Duties
The Senior Technical Advisor leads the strategic technical management of AFMC's capability development activities by collaborating with key stakeholders like the Air Force Research Laboratory and Acquisition Centers to translate future force design requirements into actionable engineering portfolios. In this capacity, the advisor conducts regular portfolio reviews to make critical funding recommendations-identifying which programs to accelerate, pivot, or discontinue-while constantly scanning industry and command elements for emerging technologies to integrate into the Capability Development Executive Officer (CDEO) portfolio. By overseeing IDO technical integration leads, the advisor ensures broad portfolio cohesion across joint partners, including the AF Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO), the US Space Force, and allied coalitions.
Leveraging a comprehensive knowledge of research and development, mission engineering, and early systems acquisition, the advisor actively identifies capability gaps and recommends targeted investment strategies to meet future force needs. The advisor is directly responsible for planning, coordinating, and evaluating the collective technical efforts of a diverse military, civilian, and contractor workforce engaged in the research, testing, development, and securing of emerging materiel capabilities.
Beyond technology integration, the advisor plays a critical role in workforce development by advising IDO leadership on the organization and training of the Scientific and Engineering (S&E) workforce. This includes providing direct professional mentorship, establishing and maintaining strict technical quality standards, and evaluating the credentials of prospective scientific personnel to recommend key hires.
Finally, the advisor maintains an extensive professional network across the DAF, DoW, intelligence agencies, academia, and industry, utilizing these relationships to foster collaboration and represent the CDEO and IDO Director at high-level conferences. As a recognized authority, the advisor delivers authoritative presentations on program status, represents the organization on technical committees, and collaborates freely across all levels of the defense and scientific communities.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- U.S. citizenship is required.
- Males must be registered for Selective Service, see www.sss.gov.
- Disclosure of Political Appointments.
- Selected candidate must file a Executive Personnel Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 278) in accordance with the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
- Position has been designated Special-Sensitive and the selectee must have or be able to obtain a Top Secret/SCI with SAP clearance.
- Drug testing designated position. The incumbent is subject to random testing for drug use IAW Exec. Order 12564, dated 14 Sep 86. Position requires that the incumbent sign a Drug Testing letter and pass urinalysis testing prior to appointment.
- Position requires travel under conditions specified in the DoW Joint Travel Regulations. Incumbent is expected to travel on short notice to attend high-level meetings.
- Position may require incumbent to be available for other than normal duty hours to include weekends to support exercises and crisis planning.
- Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoW Policy on The Employment of Annuitants.
- Within the Department of War (DoW), 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.
- Active Duty Military Members must indicate retirement eligibility.
Qualifications
Eligibility will be based upon a clear showing the applicant has training, education and experience of the scope and quality sufficient to effectively carry-out the duties of the position. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.
In accordance with new OPM requirements to streamline hiring, applicants are no longer required to submit lengthy narrative essays, including those for Technical Qualifications (TQs) or Senior Professional Qualifications (SPQs), when applying. Instead, the initial application will be resume-only, capped at two pages. This change streamlines the application process and more closely aligns with private industry practices. Applicants identified for potential selection will have their qualifications assessed by undergoing a structured interview conducted by a panel.
To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Technical and Senior Professional Qualifications related to this position within your resume (not to exceed 2 pages).
Resumes over the 2-page limit will 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 your qualifications, you may not receive further consideration for the position.
EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: This position has the following education requirement:
General Engineering (0801) series requires: a) A degree in professional engineering orb) A combination of education and experience, at least 60 hours of college-level education, in the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineers combined with specialized training and/or technical experience (as demonstrated by registration as a professional engineer or successful completion of the Engineer-in-Training examination). For more information: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/general-engineering-series-0801/.
TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs): Your resume should demonstrate accomplishments that satisfy the technical qualifications.
TQ1. Expert level technical knowledge in developing and executing pre-Milestone A and other developmental programs for the USAF/DoW.
TQ2. Demonstrated leadership experience in collaboration across DoW and International Stakeholders, ability to lead and mentor diverse teams of scientists and engineers in innovative research across organizational boundaries, and ability to partner with DAF, DOW, industry, and academia to develop and execute collaborative programs
Additional information
Veterans' Preference: Veterans' preference is applicable to Air Force Senior Level (SL) positions.
Relocation Authorized: Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is authorized in accordance with the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR).
Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: May be offered.
Employed Annuitants (Reemployed Annuitants): Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoW Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. Click here for more information.
Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have direct deposit.
Tax Law Impact for PCS: On 22-Dec-2017, Public Law 115-97 - the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017" suspended qualified moving expense deductions along with the exclusion for employer reimbursements and payments of moving expenses effective 01-Jan-2018 for tax years 2018 through 2025. 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 GSA Bulletin FTR 20-04 here for additional information.
If you have questions regarding this announcement and have hearing or speech difficulties click here.
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applications will be evaluated against the qualifications requirements. Candidates will be evaluated for this position by a screening panel composed of senior executives and/or general officers selected for organizational and/or functional backgrounds relevant to this position. The panel will reach consensus on the applications demonstrating a high degree of the technical competencies to select for interviews. Post interview, the panel will make a recommendation of those Best Qualified candidates to refer to the selecting official, in priority order. Final selection is contingent on approval by the Under Secretary of the Air Force.
REMINDER: Before uploading your required PDF documents (Resume), please ensure they DO NOT EXCEED the noted 2 page limits.
Required Documents
To receive full consideration, each applicant must submit the MANDATORY documents in the format as designated. Packages that do not include all of the required documents or meet format requirements will not be forwarded for consideration.
**************ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE UPLOADED IN PDF FORMAT*******************
The Qualifications Documents must be formatted using Times New Roman, size 10 font, with 1-inch margins. Do not use borders, provide photos, or list a Social Security Number on any of the Qualifications Documents. DO NOT COMBINE DOCUMENTS.
A. (Mandatory) Resume in the preferred format (Limit 2 Pages Total). Upload in PDF format. PLEASE DO NOT USE USAJOBS RESUME BUILDER.
B. (Optional) Most recent Notification of Personnel Action, SF-50, noting your current position, grade level and salary level (applies only to current or former civilian government employee).
C. (Optional) Most recent completed Performance Appraisal (current and/or former federal employees).
D. (Mandatory) College transcript(s) (copy is acceptable) which demonstrates the acceptable combinations of education and experience as noted by OPM.
E. (Optional) Military Retired - a copy of your DD214 and/or Retirement orders; Active Duty - Are you an active duty service member with a statement of service showing that you expect to be honorably discharged or released from the armed forces under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after submitting your application? PLEASE NOTE: you will be ineligible for consideration if your statement of service is not submitted with your application or it shows an expected discharge or release date greater than 120 days from the date of the submission of the certification.Documents are required.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.