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ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH FOR SYSTEMS

Department of the Navy
Office of Naval Research

Summary

You will serve as the Associate Director of Research for Systems at the Naval Research Laboratory. You will be responsible for the broad conception, planning and formulation of the scientific and technological programs, and administrative oversight, of the Systems Directorate. The Directorate is comprised of about 700 civilians located across the Signature Technology Office, Radar Division, Information Technology Division, Optical Sciences Division, and Tactical Electronic Warfare Division.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
05/04/2026 to 06/03/2026
Salary
$199,172 - $228,000 per year

Actual salary may vary depending on the scope and the complexity of the qualifications and current compensation of the selectee.

Pay scale & grade
ES 00
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Naval Research Laboratory, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—This position is eligible for ad-hoc/situational telework at the discretion of management.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - 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 be authorized in accordance with applicable travel regulations.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Senior Executive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
DE-12936845-26-SRP
Control number
867487900

Duties

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  • You will formulate general policies and objectives necessary to carry out the Directorate’s scientific and technological programs.
  • You will review and evaluate the Directorate's output and achievements in order that programs be coordinated to achieve the desired goals and to ensure that high scientific and technology standards are maintained.
  • You will establish priorities, considering DON and DoW potential, the relative importance of the work, its usefulness in other fields, the cost, and the potential value in relation to increasing scientific knowledge and DON and DoW capabilities.
  • You will develop both long-term and short-terms plans and assist the Division Heads/Office Head as appropriate in marketing proposed programs.
  • You will participate with the Director of Research in developing the overall NRL research program and the establishment of Laboratory wide administrative policies.
  • You will provide consultative and advisory services to officials of the DON, the Marine Corps, DoW, and officials of other government and private agencies. Such services frequently relate to vital immediate and long-term matters of national defense.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • 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 will be required to complete ethics orientation within three months of appointment and submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-278e within 30 days of appointment.
  • You will be required to sign the Reassignment Rights and Obligations Agreement as a condition of appointment into the SES in accordance with DoD Directive 1403.03.
  • 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.
  • May be required to successfully complete a 1-year SES probationary period.
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
  • 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 fail the test. You will be subject to random testing.
  • 0854 Series is a Cyberspace Workforce position, incumbents under this series are required to obtain and maintain qualifications in DoDM 8140.03 Cyber Workforce Qualification and Department of Navy policies.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • This position is covered under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA). Certification in the Acquisition Functional Area and category assigned to the position is required within established category timeframes.
  • 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.
  • This is a Key/Mission Essential position. You will be required to ensure organization or facility continuity of operations and/or completion of tasks that are considered essential to the mission designated by a local or command decision.
  • Supervisors in the executive branch have a heightened personal responsibility for advancing government ethics. You will be required to review the 14 General Principles of Ethical Conduct at 5 CFR 2635.101.

Qualifications

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. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Technical Qualifications (TQ) related to this position within your resume - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES. Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed beyond page 2 or may be disqualified. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualification(s). If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications.

TQ 1. Demonstrated competence in engineering or physical sciences to include personal participation in research and development programs pertinent to the Navy in areas such as radar, optical sciences, information technology/cyber, and tactical electronic warfare.

TQ 2. Demonstrated ability to assume final technical responsibility for, and to plan, organize and administer complex and significant research and development programs of major magnitude and national importance and to confer, negotiate and appraise the effectiveness of large and complex research and development programs.

TQ 3. Ability to develop and analyze technical program proposals, advanced concept studies, and analyses and then to market those proposals to sponsoring activities and executive level managements.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): In addition to the Technical Qualification Requirements listed above, all new entrants into the Senior Executive Service (SES) under a career appointment will be assessed for executive competency against the following five mandatory ECQs. If your 2-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs and TQs, you may not receive further consideration for the position.

There are five ECQs:
ECQ 1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding - This core qualification requires a demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.

ECQ 2: Driving Efficiency - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.

ECQ 3: Merit and Competence - This core qualification involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.

ECQ 4: Leading People - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable.

ECQ 5: Achieving Results - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

Note: If you are a member of the SES or have been certified through successful participation in an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program (SESCDP), or have SES reinstatement eligibility, you do not need to respond to the ECQs. Instead, you should attach proof (e.g., SF-50, Certification by OPM's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB)) of your eligibility for noncompetitive appointment to the SES.

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.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/
All Professional Engineering series
08XX
Physics Series, 1310

Education

For 08XX Professional Engineering Series:
A. Degree: Engineering. Successful completion of a bachelor's or higher engineering degree from an accredited college or university. 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. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
-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:
(I) 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 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; or
(II) Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) 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; or
(III) 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; or
(IV) 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 1310-Physics Series:
A degree in physics; or related degree that included at least 24 semester hours in physics;
or
Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in physics totaling at least 24 semester hours, plus appropriate experience or additional education

Additional information

This position is in the Senior Executive Service (SES), a small elite group of top government leaders. SES members possess a diverse portfolio of experiences including strong skills to lead across organizations. As an executive, you will influence the direction of innovation and transformation of the federal government and lead the next generation of public servants.

Veteran's preference does not apply to the Senior Executive Service.

This position is not 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.

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.

Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees.

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.

A career SES appointment made under this authority does not guarantee that you will be eligible to transfer to another career SES appointment outside of the DoD without the need for you to compete. Other Federal agencies may require you to submit ECQs to OPM's QRB prior to your appointment in that agency.

OPM must authorize any employment offers made to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employees in the executive branch. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Noncareer SES employee in the executive branch, you must disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

There are three key documents that contain important information about your rights and obligations. Please read and retain these documents:

The Department/Agency structures its SES positions into categories (i.e. tiers) to determine the pay range for each position. The categories are based on the position scope, breadth, functions, and placement within the structure of organizational levels across the Department/Agency.
Organizational and geographical mobility is essential in developing and managing SES leaders. Individuals selected for SES positions members may be subject to reassignment across geographical, organizational, and functional lines, and may be required to sign a Reassignment Rights and Obligation Agreement.

Employment Information Resources - Resource Center: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy Statement: http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/index.cfm

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.

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted. If you meet minimum qualifications, your Application Package will be further reviewed to determine if you possess the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) and Technical Qualifications (TQ) listed above. ECQs and TQs must be thoroughly addressed within your two (2) page resume. Separate narratives will not be accepted or reviewed. Highly Qualified applicants may undergo one or more interviews and may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.

Upon selection, if not already a member of the SES serving under a career appointment, the individual selected must have his/her executive qualifications certified by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB) before appointment to this position. The selected individual's application will be forwarded to the OPM for review and certification by the QRB, unless the selectee provides evidence of their noncompetitive status (i.e., a current SES, OPM QRB certified SESCDP graduate, or SES reinstatement eligible). Upon QRB certification, the selected individual will be required to serve a one-year probationary period. For more information regarding the SES, go to https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/.

This recruitment will utilize the following technical assessment tools: Structured Resume Review and Structured Interview.

If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

All qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Office of Naval Research

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

Dept of the Navy Executive Hiring
Email
usn.seattle-wa.ochrsvdopscenwa.mbx.don-executive-hiring@us.navy.mil
Address
NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY
4555 Overlook Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20375-5324
US

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

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