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Personnel Recovery Specialist

Department of the Army
Joint Activities
Headquarters United States Africa Command, Operations, Current Operations Division

Summary

About the Position:
The primary duty is to work in the Personnel Recovery Office of Primary Responsibility to provide the commander, USAFRICOM, an individual who will develop a PR program, implement DoD PR policy, provide technical management of PR contracts, and advise the commander on how to fulfill CCMD responsibilities as defined in personnel recovery directives and instructions.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted today · Apply by 06/08/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 8, 2026
Location
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Salary
$76,463 - $99,404 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - Temporary Duty (TDY) Travel is up to 20 % to include the continent of Africa.
Appointment type
Permanent
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
EUHR-26-12953728-MP
Control number
870504000

Duties

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  • Develop PR plans, orders, and annexes in support of exercises and missions. Update instructions, manuals, orders, and checklists for compliance with higher policy and authorities.
  • Coordinate with the joint staff, combatant commands, service components, US embassies, contracts, partner and host nations and other interagency organizations to support the USAFRICOM strategy in relation to PR and response force operations.
  • Conduct analysis to determine the type of resources and programs necessary to conduct PR operations and collect after action reports and lessons learned to assess and improve PR operations.
  • Monitor, participate, and assesses monthly and quarterly response force and command and control rehearsals to ensure response force readiness and interoperability.
  • Plan/coordinate personnel recovery, sensitive item recovery, casualty evacuation activities for Department of Defense service members, contractors, civilians; for U.S. citizens, partner nation forces and citizens, and designated persons of interest.

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.
  • 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.
  • Position is designated as Emergency Essential: Must sign a statement of understanding to perform the duties of this position in the event of a crisis until relieved by proper authority.
  • Prior to appointment to this position, must sign a statement documenting your consent to be immunized with the complete anthrax vaccination series and subsequent annual boosters.
  • Member of Ready Reserve must be released from reserve status to go into emergency essential positions.
  • A medical examination required: If selected, satisfactory completion of a medical examination is required before assignment to the position.
  • May be deployed on short notice to USAFRICOM Area of Responsibility (AOR).

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) operational planning in support of crises, contingencies or campaigns; 2) developing plans for personnel recovery (PR)/casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) and/or other sensitive activities in foreign countries; AND 3) Analyzing information to create courses of actions for program improvement. 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).

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 requires 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 Dep. 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 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
  • This is an Administration and Management Career Field position
  • 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.

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. For additional information please visit https://home.army.mil/stuttgart/

United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM), is one of six U.S. Department of Defense' geographic combatant commands and is responsible to the Secretary of Defense for military relations with African nations, the African Union, and African regional security organizations. It is responsible for all DoD operations, exercises, and security cooperation on the African continent, its island nations, and surrounding waters. Its mission is to build defense capabilities, respond to crisis, and deter and defeat transnational threats in order to advance U.S. national interests and promote regional security, stability, and prosperity.

Agency contact information

Army Applicant Help Desk
Website
https://portal.chra.army.mil/hr_public?id=app_inq
Address
HR-W6L6AA HQ US AFRICA COMMAND
DO NOT MAIL
APO, AE 09751
US

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https://www.africom.mil

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