Deputy Chief Engineer

The United States Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) Detachment 5 (DET 5) at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado is searching for a Deputy Chief Engineer (NH-0855-04, GS 14/15 equivalent).

Description:
As the Deputy Chief Engineer for Mission Delta 8/8th Sustainment Squadron, you will serve as a Supervisory Electronics Engineer playing a pivotal role in delivering and sustaining joint warfighting satellite communication (SATCOM) capabilities to defend the nation and its allies while disrupting adversaries. In this critical leadership position, you will guide a diverse, multi-disciplined team of military, civilian, and contractor personnel to provide direct support for SATCOM operations, oversee the transition of newly fielded MILSATCOM systems, and drive the modernization of vital ground and space assets. You will function as the senior technical authority for assigned systems, responsible for evaluating design alternatives, managing technical baselines, and ensuring the Operational Safety, Suitability, and Effectiveness (OSS&E) program complies with all legal and regulatory requirements. Furthermore, your duties will include converting strategic goals into actionable programs, formulating budgets, optimizing resource allocation, and representing the squadron in high-level technical forums with Program Executive Officer, Field Command, DoW, and international partners to resolve complex requirements and priority conflicts.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned professional with a minimum of 10 years of experience in DoW Acquisition and Engineering, complemented by at least 8 years of direct domain expertise with space systems and/or communications electronics. We are seeking a proven servant leader with significant experience building, leading, and providing technical direction to teams at the program or multi-program level, including prior experience supervising subordinates and holding an APDP Engineering Practitioner-level certification. This individual must possess a thorough understanding of the DoW acquisition lifecycle, a working knowledge of the PPBE process, and familiarity with safety, security, personnel management, and EEO regulations. As a highly effective communicator known for strict technical accuracy, the candidate will be adept at inspiring and coaching others, adapting their leadership style to diverse situations while modeling integrity and trust. The successful candidate will have a strong technical aptitude for evaluating new technology insertions for efficiency and risk and will be an innovative problem-solver who thrives in a dynamic environment, successfully balancing support for current operational systems with the simultaneous integration of new SATCOM services to maintain space superiority.

Key Skills and Abilities:

1. Knowledge of system engineering to manage extensive technical work performed by subordinates in the workforce. This includes knowledge of the physical and disciplined engineering sciences and mathematics, and the processes, techniques, and practices of electronics engineering.
2. Knowledge of and ability to apply procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise in the work of the unit (such as engineering, cost accounting, logistics supply, etc.) including the ability to maintain credibility with others on technical matters.
3. Knowledge of resource management, planning, programming, budgeting, appropriation, funding, and accounting processes and their implication for effective mission accomplishment.
4. Ability to inspire, motivate and guide others toward goal accomplishments. Leadership ability, including the ability to coach, mentor and challenge integrated product team members; ability to adapt leadership style to variety of situations, and ability to model high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for the individual by applying these values to daily behavior. Knowledge of safety, security, personnel management, and EEO regulations, practices, and procedures.
5. Ability to communicate effectively, clearly, concisely and with technical accuracy both orally and in writing with technical accuracy. Use computers and a variety of software programs and databases, gather and analyze a variety of program information, make sound judgments concerning program progress, and effectively communicate recommendations orally and in writing to higher organizational management and contractors.
6. Ability to evaluate insertion of new technology for design efficiency, cost reasonableness and developmental risks.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship Required
• Employee must be able to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret clearance with SCI access.
• This position has been designated for drug testing. Incumbent is subject to random urinalysis testing as a condition of employment.
• Required to handle and safeguard sensitive and/or classified information in accordance with regulations to reduce potential compromise.
• Employee must within 30-days of assuming this position and by 31 October annually thereafter, file an OGE-450, “Confidential Financial Disclosure Report.
• This position is designated a CRITICAL APDP position.
• Employee may work extended or other than normal duty hours and may be subject to recall. Incumbent may be required to work base exercises/contingencies/emergency situations and overtime/comp time/credit hours may be required to accomplish duties.
• An engineering degree at the bachelor’s level from an institution with an ABET accredited program in electronics engineering or a closely related field is highly desired.
• Subject to Temporary Duty Assignment (TDY): Approximately 20 days per year.
• PCS will be paid IAW JTR and AF Regulations. If receiving an authorized PCS, you may be subject to completing/signing a CONUS agreement. More information on PCS requirements, may be found at: https://afciviliancareers.com/regulatory/
• Depending on the type of position (competitive/excepted) you are selected for, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period OR 2-year trial period.
• Upon completion of your probationary/trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
• Eligible for situational telework only, including Emergency and OPM prescribed "Unscheduled Telework".
• Incentive is not authorized.
• Position will close in 5 business days or 75 applications (whichever comes first).

Qualifications

The 0855 series has an individual occupational requirement that must be met and can be viewed here. In addition to the above requirements you can view the experience level requirements here. Please scroll down to the 4th section titled Professional and Scientific Positions.

How you will be evaluated

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

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies as related to the series and grade of the position being filled. Final qualifications determinations will be assessed based on OPM's General Schedule Qualifications Standards found here:

Interviews: You will be contacted by e-mail and/or telephone if your application is identified as qualifying for a position being filled. An interview may be conducted. If interviewed, you will be asked to address the same knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies used to initially qualify your application for the position.

Resume:You must submit a resume that may NOT exceed two pages, and the font size should not be smaller than 10 pts. You will not be considered for this vacancy if your resume exceeds two pages or is illegible/unreadable. Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy. Your resume must provide:

1. Personal information - your full name, email and mailing addresses, phone number
2. Education information - the name of the school and the dates you attended
3. Work experience - paid and unpaid work with the following information:
   • Job title
   • Detailed duties and accomplishments
   • Employer's name and address
   • Supervisor's name and phone number
   • Starting and ending dates (If actual dates are not known, provide your best-estimated timeframes.)
   • Hours per week
   • Salary, if applicable
4. Other qualifications - skills, certifications/licenses, honors, awards, special accomplishments, and job-related training courses

College Transcripts (if applicable): Please see the Education section of this announcement for detailed information about transcripts.

Next steps