Clarification from the agency

Internal to an Agency = Open to current permanent ODNI employees Federal Employees = This detail opportunity is for current competitive and excepted service employees only. If you are not a current federal civilian employee you will not be eligible for this position. ODNI Joint Duty Assignments do not apply to members of the Military service or contractors. Applicants from federal agencies may be considered for this position as a reimbursable detailee, if endorsed by the employing agency.

The NCSC/Security Directorate (SD) protects the nations 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.

Governments risk management environment to safeguard against adversarial and insider threats.

The NCSC/SD directly supports the DNIs responsibilities as the Security Executive Agency (SecEA) across the Executive Branch and serves as the DNIs designee for oversight of national security programs across the Intelligence Community (IC).

The SD/Strategic Security Policy Advisor is responsible for managing SD Congressionally Directed Actions (CDAs) and leading the formulation and execution of long-term strategy, plans, and policy to advance IC and national-level security matters.

This includes programs, policy development, and areas of common concern such as research, outreach, and training initiatives.

The Policy Advisor oversees and informs the development and review of tasks, briefings, reports, and presentations for organizational leadership, ODNI and IC leaders, senior policymakers, and Congressional audiences, including testimony preparation.

The SD/Strategic Security Policy Advisor will: - Manage, draft, and oversee the completion of new and recurring annual CDAs that pertain to personnel security.

Prepare talking points and other preparatory material for quarterly briefings with Congressional Committee staff members regarding the progress on CDAs for NCSC and Security Directorate leaders.

Advance SecEA personnel security policies, processes, and procedures, including Trusted Workforce2.0 initiatives related to security clearance reforms.

Communicate to key internal and external stakeholders the development and advancement of key personnel security policy issues and advocate on behalf of the SecEA/ODNI at interagency meetings.

Plan and conduct the review and analysis of policies, processes, and guidelines that are contained in United States Government (U.S.) Government and IC Directives, Policy Guidance, Standards, plans, and memoranda to ensure equities are addressed and relevant concerns are resolved.

Plan, and prepare the development of security-related talking points, responses, testimony, briefings, presentations and reports to organizational leadership, senior leaders, and Congress; identify, review, evaluate, and develop information to be presented in response to pending and enacted legislation; and anticipate and proactively address congressional reactions to ODNI briefings and testimony.
Initiate, cultivate, and maintain productive working relationships with internal and external partners, including legislative affairs and security professionals, as well as interagency policymakers in order to help SD leadership advance security directives, projects, and initiatives.

Plan, develop, and promote communications that increase stakeholders', consumers', IC colleagues', and U.S. Government executive agents' overall understanding of U.S. Government and IC policies and processes, and procedures to promote mission effectiveness.

Conditions of employment

Must be a current permanent ODNI employee OR must be a current permanent Federal employee with supervisory approval to apply to the Joint Duty Assignment (JDA). JDA applicants must be currently at the grade level specified in the advertisement. No temporary promotion opportunities will be granted for this position. The program does not apply to members of the Military service or contractors.

Joint Duty applicants may be considered for this position as a reimbursable detailee, if endorsed by the employing agency. Joint Duty applicants must have a current TS/SCI clearance with polygraph or have the ability to obtain one. The ODNI does not conduct polygraphs or provide security clearances for detailees.

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. How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you and explain how you would help implement them if hired.
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.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications
- Extensive knowledge of IC and related U.S. Government policies, directives, and standard operating procedures and demonstrated ability to develop a broad range of IC-wide policies, processes, and guidelines.
- Extensive knowledge of the U.S. Government and its IC components, missions, and interrelationships and experience working either with or in a major U.S. Government or IC organization; extensive understanding of the authorities, roles, and responsibilities of the organizations within the IC community.
- Extensive knowledge of and demonstrated experience in the research, formulation, development, and coordination of national level policies and directives, including extensive knowledge of qualitative and/or quantitative methods for policy development and assessment
Demonstrated ability to apply knowledge of ODNI and IC organizations and relevant customer organizations or operations (e.g., intelligence disciplines, military, policymakers, and law enforcement) in order to effectively address their national intelligence requirements and provide appropriate policy responses to meet IC needs.
- Demonstrated interpersonal, organizational, and problem-solving skills, including demonstrated ability to work independently and in a collaborative environment effectively with senior officials, management, teams, and colleagues.
- Demonstrated written and oral communication skills with demonstrated ability to articulate complex intelligence issues to a wide audience, including the ability to write policy or analytic products for the senior U.S. Government officials and the IC workforce.
- Demonstrated ability to build and sustain professional networks and collaborate with both management and staff to continuously improve community relationships, products, and services.
- Demonstrated project leadership capabilities, including the ability to effectively coordinate business processes, deliver within time constraints, manage competing priorities, and adjust quickly to deal with time sensitive requirements.

Desired Qualifications
- Extensive knowledge of the ODNI, IC, US Congress, congressional committees, and congressional liaison activities
- Experience working with the Office of Legislative Affairs, U.S. Congress, or congressional committees.
- Knowledge of internal tasking processes and the ability to review and inform development and final coordination of ODNI policy packages concerning personnel security reforms, such as Trusted Workforce 2.0, and Congressionally Directed Actions.

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. If you are among the best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

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. ESSAY QUESTION RESPONSES: The responses cannot exceed 200 words per question (please see questions in the Requirements section above). By submitting your responses to these 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]).

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

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

e. 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.) SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" is used to verify 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.

f. WRITTEN ENDORSEMENT: Applicants from federal agencies must provide written endorsement from the employing agency concurring with the detail.

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.

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