Chief Interagency Program Group

Clarification from the agency

Open to current and former Federal employees with competitive or excepted status; and all U.S. Citizens. Former members of the Peace Corps may be considered for ODNI employment only if five full years have elapsed since separation from the Peace Corps.

The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) is dedicated to leading the U.S. Counterintelligence and Security communities, countering all threats posed by adversarial foreign intelligence affiliated threats and enhancing our national security posture at every level. We will serve as the head of U.S. counterintelligence and integrate the instruments of national power to counter foreign intelligence threats. NCSC will be the "center of gravity" to support the counterintelligence and security efforts of the entire U.S. interagency, and public sector initiatives to protect our nation from adversarial efforts to exploit the United States and victimize the American people.

The NCSC/Security Directorate (SD) protects the nation's security interests by providing comprehensive security solutions. SD develops and implements policies, guidance, and standards for personnel security, IC-wide and SCI security-relevant issues, and security clearance reform. SD also engages with government and industry partners to protect national security equities against foreign intelligence and security threats and advance the U.S. Government's risk management environment to safeguard against adversarial and insider threats. The NCSC/SD directly supports the DNI's responsibilities as the Security Executive Agent (SecEA) for all departments and agencies of the United States pursuant to 50 U.S.C. § 3126a and serves as the DNI's designee for oversight of national security programs across the Intelligence Community (IC). NCSC/SD also serves as the DNI's lead support element and performs the necessary staff functions to enable the fulfillment of the DNI's duties and authorities pertaining to insider threat pursuant to 50 U.S.C. § 3024(e)(8)), Executive Order 13587, and other applicable law and policy. The Group Chief oversees critical security areas to include the National Insider Threat Task Force (NITTF), the IC Unauthorized Disclosures Program, the National Operations Security (OPSEC) Program (NOP), and the IC Damage Assessment Program - coordinating multi-agency risk management efforts.

The selected candidate will:
Lead and supervise the NITTF as the national program management entity, directing teams responsible for collecting insider threat self-assessments and annual reports and conducting enterprise-wide analysis.

Oversee the production of the State of Enterprise reporting and mission advocacy briefings to diverse audiences including senior leadership, academia, industry partners, and NT-50 departments/agencies to promote program awareness, share best practices, and support capability development.

Lead and supervise the development and delivery of insider threat training courses for program managers. Leverage external partnerships to develop adjunct instructors and facilitators while ensuring training content remains current and effective.

Lead the production of National Insider Threat Awareness Month (NITAM) events and activities to promote insider threat awareness and best practices across the USG, IC, and private sector.

Oversee Insider Threat Strategy Boards across the IC, DOD, and NT-50 departments/agencies to ensure coordinated approach to insider threat mitigation and program maturation.

Oversee the IC Unauthorized Disclosures Program, including semiannual reporting and IC coordination.

Lead and supervise the team responsible for the NOP, including implementation of National Security Presidential Memorandum-28 to strengthen operations security practices, protect critical information, and mitigate adversarial intelligence collection threats across the Executive Branch.

Lead and supervise the team that plans and hosts the annual National OPSEC Symposium and develop/delivers NOP training courses for USG OPSEC stakeholders on analysis, program development, and public release strategies.

Lead and supervise the team that facilitate IC-wide damage assessments when designated by the DNI, coordinating multi-agency efforts involving classified national intelligence affecting multiple IC elements or government departments in accordance with ICD 732. Disseminates best practices, lessons learned, and recommended mitigation measures for implementation throughout the Intelligence Community.

Conduct outreach and liaison activities with Insider Threat and OPSEC programs across the USG, IC, DoD, NT-50, private sector, industry, and academia to ensure constant program maturation.

Make authoritative recommendations on methods for enhancing efficiency of security systems through modifications and applications of evolving technology.

Assess performance, oversee goal setting, and provide feedback on personal and professional development for assigned team members.

Identify, justify, and advocate for resources necessary to accomplish the IPG mission requirements.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen residing in the United States
• Appointment is subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance based on an SBI with eligibility for sensitive compartmented information (SCI)
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• A two-year trial period is required for all new permanent appointments to the ODNI.

Qualifications

This is an excepted service GS-15 position open to the public and all current federal employees at the GS-15 and one level below. Current federal employees at the GS-15 and one level below may apply to this position, and if selected will maintain pay set at their current grade and step. Current federal employees at grade levels GS-13 and below are not eligible for this position and their application will not be forwarded to the hiring manager. All current federal employees that apply for this position must submit their most recent SF-50, Notification of Personal Action (i.e., dated within the last 52 weeks from the closing date of this vacancy announcement) to verify their status of eligibility.

Required Qualifications:
Expert knowledge of general security administration programs and mastery of one or more security specialties (e.g. sensitive compartmented information, personnel security, technical security, operations security).

Expert knowledge of IC organizations; IC mission posture, structures, capabilities, processes, and policy development.

Expert management skills, including a superior ability to supervise multiple teams as they implement programs, develop policies, and report on activities to Congress and oversight bodies.

Expert program management, analytic, and critical thinking skills, including a superior ability to conduct security program assessments, identify needs and requirements, and develop process improvement recommendations.

Superior ability to communicate, both verbally and in writing, complex information in a clear, concise manner that is targeted to and meets the needs of diverse audiences with different perspectives and objectives.

Expert ability to direct taskings, assess and manage performance, collaborate on goal setting, and support personal professional development of all levels of personnel.

Superior collaboration skills, including the ability to effectively build coalitions among government elements to achieve common goals.

Ability to conceptualize, organize, and draw inferences from incomplete data and present compelling analysis of findings and issues; ability to identify, articulate, document and mitigate knowledge gaps or alternative approaches.

Desired Qualifications
Expert knowledge of national security programs including Operations Security (OPSEC), Insider Threat, Damage Assessments, and Unauthorized Disclosures, including relevant policies, procedures, and best practices for program implementation and management.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You must submit the supporting documents listed under the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Only include documents listed under the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. If you have more than one copy of a document, only include your most recent copy. If you are among the best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

As part of the application process for this position, applicants will be required to respond to four free-response essay questions, which are detailed below. These responses will not be scored or rated as part of the initial evaluation. Instead, they provide applicants with an opportunity to elaborate on their qualifications, professional background, and commitment to public service.

FREE RESPONSE ESSAY QUESTIONS

All applicants must answer the following four short, free response essay questions. The responses cannot exceed 200 words per question. By submitting your responses to the following questions, you certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or AI (such as a large language model [LLM]).

1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience.
2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.
3. In this role, you will be expected to professionally and efficiently implement executive direction. Provide an example where you implemented leadership direction on a strategy or policy decision that differed from your own recommendation.
4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position.

A complete application package must include:

a. RESUME: Resumes must be no longer than two (2) pages in length. Resumes longer than two (2) pages will be removed from consideration. Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the vacancy announcement, particularly the MDRs, and construct their resume to highlight their most significant experience and qualifications relevant to this job opportunity. You must ensure the resume contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position: job title; name of employer; beginning and ending dates of employment (month/day/year format), and hours worked per week. We will assume full-time unless otherwise stated. Additionally, include a detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills and responsibilities, to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable), and series and grade or equivalent (if a federal position).

b. COVER LETTER: Applicants must submit a professional narrative as a supplement to the resume to elaborate on their qualifications and previous work performed.

c. CURRENT SF-50: Federal Government employees must provide your official most recent SF-50 (i.e., dated within the last 52 weeks from the closing date of this vacancy announcement). An SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, is used to verify current federal status, position, title, grade, and organization of record. If your SF-50(s) does not provide the information needed to make a final determination for qualification, you will be found ineligible for the position.

d. POSITION NUMBER: Reference the announcement number in the subject line on each document submitted.

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

Next steps