management (GFM) requirements and their associated JOPES sourcing data status.
  • Coordinate building of associated Time Phased Force Deployment Data (TPFDD) and Joint Capabilities Requirements Management (JCRM) files.
  • Analyze air transportation and surface (ground and/or sea) transportation of personnel and cargo to identify appropriate deployment and/or re-deployment modes of transportation requirements.
  • Recommend contingency and crisis action with Joint Operations Planning and Execution System (JOPES) and Global Force Management (GFM) policies, procedures, products, and planning formulation
  • Present information on complex, time-sensitive force deployment management issues to brief senior leadership.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • Applicants must comply with the Exceptional Family Member Program requirements as outlined in the DoD Instruction 1315.19.
  • Must be able to satisfy the requirements of the 26JUL12 DODI 1400.25 V1230, DoD Civilian Personnel Management System: Employment in Foreign Areas and Employee Return Rights. Visit https://www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/.
  • Direct deposit of pay is required.
  • U.S. citizens overseas under ordinarily resident status are not eligible for appointment under the Status of Forces Agreement.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI security clearance.
  • Must comply with drug abuse testing program.
  • This position has been designated "Mission Essential". In the event of severe weather conditions or other such emergency type situations the incumbent is required to report to work or remain at work as scheduled to support mission operations.
  • Must obtain and maintain Country/Theater Clearance per the Foreign Clearance Guide located at: https://www.fcg.pentagon.mil/fcg.cfm, and maintain no-fee passport and Visa.
  • Must be willing to obtain any vaccinations and pertinent immunizations, and complete any pre-employment screening for country entry.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

  • 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans
  • Current Department of Army Civilian Employees Applying to OCONUS Positions
  • Current Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army)
  • Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Interchange Agreement
  • Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce
  • Excepted Service Overseas Family Member Appointment
  • Family Member Preference (FMP) for Overseas Employment
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
  • Military Spouse Preference (MSP) for Overseas Employment
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
  • Reinstatement
  • Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998


In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience.

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes 1) Assisting in the planning and execution of force deployment operations by managing, updating, or validating deployment data, 2) Participating in planning groups or exercise planning teams to provide input on matters for adaptive, contingency, or crisis action plans, and 3) Coordinating with other planners to ensure deployment data is accurate and synchronized with operational requirements. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-11).

This is a(n) Transportation and Distribution Manager (24) Career Field position.
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 here: https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

  • This position may require a 1 year probationary period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest.
  • Locality pay does not apply in the overseas area.
  • If an employee brings a child to an overseas location and that child is entitled to attend a DoD school on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, the DoDEA and the Military Department responsible for providing related services will ensure that the child, if eligible for special education, receives a free appropriate public education, including related services pursuant to DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12.
  • If an employee brings an infant or toddler (up to 3 years of age) to an overseas location, and that infant or toddler, but for the child's age, is entitled to attend the DoDEA on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, then the Military Department responsible for EIS will provide the infant or toddler with the required EIS in accordance with the eligibility criteria consistent with DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12.
  • Employees (and family members) who require medical or dental care in the overseas location will be responsible for obtaining and paying for such care. Access for civilian employees and their families to military medical and dental treatment facilities is on a space-available and reimbursable basis only.
  • Pay retention may be offered to selected applicants for positions at overseas locations. Pay retention will not be offered as an incentive for employees moving between overseas positions.
  • Selectees may receive certain foreign area benefits such as: Living Quarters Allowance (LQA) or government quarters, home leave, etc. Selectees will have their eligibility for foreign area benefits determined at the time of hire in accordance with Department of State Standardized Regulation (DSSR) and DoDI 1400.25 volume 1250.
  • For positions in a foreign country, that country's laws or international agreements may have a direct impact on the ability of an employee's same sex domestic partner or spouse to accompany the employee and receive certain benefits. If you believe you may be affected by these laws and agreements, you should familiarize yourself with relevant information and direct questions concerning a specific country (Foreign Duty Location) to the appropriate Army Human Resources point of contact prior to the acceptance of employment and your entrance on duty.
  • The initial length of this overseas tour is 36 months.
  • Defense National Relocation Program will not be authorized.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations.
  • Recruitment Incentives may be authorized.

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.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your 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 online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

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

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

The selecting official has requested a competitive and noncompetitive candidate list for this vacancy. If you are eligible for the noncompetitive list, you will be evaluated on basic and/or minimum qualifications, as applicable. While required to answer the assessment questions, non-competitive candidates will not be evaluated against the competitive rating and ranking criteria. The selecting official may select from any of the candidate lists.

Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.

If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.

You may claim Military Spouse preference.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

Joint Activities

Civilian employees serve a vital role in supporting the Army mission. They provide the skills that are not readily available in the military, but crucial to support military operations. The Army integrates the talents and skills of its military and civilian members to form a Total Army.

This position is located in Stuttgart, Germany. Stuttgart is the cultural and political capital of Baden-Wuerttemberg and one of Europe's foremost metropolitan areas. Stuttgart is charmingly situated in the heart of one of Germany's largest wine-growing regions, attracting tourists by its magnificent panorama, its impressive gardens and parks, palaces and buildings in a wide range of architectural styles, but also by its cultural diversity. The city of Stuttgart comprises five counties encompassing 179 towns and rural districts. It is the home to USAG Stuttgart, HQ US EUCOM, HQ US AFRICOM, and other tenant units. For additional information please visit https://home.army.mil/stuttgart/

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk
Website
https://portal.chra.army.mil/hr_public?id=app_inq
Address
HR-W6MTAA HQ US AFRICA COMMAND
DO NOT MAIL
APO, AE 09107
US

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

https://www.socom.mil/socAF

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